# 486 Yield



## Rag and Bone (Apr 9, 2008)

Does anyone have an estimate on the average yield from a pound of 486 cpus with gold plates removed?


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## calgoldrecyclers (Apr 10, 2008)

Rag and bone,
someone stated on an earlier post that the average yield from a pound of CPU's was around 3 to 3.5 grams. they however didnt specify whether that was with or without the plates. 
i have a copy of a report, that a 486 computer will yield approximately .15 ounce of gold, .66 ounce of silver and .09 ounce of palladium.
hope that helps.


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## lazersteve (Apr 10, 2008)

Cal,

*I hate to break it to you but a 486 only weighs 23.86 g (AMD Am486 DX4-120). By your figures listed above the cpu weighs less than the PMs you get out of it, not counting ceramic and other junk?! Now that's what I call greater than unity physics!!*:lol:

Here's what you are saying the cpu yields in grams:

0.15 x 31.1 = 4.665g gold (4.665 /23.85 = 19.56%)

0.66 x 31.1 = 20.526g silver (20.526/23.85= 86.06%) :shock: 

0.09 x 31.1 = 2.799g Palladium (2.799/23.85= 11.73%)

Think about it, if the CPU was nearly 20% gold and 86% silver it would look like it white gold all the way thru.

You definitely got your hands on some extremely bad information.

Steve


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## agpodt77339 (Apr 10, 2008)

The figures were based on the whole computer, not just the processor. Still seems too high.


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## lazersteve (Apr 10, 2008)

That makes a little more sense, but I have to agree, it sounds way too high still. Even if you harvest all the headers, drives, and boards with fingers. Back when 486's ruled the roost, solder was still mostly tin lead alloys.

Steve


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## SapunovDmitry (Apr 10, 2008)

Actually it can't be 3 gramms of Pd cause 1 ceramic capacitor contains 1 mg of Pd in average, if you collect only right ones. I bet there are no 2700 capacitors containing Pd in 486.


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## eagle2 (Apr 21, 2008)

I think you will find very little Silver in a computer. In thin films it has a habit of migration over time, which would cause circuit shorts. There`s probably only a very small amount in the keyboard. 

What fools many is thinking the Tin plating, in many areas, on the PCB is Silver. Also, theres no need for Silver in a Monitor. 

In Radio and Transmitter circuits there are some Silver parts. But the best place to find Silver in electronics is in the relays.


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## Rag and Bone (Apr 21, 2008)

This is the first I have heard of Pd in cpus. Is there anyway to recover it with the gold?


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## eagle2 (Apr 21, 2008)

Palladium might be in a CPU, or other Gold plated objects. It can be used in a very small amount as a hardener in Gold alloys. Most Gold plated objects are not 24 karat, but contain some hardeners (which may also include many of the base metals). 

Pd dissolves in Nitric acid.


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