# Does it apear to look like gold fingers and board? 80's HP..



## hedrick84 (Jan 20, 2014)

I came across some really old medical equipment at a flea market that had been sitting around for 20+ years. I snagged it up with some simple bartering. 

I attempted to attach a couple of pictures of one of the boards I have.. I have about 150+ of these boards. HP is branded all over these boards.
Questions:
1.) Does it appear to be gold fingers & gold a gold bus on the PCB?
2.) having at least 150 of this style of boards would you recommend this is a good start for gold refining? For personal Educational purposes (not to get rich)

Thanks in Advance!


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## moose7802 (Jan 20, 2014)

Those are some very nice boards! Hp is definitely one of the companies who gold plated entire boards as I have seen quite a few with fingers and all the traces where gold plated as well. Those boards need to be depopulated and then look up the AP process. That should get you started and of course always practice proper safety

Tyler


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## hedrick84 (Jan 20, 2014)

moose7802 said:


> Those are some very nice boards! Hp is definitely one of the companies who gold plated entire boards as I have seen quite a few with fingers and all the traces where gold plated as well. Those boards need to be depopulated and then look up the AP process. That should get you started and of course always practice proper safety
> 
> Tyler


Thank you so much for the prompt reply Tyler.
My wife thought I was crazy filling our garage up with this "junk". I am very excited to hear your good news!!! 

I had assumed without opening the equipment up that it would have a lot of goodies inside means it was old medical equipment. Figured worst case the aluminum that housed it all would be worth my time.

AP process?? 

Also, I noticed silver.. Do you off hand see anything I should be make sure I pay attention to on these boards pictured? I know the gold fingers, pins, ect.
I will post more pictures this evening of everything I have


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## cmiller92 (Jan 20, 2014)

Them are some pretty neat boards you have there, maybe collectable? I would do some research on them to see if they are. As far as a good start on refining, I would suggest the experiments in Ms. Hokes book, along with reading the material contained.
I believe that once you have read that enough and completed the experiments enough to understand the chemical reactions then you should start a small scale experiment of refining, maybe not starting with the vintage boards.
I know you said you are not looking for the monetary value, but the educational value, which is I think is awesome. Saying that thought you could possibly talk to another board member who would exchange those boards for a cleaner, more beginner type of material, such as pins or fingers. Maybe someone who knows how to refine all of the metals instead of just cutting the fingers. If that does not sounds good, sell them on eBay and use the funds to buy some simpler material.
Good luck!
CJ


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## moose7802 (Jan 20, 2014)

Those boards appear to me to have all traces gold plated so once you depopulated them you will have to remove the clear solder mask that is sometimes on those boards and soak the whole boards. It doesn't appear that just the fingers have gold it looks to me like the rest of the Cu leads are plated as well. You can test that with a drop of HNO3. 

Tyler


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## solar_plasma (Jan 20, 2014)

I find that when those boards are depolutated, they are good beginner stuff - it's one point of view. Regarding the solder mask, I would give it a try if it can be dissolved with nail polisher, - I just read today, that this could be used for 35+ years ago.

The TO-5 transistors may contain enough gold to process them if you have half a pound or more, so don't throw them away. The relais contain silver contacts, maybe even alloyed with palladium. (both may contain toxic elements like Be and Cd too, so just save them, until you know, what to do - better: what not to do :lol: )

I think I see some tantalum perl capacitors, too.

The silver coloured capacitors in the last picture are eye catchers, - could you make a better photo of those?


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## goldsilverpro (Jan 20, 2014)

Yellow fingers are gold fingers. White or gray fingers are not gold.

Solar.

It's fingernail polish remover, which is acetone.


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## gold4mike (Jan 20, 2014)

Take a good look at the transistors, maybe crush one so you open the can, look for gold plating on the bottom and/or inside. Also take a look at the contact on the relays. They'll probably have silver or gold buttons on them.

You have a very good find there!!


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## hedrick84 (Jan 20, 2014)

Here are some more pictures.. as i had promised.
Some more shots of the boards as well as some other things I still have yet to open up.

