# LCD Goodies



## kuma (Oct 17, 2011)

Hi all , how are tricks ?
I hope everybody's O.K.!  
I had a phone call this afternoon from one of the computer repair shops that I recently contacted offering to remove their electronic 'waste' (no CRT's though! :evil: ) , and ended picking up a small box of LCD screens , aswell as a few other bits.
When I started pulling the boards off of them I remembered that I had saved some bit's from some other LCD screens that I tore into when I first started out on this project.
These 'bit's' are the thin plastic metalic looking sheets that make up some of the layers of the actual screen. I remember reading that LCD screens contain silver and as these were silver in colour I thought that maybe this was what I had read about.
Before I pull these sheets out of the other screens that I picked up today , and well before I go and incinerate them , I thought that maybe someone here could let me know If I am on the right path with this.
I have tried the search function in here and on Google , but I can't seem to find anything that tells me what these contain , if indeed they are actualy metalic as my eye would have me believe.
Just one other thing concerning the boards off of the backs of these screens. Aswell as the tiny gold fingers along the tops of the boards , there are some other larger gold plated squares and such.
I have checked under the solder mask and they're not entirely plated (which didn't come as a supprise) , so is the plan to trim off and save for processing (AP) just the gold plated parts?
I seem to remember reading here that someone , or some people , do it this way and that makes sense to me.
I also see what looks like Monolithic's which I would want to save for processing in the future , way way , way , in the future , lol :mrgreen: 
The guy in the shop said that he will be in touch with more of these every couple of weeks or so , so it would make sense to know these things.
I appolagise for the lack of pictures but my laptop is refusing to play ball on this one tonight , I can try again later on if it helps at all.
Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!
Many thanks in advance for any replies ,
Best wishes and kind regards ,
Chris


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## dtectr (Oct 17, 2011)

each of the adhesive tabs which connect to the gold "fingers" also have a thin layer of gold plating, not readily visible upon stripping them off - all you see is the BOTTOM, copper plate base for the fingers. But of course, these are designed to mate, gold finger to gold finger, just smaller. 

I would just cut them into manageable pieces and put in AP, since space is usually not an issue. They may need a treatment of hot lye to break the adhesive bond & expose the gold to solution.

If you come up with a way that works for you, will you keep us posted?


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## kuma (Oct 17, 2011)

Hi chief , how are things ? :-0)
Thanks for that , I didn't have a clue about those bits , I'll snip them off tommorow and put them in my small jar of odd bits!
I'll deffinatly keep you posted with regards to finding a way of exposing the gold. I noticed that problem the first time that I had a look at the small fingers along the tops of the boards. I tried using nail varnish remover thinking that the acetone would 'break through' , but even after a couple of days of soaking a small 'test piece' there was no change , apart from the fact that the acetone had evaporated , lol :mrgreen: 
Many thanks again , 
With kind regards ,
Chris


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## seawolf (Oct 17, 2011)

Lazersteve has a free video on removing solder mask and there are several posts for removing it also.
Mark


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## kuma (Oct 17, 2011)

seawolf said:


> Lazersteve has a free video on removing solder mask and there are several posts for removing it also.
> Mark



Hi Seawolf , how are tricks ?
I hope that your well!
As obvious as it seems , it totaly didn't cross my mind that the same methods for removing solder mask would apply here!
You've just saved some wasted head scratching! :mrgreen: 
Many thanks , and kind regards ,
Chris :-0)


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## ckbeck (Dec 12, 2011)

kuma said:


> Hi chief , how are things ? :-0)
> Thanks for that , I didn't have a clue about those bits , I'll snip them off tommorow and put them in my small jar of odd bits!
> I'll deffinatly keep you posted with regards to finding a way of exposing the gold. I noticed that problem the first time that I had a look at the small fingers along the tops of the boards. I tried using nail varnish remover thinking that the acetone would 'break through' , but even after a couple of days of soaking a small 'test piece' there was no change , apart from the fact that the acetone had evaporated , lol :mrgreen:
> Many thanks again ,
> ...


Hi:
This is my first post - Hope my info is useful.
The coating on the LCD , driver board and connecting flex circuit is ACF film /adhesive. I use an ACF film remover to get the stuff off - works very well.
ACF remover does not dissolve the epoxy or acrylic , it just releases the bond to the gold contacts etc..
I end up with a glob greyish stuff I set aside to dry and keep till I get enough to sell. 
The ACF adhesive - depending on brand is silver or gold / or a mix of 96/4 gold silver - micro spheres coated with this pretty tuff acrylic or epoxy .
Anyway - I don't refine yet - I hoped to - I just clean up (sometimes ) the gold and silver goodies and sell them to folks who refine.
Regards,
Chuck


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## Geo (Dec 12, 2011)

ckbeck said:


> kuma said:
> 
> 
> > Hi chief , how are things ? :-0)
> ...



can you give more information on the ACF remover such as brand name and where it can be purchased.


