# metals in ide cable ends?



## ComputerHoarder (Apr 24, 2012)

hello just wondering if i have this right, from the looks the metals in ide cable ends are copper plated with nickle and alittle bit of gold am i right? or are some pure nickle too?


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## Geo (Apr 24, 2012)

it wouldnt be pure nickel. since the tip springs, ive learned the base metal is probably some alloy of bronze. the nickel you see is a barrier between the copper alloy and the gold to keep the gold from migrating to the bronze and to keep the bronze from oxidizing.


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## ComputerHoarder (Apr 24, 2012)

thanks geo, interesting  you learn something new everyday


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## Marcel (Apr 29, 2012)

Typical yield is:
0,1% Au 
0,1% Pd 
more than 95% Cu. 
So........


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## Photobacterium (Apr 29, 2012)

IDE cables have changed a lot over the years.

they are in the general category of insulation displacement connectors.

to see it from the manufacturer's point of view, here's one of my personal favorites - Samtec.

http://www.samtec.com/

they should have some .100 centers IDC's in there. but, those are vintage 2012. the .100 centers design has been used for about 30 years. but i would be very surprised if the materials & plating stay the same.

i would keep them grouped according to 'vintage', if that's practical.

some scrap metal dealers will rate it as a #3 copper wire product and give you rates close to Christmas tree lights - about 40 cents a pound.

one option is to cut off the connectors, because some of them do contain gold plating, and to sell the ribbon cable.


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## qst42know (Apr 29, 2012)

Right from Samtec, type "-L" plating.

http://www.samtec.com/documents/webfiles/product_charts/Gold-Comparison-Chart.pdf


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## ComputerHoarder (Apr 29, 2012)

Marcel said:


> Typical yield is:
> 0,1% Au
> 0,1% Pd
> more than 95% Cu.
> So........



lol well i didnt figure they were plated so no sad faces  thanks for the info guys greatly appreciated


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## RikkiRicardo (Apr 30, 2012)

Hi can anyone correct these yields

Marcel have you done these yields?
Typical yield is:
0,1% Au
0,1% Pd
more than 95% Cu

where is the Pd on the ide connectors and is it not high on the Cu?
just asking.

RikkiRicardo


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## Geo (Apr 30, 2012)

actually, .1% isnt bad if its all you have to work with. it wouldnt be my first choice but i wouldnt sell it for copper either.


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## gold4mike (Apr 30, 2012)

I have about 15 pounds or so of those pins that my wife and her mother pulled for me while doing their TV viewing.

I've been using them to use up any excess nitric in my stock pot buckets. Since there is more surface area than there would be on one of my pieces of copper bus bar, they dissolve faster and I get the added small bonus of gold from them when they're gone.


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## ComputerHoarder (Apr 30, 2012)

wait so what do you do with the pins? im confused, sorry bout that


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## Geo (Apr 30, 2012)

if they have the gold tip, you can either run them in a sulfuric stripping cell or do like gold4mike says and save them to cement values from your stock pot. personally, id say run them through the cell because you probably dont have enough waste to warrant cleaning up a stock pot yet.


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