I have tons of these boards, these are just a few from just one machine. Good Stuff?


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## jimdoc (Jan 20, 2014)

Do you know what type of equipment, or the purpose of it was it was?

Jim


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## hedrick84 (Jan 20, 2014)

jimdoc said:


> Do you know what type of equipment, or the purpose of it was it was?
> 
> Jim


actually yes..
This particular one was from an old medical ECG machine. 
Was in a wooden particle board box casing..inside was full of aluminum racks.. inside the aluminum racks was these boards.


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## hedrick84 (Jan 20, 2014)

A few more pictures of various parts to this machine.


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## jimdoc (Jan 20, 2014)

I scrapped a Grass ECG machine years ago, that was one heavy piece of equipment.
It had about a dozen large very strong magnets inside. 
If you got probes with it, they may have platinum tips.

Jim


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## hedrick84 (Jan 20, 2014)

cmiller92 said:


> Them are some pretty neat boards you have there, maybe collectable? I would do some research on them to see if they are. As far as a good start on refining, I would suggest the experiments in Ms. Hokes book, along with reading the material contained.
> I believe that once you have read that enough and completed the experiments enough to understand the chemical reactions then you should start a small scale experiment of refining, maybe not starting with the vintage boards.
> I know you said you are not looking for the monetary value, but the educational value, which is I think is awesome. Saying that thought you could possibly talk to another board member who would exchange those boards for a cleaner, more beginner type of material, such as pins or fingers. Maybe someone who knows how to refine all of the metals instead of just cutting the fingers. If that does not sounds good, sell them on eBay and use the funds to buy some simpler material.
> Good luck!
> CJ



I had thought to myself, before I posted on here, these boards MAY have a collector value, however after researching for 6+ hours on a few of these boards.. I have turned up no info as far as similar boards to even being able to place a value on them.. so I knew I would not getting pushed around for any reason (not everyone are honest people) . Knowing it wasnt easy to find info on them, I figured I had some rare pieces here. So I said forget it.. I originally got this equipment to experiment and educate myself on the whole refining process..from start to finish. I am going to stick with my guns and completely strip every last part on these things and start educating myself and possibly my kids too. Once I feel I have a good grasp on the whole process from start to finish. 

I really enjoy EVERYBODY and Their feedback


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## hedrick84 (Jan 20, 2014)

jimdoc said:


> I scrapped a Grass ECG machine years ago, that was one heavy piece of equipment.
> It had about a dozen large very strong magnets inside.
> If you got probes with it, they may have platinum tips.
> 
> Jim



no magnets in the entire machine nor probes. 

I know nothing about ECG.. However this thing had a bunch of knobs all over it,a nd some sort of printer..? But I cant seem to figure out where the paper went in for it to print on..or ink.. now that I am thinking about it, maybe it wasnt a printer at all, maybe that part of the machine held the old school 5" floppy disk...hrmmm


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## jimdoc (Jan 20, 2014)

Did it look like this picture?


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## hedrick84 (Jan 20, 2014)

jimdoc said:


> View attachment 3
> Did it look like this picture?



uhhh.. not really. I will take a picture of the machine..whats left of it anyways, lol. Maybe I can sit a couple piece back into it so you will get the idea


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## hedrick84 (Jan 20, 2014)

jimdoc said:


> Did it look like this picture?


Yours appears older than mine.


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## cmiller92 (Jan 20, 2014)

hedrick84 said:


> I had thought to myself, before I posted on here, these boards MAY have a collector value, however after researching for 6+ hours on a few of these boards.. I have turned up no info as far as similar boards to even being able to place a value on them.. so I knew I would not getting pushed around for any reason (not everyone are honest people) . Knowing it wasnt easy to find info on them, I figured I had some rare pieces here. So I said forget it.. I originally got this equipment to experiment and educate myself on the whole refining process..from start to finish. I am going to stick with my guns and completely strip every last part on these things and start educating myself and possibly my kids too. Once I feel I have a good grasp on the whole process from start to finish.


