# Where is Pt. generally found in electronics?(p.c.`s ect.)



## Anonymous (Aug 13, 2008)

*Is Pt. found around "HOT SPOTS",like contact points?Can you guys give me some examples?Is there any Pt. in cell phones?Where are the most likely places (besides CATS) that Pt. can be found?I am greener than grass so,any imput would be a fantastic asset!THANK YOU.   *


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## Harold_V (Aug 14, 2008)

Truth is, you won't find a great deal of platinum in electronics. Contacts are a possible source, but not common. Others may have a different opinion. 

It is found as an alloying agent in (some) dental gold, in aircraft and auto sparkplugs, in laboratory equipment and also (some) thermocouples. You're not likely to encounter a lot of platinum. I accumulated about 75 ounces in over 20 years of refining, some of it on an exchange for gold basis. My best source, overall, was dental gold. 

Harold


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## EDI Refining (Aug 26, 2008)

Hi

Here's are example for you : 

Heart Pace makers - We tested a few, that had Pt wires. 

thanks 
Peter


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## qst42know (Aug 26, 2008)

Most people I know who have pacemakers rarely give them up without a fight. :lol:


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## Lou (Aug 26, 2008)

Hmpf. It's not just the wires that are made of platinum.


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## lazersteve (Aug 27, 2008)

I have a wide variety of pacemaker scrap. 

The wires, the lid, the back plates, and the crimp sleeves are all Platinum or a 95%+ alloy thereof.

I'll post some photos when I get home tonight.

Steve


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## stihl88 (Jul 15, 2009)

Hi Steve, have you got photo's of the Platinum pacemaker parts?

Ive just come across a pacemaker and i am confident that it's Platinum but not too sure.
I did a heat test and the metal cooled leaving rainbow colored rings behind.


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## lazersteve (Jul 15, 2009)

These are the 95-99% platinum medical scrap parts that I get. They are from a hospital's cardiac ward where testing and repairs are performed on pacemakers and such.







The larger disc is the top of the device, the small sleeves are for crimping the fine platinum wires, and the oval lids cover the point where the wires connect to the circuit.

I have one of the tiny circuit boards somewhere around here. It's about the diameter of a dime or penny.

Steve


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## Harold_V (Jul 16, 2009)

stihl88 said:


> I did a heat test and the metal cooled leaving rainbow colored rings behind.


Sounds more like palladium than platinum. 

Platinum can be heated to redness, and will remain bright and shiny when it cools. 

Harold


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## stihl88 (Jul 16, 2009)

Ok thanks guys...

The components you have their Steve are a lot different than what i have pulled from the pacemaker Ive got. Thanks for the photos BTW.

Inside my device the PCB is made of white ceramic and there are lots of small blocks of very bright yellow gold but they are extremely attracted to my Neodymium (N50) magnet, that tells me that it might be iron underneath but it just doesn't seem fathomable to plate iron with gold. I'm far from knowledgeable so it could be some other material I'm unfamiliar with.

Good score on the Pt Steve, why on earth would the hospital part with that amount of platinum, did you have to buy it from them?

Regards

Will


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## lazersteve (Jul 16, 2009)

Will,

From the best of my understanding these are some sort of repair/assembly scraps or rejects.

What you see in the photo is only a small fraction of the material I've traded with the supplier over the last year.

To be honest, all I know is the scrap comes from a hospital and is used in cardiac patients. I can't be exactly sure what the devices are actually called or used for, but all the scrap lots are composed of the same materials you see in the above photos each time I make a deal. 

I have also verified with both fire assay and wet chemistry that the scrap is indeed 95-99% platinum by weight.

Steve


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## Lou (Jul 16, 2009)

Many hospitals toss this material away as infectious waste (or are supposed to); having talked to several large hospitals in the area, I have found that most of them mix the scrap in with their other infectious waste and it all gets incinerated and dumped into a landfill. Special hazmat handling licenses are needed for the disposal, and not just everyone can have it even if it has seen an autoclave and/or UV sterilizer. 

Fine PtRh filament is used in many procedures in neurosurgery just as these allows show up in many cardiac devices (catheter tips, pacemaker jackets, stents, etc.).


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## stihl88 (Jul 17, 2009)

It looks as though the battery might be encased in Pt, it's got a very slight Aluminium tinge to it though but it's very heavy which is usually a good sign.


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## DNIndustry (Jul 17, 2009)

their is a platinum mesh screen and a couple of billets in andro's oxygen sensors as well as platinum black. Used in automotive emission testing. high end audio. imean real high end has platinum wire alloyed with steel. yes steel.


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## stihl88 (Nov 10, 2010)

Back again...

Ive since bought approx 6 Pacemakers all of different brands.

It appears as though all of them have a Titanium case (Possibly alloyed), this is also evident upon cutting the case open which results in white sparks from the dremel cut off wheel.

Once inside the pacemakers almost all of them have a Lithium/iodine cell which i have since found out that they are likely encased in Pure Nickel rather than Palladium or Platinum. Be careful when opening up the Lithium cells and do this outside, as soon as it is exposed to the outside world it immediately starts reacting with atmospheric H20 and WILL ignite! 

Now the next part is the Circuit Board, most are made of ceramic PCB's and have micro ceramic CPU's and some chunky Capacitors, some of which appears to contain gold soldering.

My main reason for collecting these was to see if they had Platinum wires inside, i have since found one thick chunky Pt wire and the rest i believe may be Pt coated.

On a quick analysis i would have to say that they probably aren't worth buying for PM scrap unless you can pick them up for a few dollars.


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## Ocean (Nov 10, 2010)

place a small coin we would know the size of in that last picture please.

Thanks


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## stihl88 (Nov 11, 2010)

The battery in the far left bottom corner measures 1.5" x 1"


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## lmschers (Nov 14, 2010)

I read in Hoke that most hypodermic needles are made of a platinum alloy.
I feel like that was a long time ago.
Does anyone know what they're made of now?

Steve's comment on the hospital waste made me think about that.
Can anyone post pictures of platinum wire that they've gotten from pacemakers?
I'm trying to recycle cats so I can make the wire.


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## etack (Nov 14, 2010)

this question is for Lou 

I have a friendly acquittance with the assistant Nero surgeon of an area hospital network and would like to be able to inquire about platinum baring waste and what happens to it. however I relay don't know what questions to ask or even what might contain pgms i know that you listed some items but if you have a more comprehensive list that would be appreciated or any other ideas of Precious metals in the hospital that may not be bio waste but still waste I might be able to get.

thank you

Eric


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## stihl88 (Nov 14, 2010)

Most all hypodermic syringes contain only stainless steel shaft now


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