# Is this solid ?



## Anonymous (Oct 25, 2008)

I recently got this chip and noticed that it is quite heavy. I turned it over and seen that there is a large thick bar of gold mounted in the center. The gold pins are magnetic but the gold bar is not magnetic at all. The bar comes up through the chip and has a sensor mounted to it. Could this bar be solid gold ?


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## Oz (Oct 25, 2008)

I can’t imagine a good reason why it would be from an electrical or mechanical viewpoint. It looks like a heat sink, and ceramic weight can be misleading. Lazer Steve is the definitive authority on items like this though.


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## qst42know (Oct 25, 2008)

Have you tried to notch it with a small file?


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## lazersteve (Oct 25, 2008)

Rob,

The heat spreader on the bottom is likely plated.

It is also likely that it is attached to the chip with a gold alloy braze.

These types of chips do have high gold content and if you had several pounds of them the yields would be good.

The plate does not actually come up through the chip, instead it is brazed to the bottom and the inner area of the chip, including under the long die, is gold plated and/or gold alloy brazed also.

I would strip these in the sulfuric cell.

GSP has processed way more of these than I have. Hopefully he will post with his perspective also. He has posted on them several times. Search the forum for 'cerdip' and you will get some more informative posts.

Steve


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## Anonymous (Oct 25, 2008)

Thanks for the replies. I took a dental tool to it last nite and the bar popped rite off (some kind of weak mounting glue) without any effort. In the pic you can see that it has a riser shape to it. That's what I meant about when I said it went through the chip. You can see the sensor still mounted to the bar. I gouged it pretty good and I still see gold. I don't have a scale yet to weigh it but my guestimate is about 1/4 oz.  I'll take to my jewler up the road and let him have a gander at it.


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## lazersteve (Oct 25, 2008)

Rob,

That's very surprising to me. I've never seen one go all the way through like that.

Where did you find that chip?


Steve


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## Anonymous (Oct 25, 2008)

It was part of an Ebay auction. I really had'nt paid any attention to it until the other day when I picked it up to move it out of my way. That was when I noticed the weight of it.


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## Exibar (Oct 26, 2008)

that certianly is interesting... What are the numbers on the chip, maybe we can cross reference the chip itelf and pull up the MFG specs on it.

Let us know what your jeweler says too ;-)

Mike B


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## Anonymous (Oct 28, 2008)

I never did get to the jeweler. The number in the chip FCCD191D*. The last letter I can not tell if it is a 0,o, or c. :?:


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## Harvester3 (Nov 4, 2008)

Hey you all. This is my first post, and I'd like to say how good it is to have found this forum! I'm an electronics asset recycler in Oklahoma, and just recently decided I'd explore recovering PMs from the scrap I've been surrounded with for the past half decade. I worked in a few gold mills and mines in my younger days, but the chemistry is still a bit fuzzy.
In regards to the chip in question, it appears to be an early 
"programmable" type for what that's worth. 
Thanks for all you all sharing your experience and wisdom; I hope I'll be able to contribute in some way.


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## lazersteve (Nov 4, 2008)

Welcome to the forum Harvester,

I grew up in OKC and still have family there.


Nice to have you here!


Steve


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## Harold_V (Nov 4, 2008)

rob2008 said:


> I gouged it pretty good and I still see gold.


Here's where a test kit is worth its weight in gold. A tiny drop of nitric on the scratch will reveal, instantly, if the piece is plated, or solid gold. I can think of no other test for an item like this that would be as easy, nor as conclusive, and fast. 

I expect you are seeing gold color because the item is made of yellow brass, which is difficult to distinguish from gold to the untrained eye. I can see little reason for such an item to be made of solid gold when it wouldn't be necessary. Even when gold was only $35 oz, it cost a great deal more than base metals. 



> I don't have a scale yet to weigh it but my guestimate is about 1/4 oz.  I'll take to my jewler up the road and let him have a gander at it.


I would expect he would perform the test I mentioned. Many jewelers keep a small amount of nitric on hand for removing copper plating from items they use to make rubber molds for the purpose of duplicating the item. By plating a small amount, they compensate for shrinkage. 


Harold


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## patgspot (Nov 7, 2008)

I did some research on that IC and all I could come up with is that it was mfg'd by Fairchild Semiconductor. There are a few asian companies that still sell this device but they are not letting any specs on the IC out. Just how many they have in stock for purchase. What's it hurt to give out a little free information as long as its not going to be used to hurt anybody??? As far as I can tell this is a very old device. I hope any of this helps.

Pat G.


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