 
I have seen a lack of our more experienced refiners refer you to any materials for education or safety, but being in the military the saying is “Safety is everyone’s responsibility”. So I will say that you need to read about the processes that can be found in the tutorials section. You REALLY need to read the safety section, and it might be good to* leave the kids out *of the refining hobby. I’m pretty sure I have read from forum members post that he quit refining for a while because a neighbors kid got into his chemical closet, spilt HNO3 on his skin, and lost a lot of it (his skin). Maybe this was Geo’s story?

Refining is a fun hobby, but can be dangerous. Read a lot before you try anything and after you have absorbed all the knowledge try small experiments, because undoubtedly you will be the next “I have a mess, how do I recover my valuables?” 

I do not say this to be mean, I have been reading for nearly a year and still have not tried any processing. (Not easy when you are in Afghanistan)


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## jimdoc (Jan 20, 2014)

If anyone comes across one like I pictured, be careful of the magnets. 
If they pinch your fingers, you won't forget it.

Jim


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## solar_plasma (Jan 20, 2014)

GSP


> Solar.
> 
> It's fingernail polish remover, which is acetone.



Yes, indeed, though it could be ethylacetate, too. I didn't want to say the word "acetone" in order to avoid that some brothers get a nervous breakdown again. ...ooh yes, now I now,what you mean...I wrote "nail polisher" :lol: yes, I meant* fingernail polish remover*, thanks GSP!


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## hedrick84 (Jan 20, 2014)

cmiller92 said:


> hedrick84 said:
> 
> 
> > I had thought to myself, before I posted on here, these boards MAY have a collector value, however after researching for 6+ hours on a few of these boards.. I have turned up no info as far as similar boards to even being able to place a value on them.. so I knew I would not getting pushed around for any reason (not everyone are honest people) . Knowing it wasnt easy to find info on them, I figured I had some rare pieces here. So I said forget it.. I originally got this equipment to experiment and educate myself on the whole refining process..from start to finish. I am going to stick with my guns and completely strip every last part on these things and start educating myself and possibly my kids too. Once I feel I have a good grasp on the whole process from start to finish.
> ...



Thanks, I too am a a veteran. I have tons of time on my hands (unable to work) I am referring to children that are much older than rug rats running around, ect. Safety is a priority to me as well.. I am by no means planning on purchasing chemicals until I have a better understanding about everything. I understand this is not an overnight process.. Its going to take me weeks alone to break these machines down to the boards, Let alone anything further.. In my down time I will continue reading and educating myself.


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## FrugalRefiner (Jan 20, 2014)

hedrick,

Welcome to the forum, and thank you for your service. I'll give you some links that may help you in your new adventure.

Read EVERYTHING in the Safety section of the forum, especially the Dealing with Waste topic. No amount of precious metal is worth jeopardizing your health or the health of those around you. 

Follow the Guided Tour created by LazerSteve. It will provide an introduction to the forum and numerous valuable links including the General Reactions List. Be sure to follow the link to his web site as he has many outstanding videos, a collection of great reference documents, and he sells a lot of the supplies needed to get started including detailed instructional DVDs. Samuel-a also has a lot of videos, guides and tutorials at his web site Gold-N-Scrap.

Download C. M. Hoke's book. You'll find links to both screen readable and printer friendly versions in my signature line below. You'll see her book mentioned repeatedly here on the forum for good reason. It is probably the best book ever written for the beginner who wants to learn refining. It is written in layman's terms and will provide a solid foundation that will help you understand everything you read here on the forum. You'll also find a tremendous amount of information in the two Forum Handbooks compiled by aflacglobal, Forum Handbook Vol 1 and Forum Handbook Vol 2.

That should get you off to a good start while you tear all that stuff apart.

Dave


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## cmiller92 (Jan 20, 2014)

A message that hits home hard with me. This was something I was going to get into with my father also but regretably he passed away a few months ago when I was in Fort Hood.
Well being no longer rugrats then they would be a fool not too try to learn this and spend the time with you, good luck and have fun. :|


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## solar_plasma (Jan 20, 2014)

Perfect introduction, Dave!