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## Smack (Dec 12, 2011)

Kuma, I tested those shiny plastic sheets with Schwerters silver test solution and got a negative. That's all I did.


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## kuma (Dec 15, 2011)

Hi Smack , how are tricks?
I hope your well! :mrgreen: 



Smack said:


> Kuma, I tested those shiny plastic sheets with Schwerters silver test solution and got a negative. That's all I did.



Thanks for the heads up on that!
I think that I had got my lines crossed with this one! 
I had read about the use of silver in plasma screens , and had somehow forgot about this along the lines and thought that maybe there was silver in lcd screens too.
I have googled and searched the web and have found no refference to the use of silver in the manufacture of lcd screens.
Apart from the fact that I have found no information to suggest the use of silver in the manufacture of lcd screens , something else that leads me to believe that these might not contain silver is the fact that to extract the silver from plasma screens you need to first crush and then leach the glass screen ( if memory serves me correctly ) , these *silvery* looking sheets from lcd screens are thin sheets of mylar type *plastic stuff* ( :roll: ) , and are therefore very different.
_But_ , I have learnt here not to discard anything untill I am sure of what I have ( or have not ) got.
I'll be keeping these silvery sheets until either I am ready and have a safe and secure place to do some more testing myself , or until I read somewhere that there is indeed for sure no silver in them.
Again , many thanks!
All the best , and kind regards ,
Chris


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## kurt (Dec 16, 2011)

I beleave Indium is used for making the thousonds of micro scopic diodes that make up an LCD screen. If memory serves me right I believe I read that on Wiki when doing a search on Indium (not Iridium) That would be the glass screen that the circuitry is connected to.
Kurt


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## butcher (Dec 16, 2011)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_crystal_display

https://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=LCD+monitor+precious+metals+used+in+manufacture&oq=LCD+monitor+precious+metals+used+in+manufacture&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=8047l23954l4l24532l36l36l0l29l29l0l219l1079l1.5.1l7l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=ee54156e0f0d2d3&biw=1152&bih=660

I save the thick Plexiglas sheet lots of things I could use them for, and small board that attaches to glass (little bit of gold), the glass is what should have the PGM indium maybe in the oily substance between the glass, I save the glass in a plastic tub, little bit of aluminum also for the scrap pile.

You may check and see if you can sell them, you may find some recycler will pay you more than you can get from them?
You may also find some working sometimes businesses will upgrade equipment and junk out working monitors, if you get many of the same brand you may find you could get one working by swapping circuit board, I have not messed with these much but I will bet the small switching power supply board is why they die. Probably from capacitor failure?


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## Smack (Dec 17, 2011)

kurt said:


> I beleave Indium is used for making the thousonds of micro scopic diodes that make up an LCD screen. If memory serves me right I believe I read that on Wiki when doing a search on Indium (not Iridium) That would be the glass screen that the circuitry is connected to.
> Kurt



Yup, Indium is used but no way that I know of to process the screens to get it back. I would be happy finding someone that buys them.

Kuma, you could try incinerating those plastic sheets, all the plastic will burn off and IF there is any kind of metal on them it would be left behind. But I do not believe there is any metal on them. 

Are they still using Silver on glass to make mirrors? Anyone know?


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## slickdogg (Dec 17, 2011)

> Are they still using Silver on glass to make mirrors? Anyone know?


the reflective surface in most modern mirrors is aluminum its viewed through a thin layer of glass. The glass protects the aluminum from scratching and bubbling.


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## Surplusmaster (Jan 3, 2012)

Happy New Year all-

I am still trying to find out if the blue grey conductive rubbery strips that connect the LCD driver board plated contacts to the glass LCD edge in small electronics has recoverable PMs.

But in checking around I found these links about something similar: 

ACF (Anisotropic conductive film) or ACF tape
http://www.acffilm.com/

FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) Connectors Overview
http://www.te.com/catalog/minf/en/311


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## Rickbob (Jan 9, 2012)

Hello I am new to scrapping and have been scrapping for a few months, I found many things and learned a lot about what I took apart. I found a big flat screen tv on the side of the road, took it apart and found plastic strips with what seems to have a Gold layer on them. I don't know how to take gold off things yet but I need advice how to start with these Gold layered stips that connect to the LCD Screen. Do I cut them off and take a razor blade and scrape the gold off or is there a better way?

