Also we mostly go to chain pawn shops (EZ Pawn, CashAmerica) which tend to be less focused on jewelry and more focused on electronics, instruments, and power tools.
My favorite job I ever did. I get to this guy's house, don't even have the carpet in the house, can I get you a soda? He won't let up till I say yes. He watches me drink it, won't let me do anything but drink my soda. I drink it so I can get to work. When I'm done, I have to bring the can out to the garage to recycle it.
He was old, 70 something and, he was a tinkerer. Showed me a trike he made with a VW engine, other things I can't remember.... Time to recycle the can. So he made a can crusher, with a air piston. He has a rocker pedal in line of the air hose. I put the can in, he rocks his foot one way and, in an instant, can is flat. Then he rocks it the other way, a blast of air shoots it like a hockey puck into a box in the other corner of the garage.