This one should be showed automaticly each time someone new is joining, - I would have appreciated it, when I came here :lol:

Maybe there should be a link to Testing Precious Metals, too?


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## moose7802 (Jan 20, 2014)

moose7802 said:


> That should get you started and of course always practice proper safety
> 
> Tyler





cmiller92 said:


> I have seen a lack of our more experienced refiners refer you to any materials for education or safety, but being in the military the saying is “Safety is everyone’s responsibility”. So I will say that you need to read about the processes that can be found in the tutorials section. You REALLY need to read the safety section, and it might be good to* leave the kids out *of the refining hobby. I’m pretty sure I have read from forum members post that he quit refining for a while because a neighbors kid got into his chemical closet, spilt HNO3 on his skin, and lost a lot of it (his skin). Maybe this was Geo’s story?
> 
> Refining is a fun hobby, but can be dangerous. Read a lot before you try anything and after you have absorbed all the knowledge try small experiments, because undoubtedly you will be the next “I have a mess, how do I recover my valuables?”
> 
> I do not say this to be mean, I have been reading for nearly a year and still have not tried any processing. (Not easy when you are in Afghanistan)



I had said in my first post to practice proper safety and that means if you do not know it you should probably read about it. 

Tyler


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## cmiller92 (Jan 20, 2014)

My thread was not posted at any particular person moose, but saying "and of course always practice proper safety" is a lot different than how Dave put it in a nice to read post with hyperlinks to all sections.

CJ


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## Anonymous (Jan 20, 2014)

solar_plasma said:


> Perfect introduction, Dave!
> 
> This one should be showed automaticly each time someone new is joining, - I would have appreciated it, when I came here :lol:
> 
> Maybe there should be a link to Testing Precious Metals, too?



Dave I agree with Solar completely.

That's a great intro post.

Jon


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## moose7802 (Jan 20, 2014)

As do I. Dave has a way of doing that and making people feel comfortable here. I know he did for me when I first came here

Tyler


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## hedrick84 (Jan 20, 2014)

I want to thank everyone for their input! 

I am sure I will be speaking to each of you again soon...

I already have MANY questions going through my head when looking at all of these boards & components. However; I am going to attempt to do my due diligence & try to research my own questions I keep asking myself before I bother any one of you... As I am sure I will learn more along the way doing it this way. :mrgreen:


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## hedrick84 (Jan 21, 2014)

I keep looking at these boards I've acquired (pictures in previous post on this thread). As I have been reading through reference material including the forums, videos, & various websites. A problem I have noticed that I am running into from these in the last few days during my research is..Most of references speak and show only the modern circuit boards and components recovery on these boards & electronics. (which is great to know too!)

As you can see in the pictures I posted, These boards are considered vintage. On the white in color boards, gold is on the one side.. what is that silvery shinny stuff on the other side of the circuit boards???  

The same colors appears to be in & on several of the IC chips too on other boards in this batch. The appearance is just a very very shiny silver/chrome in color. Not dull like aluminum or tin, again these things are very old.. after this many years.. tin or aluminum would start to dull even if it was polished at one point in the beginning of its lifetime..

Does anyone know of reference material in regards to older type circuit boards, including the older components attached to various boards? As I am sure, the components are called the same names. However; they completely look different.

If I am posting these types of questions in the wrong section.. please let me know. I figured it would be easier to just go ahead and ask here means the pictures are already uploaded on this thread.

Thanks in advance again guys!


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## g_axelsson (Jan 21, 2014)

hedrick84 said:


> As you can see in the pictures I posted, These boards are considered vintage. On the white in color boards, gold is on the one side.. what is that silvery shinny stuff on the other side of the circuit boards???


That is plain lead-tin solder. If kept in a dry protected environment solder doesn't tarnish noticeable. Just take a look at the solder points around the pins of the components and you see it.

Göran


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