# pcb and motherboads



## lestat666 (Jan 5, 2020)

i hope someone can help me ive looked thought lots of this page's old posts and was hoping if anyone has found or got a fast way to depopulate motherbords or any type of circuit boards so its easier to just recover pins, ic chips ect any help is appreciated


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## Martijn (Jan 5, 2020)

Hi lestat666. Welcome to the forum. 
A hammer and chisel will be the most environment friendly way to go. 
A heatgun and an oven is mentioned in this thread: 
pcb depolpulation: 
https://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=25406
Or maybe this one helps?
Methods of depopulation:
https://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=831

But depending on what you allready know I recommend first of all reading the basic info of refining and this forum: 
welcome to all newbies.
https://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=796
A must read as far as i'm concerned. Go as deep as you can and take notes while you study to write down questions as you read. There are so many things to study that you can get lost in your original question or you need to study something first to even try to understand a subject or discussion. 

And where do i learn these skills? 
https://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=28521

Read, study and meanwhile gather and sort the material or components you have taken from pcb's. Read about the different ways to handle different types of e scrap. 
Avoid making unnessecary large amounts of toxic waste solutions. Separate as much as you can mechanically. 

Learn about tin and the troubles it gives during refing. Tin paste is a difficult substance to sepatare. 

Start with dealing with waste. You can find that link in the links above.

Before you start with anything for real, post it here describe your intended steps and equipment and wait for approval or advice. We will guide you through the process and do our best to make sure you will live and stay healthy enough to enjoy your accomplishments for years to come. 

Be safe. Have fun  
Martijn.


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## lestat666 (Jan 7, 2020)

well was hoping to depopulate pcb or motherboads with chemicals solution i know hcl can dissovle solder so was hoping for a tin and lead solder stripper or similar so I could just put them in a tray let the solution do it stuff then just pick what I wanna keep off the boards


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## Martijn (Jan 7, 2020)

It is descibed in the second link. : 


''Method 9: Hot acid bath
Remove ferrous materials. Place boards in a bath of straight or diluted muriatic acid in a crock pot. Do not boil and keep it covered. The acid will attack all solder and leave gold and copper intact. The process should be over in less than an hour.

Pro: Method 9 is fast and efficient. It only dissolves the solder leaving behind components, a clean board, and dirty acid solution. Some people crock pot pins anyway...
Con: It can produce acid fumes. Hot acid is dangerous. The spent acid is very toxic. It is difficult of an average person to scale up.''

It sounds like the easy way with fast results. 
But keep in mind the toxic waste that you create. And how much material you want to process. 
And the importance of removal of ferrous materials prior to leaching since HCL and Fe make FeCl2 and in time oxidizes to FeCl3 which will dissolve copper and more. 

Read the entire thread and find more comments about tin being dissolved and possibly losing gold. 

Edited for premature posting due to thick fingers and small cell phone buttons  :roll:


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## chris85 (Mar 2, 2022)

Strictly speaking a PCB is the fiberglass board with the copper traces on it. The strict definition does not include the components. A motherboard is (in general terms) a PCB (pcb supplier) with components added that serves the role as the central main board. In a PC this is where the CPU is connected, there are other applications.


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## Geo (Mar 5, 2022)

There are commercial depopulation machines. I have a friend in New Zealand that had one constructed on site for less than $10,000 USD but it is a monster. Commercial machines from China cost about half that but needs to be delivered and set up.


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## Ohiogoldfever (Mar 7, 2022)

Geo said:


> There are commercial depopulation machines. I have a friend in New Zealand that had one constructed on site for less than $10,000 USD but it is a monster. Commercial machines from China cost about half that but needs to be delivered and set up.



Any chance you have any pictures? I’m guessing a rotating drum that’s heated to allow things to be knocked free from the board....? Seems like it could be made fairly easy.


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## AMS-Pro (Mar 8, 2022)

This is the setup that I had looked at buying. After doing research, it would be cheaper to build one, and have more money for the filtration setup you're definitely going to need. That, as well as the licenses and permits you're for sure going to need.

Gas and electricity to operate this every day, about $350 month. $250-$300 for gas, $50-$100 for electricity. You should be able to ideally run 1 ton of material a day.

If you're not going to be running any amount of material in that range, it would be better to build a much smaller unit, or run a different process. Currently, I strip off heatsinks, connectors, oversized pieces, ferrous metal parts. Then I just shred/crush everything, and separate that with a water/shaker table.

Edit* Spelling, more information.


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