Rickbob


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## Smack (Jan 9, 2012)

Rickbob, don't worry about the gold yet, keep collecting your scrap, taking it apart and making piles of different types of metal and circuit boards. If that's all you have to get the gold off of, you probably won't be able to find the gold when you process it. It takes a lot of scrap to make a small button of gold. So while your collecting, read the Forum like a mad man and download a copy of Hoke's book and read that too. You have a way to go before your ready to work with chemicals.


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## kuma (Jan 10, 2012)

Hi Smack , how are tricks?
I hope all is well!



Smack said:


> Kuma, you could try incinerating those plastic sheets, all the plastic will burn off and IF there is any kind of metal on them it would be left behind. But I do not believe there is any metal on them.



In all honestly incinerating them to see what was left over was my first thought , I guess that I'll just have to wait untill I have the facilities to do some testing myself , but I must admit it's not looking likely so far! :roll: Giggles!
Thanks for the advice chief , 
All the best for now and kind regards ,
Chris :mrgreen:


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## lazersteve (Jan 26, 2012)

Surplusmaster said:


> Happy New Year all-
> 
> I am still trying to find out if the blue grey conductive rubbery strips that connect the LCD driver board plated contacts to the glass LCD edge in small electronics has recoverable PMs.
> 
> ...




I've always assumed the dark lines in the rubber were a form of carbon for economic reasons.

Steve


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## Findm-Keepm (Jan 26, 2012)

They are called elastomeric strips - do a google search for Thomas and Betts, a maker of the conductive rubber/carbon type.

Cheers,
Brian


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## Surplusmaster (Jan 27, 2012)

Thanks all-
I am beginning to think that if you do not see the zebra stripes of the carbon conductor on the "elastomeric strip" ( thanks for the correct term Findm-Keepm )it must be some other type of metal conductor.

Here's more: JAN-29-2012
A link refrencing PMs in the strips and some search terms.

Also, I think I will search this site for someting that will dissove silicon
and perhaps centrifuge what is left, and test, any other suggestions ?


Polymer thick film By Ken Gilleo
excerpt:


http://books.google.com/books?id=gtd-tdX0nbwC&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=%22e

lastomeric+strip%22++gold+lcd&source=bl&ots=rQiTbghhR4&sig=sNvm6q2KaKQ

5y9Ua9nPm19JWIg8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=gmElT8mQA-jL0QG06fy2CA&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAQ#

v=onepage&q=%22elastomeric%20strip%22%20%20gold%20lcd&f=false

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http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/conductive-elastomer-strip.html
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conductive connectors/elastomer connector/zebra strip 

Applications : LCD watches & clocks, electronic games, typewriters, 

calculators, notebook computer and radio panels.


Nine-tenths of the people were created so you would want to be with the other tenth. ~Horace Walpole :mrgreen:

Getting Warm >>>>>
http://www.cospheric-microspheres.com/Conductive_Silver_Metal_Coated_Glass_Microspheres_s/98.htm


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## dtectr (Jan 27, 2012)

Don't forget that the fluorescent tubes may be considered hazardous material, depending on location.


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## Marcel (Feb 27, 2012)

This is what Merck, world leader in LCD technology says about the content of LCD screens:



in english:
0,1% LC (liquid crystal = worthless)
85% glass (worthless)
15% plastic (worthless)
0,01% indium (barely nothing)


Indium is regarded to be toxic!

Facts on indium:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indium

price today : 500 USD/Kg

I love this dude:

http://youtu.be/4opHafNmgCw

EDIT: Forgot to mention that some LCDs do use backlights that contain Hg and can easyly breake then Hg (mercury) evaporates from them into air. They are white tubes located behind the panel. Hg will go into air esp. in warm climates. Hg is toxic. So don´t breake them!


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## kuma (Feb 27, 2012)

Hello all , how are tricks?
I hope all is well!
Marcel , thank you for the chart , now I know to just remove the boards and send the screens straight back out for recycling when I get them! :lol: 
I'm deffinatly careful with the backlight tubes , but not because I knew that they might contain mercury , so thanks for the heads up guy's I intend on being double careful with these now! 8) 
All the very best everybody , and kind regards ,
Chris :mrgreen:


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## martinbardill (Oct 30, 2012)

found this and thought it was an interesting read


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## BJL1984 (Nov 13, 2012)

very interesting read indeed, I wounder if there is a way to collect some of the gallium from those lcd's, its neat stuff liquid at room temp, but safe to handle as long as you dont eat it


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