Using old ink jet printers

--Go here:

...and start reading at page 9 where he talks about the "Santa Claus Machine", heh. I've heard folks are starting to do homebrew stereolith machines with converted inkjet and laser printers, but I've yet to see a kit of parts or a set of proven plans.. Maybe you can be the first??

Strip them and bin the junk. The steppers, sensors and assorted mechanical parts (gears, belts, etc.) may be useful. The ways (is that what you call them in a printer? the long shiny things the print head runs on) are usually pretty good too, so keep them. A pile of dead printers will just take up space; a few good bits of steel plus some motors, gears and belts might come in handy.

From an electronics perspective, bin it. It will be easier to address the motors directly from your own electronics (if you use them).

Tim

If you got any ink cartridges that have not been refilled you may be able to trade them in for packs of paper at your local Staples/OfficeMax/etc.

Depending on the model, some have temperature sensing chips (DS18...), gratucile and quadrature detectors. Look deep, you might find some cool stuff.

Find some good eyeballs and build an iRobot.