# Dissecting electronics instead of frogs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissecting-electronics-instead-of-frogs/595197>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 4, 2011, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissecting-electronics-instead-of-frogs/595197 "2011-09-04T23:39:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissecting-electronics-instead-of-frogs/595197/21 "2011-09-05T18:48:37Z")

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> [@ZenBeam](#):
>
> I thought that was green now…

[It is](http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f44/JoeyJoeyPP/ka3.jpg) and I’m still waiting for the parts to come in, hopefully this week yet. That’s just the only picture I had with the parts scattered all over the table.

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**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissecting-electronics-instead-of-frogs/595197/22 "2011-09-05T19:11:42Z")

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> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> [It is](http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f44/JoeyJoeyPP/ka3.jpg) and I’m still waiting for the parts to come in, hopefully this week yet. That’s just the only picture I had with the parts scattered all over the table.

is that powder coated?

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**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissecting-electronics-instead-of-frogs/595197/23 "2011-09-05T19:26:39Z")

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If you were doing a group project or class demonstration, a washing machine could work well. There’s tons of room inside them so you can see everything and pulling the major components is pretty easy. The generalities of what the major parts do are reasonably obvious, but there are still some good mechanical mysteries there (like the mechanism that switches between wash to agitate to spin).

There was a great old British TV show called the Secret Life of Machines that was all about how appliances work and their history (and usually involved lots of disassembly) that could probably give you some good ideas. They’re all available online now if you click the “videos” link: [http://www.secretlifeofmachines.com/index.shtml](http://www.secretlifeofmachines.com/index.shtml)

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**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissecting-electronics-instead-of-frogs/595197/24 "2011-09-05T19:29:56Z")

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> [@jz78817](#):
>
> is that powder coated?

Yes

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**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dissecting-electronics-instead-of-frogs/595197/25 "2011-09-06T01:03:50Z")

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I had my girl scouts pull apart old blow dryers. Its a motor, a fan, and a heating element. Very simple.

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