ATENTION AT GOLD PLATED BOARDS!

[kurtak]

Most of the items highlighted with red dots are carbon resistors and contain zero gold!

This is correct

This is actually a very nice little board. I have superimposed red dots on some of the caps, and transistors.

This is not correct - what you marked with red dots are not caps or transistors - they are carbon resistors & as actionmanmelb pointed out there is zero gold in them

What identifies them as resistors is the colored rings on the outside of the barrel/tube/body - the "coding" of the colored rings tells you the resistive value (ohms) of the resistor

There are 2 types of (barrel/tube) carbon resistors - carbon film where a thin film of carbon goes round the surface of a ceramic core/rod - like these ------------

Carbon Resistor - Definition, Parts, Uses and Applications

Then there are the carbon composition type where the carbon is mixed in a matrix of ceramic clay that makes up the actual core/rod - like these -----------------

https://www.physics-and-radio-elect...ents/resistors/carboncompositionresistor.html
These are the one marked with red dots

No gold (or any precious metals) in ether type (film or composition) carbon resistor

Kurt

 

[mythen10]

all IC from boards and transistors contain gold and are good quality also are ceramic ic on boards but me I make reference strictly to empty plated board this kind of boards can be a really scam and is not worth to process them for gold contain 0 gold the gold plated fingers contain 100 time more gold than this boards

 

[Christian333]

This is correct

This is not correct - what you marked with red dots are not caps or transistors - they are carbon resistors & as actionmanmelb pointed out there is zero gold in them

What identifies them as resistors is the colored rings on the outside of the barrel/tube/body - the "coding" of the colored rings tells you the resistive value (ohms) of the resistor

There are 2 types of (barrel/tube) carbon resistors - carbon film where a thin film of carbon goes round the surface of a ceramic core/rod - like these ------------

Carbon Resistor - Definition, Parts, Uses and Applications

Then there are the carbon composition type where the carbon is mixed in a matrix of ceramic clay that makes up the actual core/rod - like these -----------------

https://www.physics-and-radio-elect...ents/resistors/carboncompositionresistor.html
These are the one marked with red dots

No gold (or any precious metals) in ether type (film or composition) carbon resistor

Kurt

This is correct

This is not correct - what you marked with red dots are not caps or transistors - they are carbon resistors & as actionmanmelb pointed out there is zero gold in them

What identifies them as resistors is the colored rings on the outside of the barrel/tube/body - the "coding" of the colored rings tells you the resistive value (ohms) of the resistor

There are 2 types of (barrel/tube) carbon resistors - carbon film where a thin film of carbon goes round the surface of a ceramic core/rod - like these ------------

Carbon Resistor - Definition, Parts, Uses and Applications

Then there are the carbon composition type where the carbon is mixed in a matrix of ceramic clay that makes up the actual core/rod - like these -----------------

https://www.physics-and-radio-elect...ents/resistors/carboncompositionresistor.html
These are the one marked with red dots

No gold (or any precious metals) in ether type (film or composition) carbon resistor

Kurt

Hi Kurt,
There is potential for gold plated end caps on all types of axial mount resistors. All the examples were found by myself and other members of GEO's Facebook group.

Janie

 

[BlackLabel]

Couldn't it be brass?

 

[Martijn]

Mythen, english lesson: a scam is when you buy something that's supposed to have value when there is no value or way less than told.

Life lesson: Most of us know about ENIG plating and have warned people not to get gold fever from seeing the shiny layer, only to get disappointed later when you can barely trace it in solution, let alone when precipitating. Nothing is there, or soooo little it's hard to see.

Learning first hand about the real value of things (wether it be good or bad) is a very valuable lesson as you have experienced.

Since you got those boards for free as I understood, there is no scam.

If someone doesn't want to get scammed, don't buy anything you can see first to check for yourself.

Martijn.

 

[Martijn]

I've also seen (gold plating? Seen, not verified, will check again) inside those end caps. Not on the outside, no function there exept maybe the lack of technology to plate only the inside.
But if the labor of getting that bit of gold out with the carbon in the equation, don't know if its worth the time.
Best leave it for the big refiner's copper cell?

Martijn.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Mythen, english lesson: a scam is when you buy something that's supposed to have value when there is no value or way less than told.

Life lesson: Most of us know about ENIG plating and have warned people not to get gold fever from seeing the shiny layer, only to get disappointed later when you can barely trace it in solution, let alone when precipitating. Nothing is there, or soooo little it's hard to see.

Learning first hand about the real value of things (wether it be good or bad) is a very valuable lesson as you have experienced.

Since you got those boards for free as I understood, there is no scam.

If someone doesn't want to get scammed, don't buy anything you can see first to check for yourself.

Martijn.

I completely agree.
It's strange sometimes how some statements slip passed your eyes, definitely something I should have picked up.
I'll just blame it on my glasses

 

[Yggdrasil]

I've also seen (gold plating? Seen, not verified, will check again) inside those end caps. Not on the outside, no function there exept maybe the lack of technology to plate only the inside.
But if the labor of getting that bit of gold out with the carbon in the equation, don't know if its worth the time.
Best leave it for the big refiner's copper cell?

Martijn.

I have also seen that, but considered it as brass.

Maybe I'll pick up a handful and test it. Sometime. Maybe...
Can't be much in there though.

 

[mythen10]

Mythen, english lesson: a scam is when you buy something that's supposed to have value when there is no value or way less than told.

Life lesson: Most of us know about ENIG plating and have warned people not to get gold fever from seeing the shiny layer, only to get disappointed later when you can barely trace it in solution, let alone when precipitating. Nothing is there, or soooo little it's hard to see.

Learning first hand about the real value of things (wether it be good or bad) is a very valuable lesson as you have experienced.

Since you got those boards for free as I understood, there is no scam.

If someone doesn't want to get scammed, don't buy anything you can see first to check for yourself.

Martijn.

yes I get for free but in the past I was have another plated boards also for free and me I warn people becouse are many shiny plated boards wich have very small amount of gold and is not worth to process them becouse the time and price of reagents will be higher than value of plated gold and when you buy from internet this kind of boards it can be a really scam for everyone. OF COURSE ARE HEAVY PLATED BOARDS I was have couple of HEAVY plated but the gold don't was shiny was very yellow

 

[Martijn]

I completely agree.
It's strange sometimes how some statements slip passed your eyes, definitely something I should have picked up.
I'll just blame it on my glasses

I'm a safety and quality supervisor. I litterally trip over small discrepancies. My brain stalls until its cleared up.
It's helpfull in the job, but can be quite irriatating in life. For me and others around me.

 

[macfixer01]

In my opinion, the parts I marked green should hold the values.
View attachment 52518

Except you didn’t mark any of the IC”s, or the two TO-126 package transistors screwed to the board near the bottom end. They all potentially have value. And for what it’s worth (although exceedingly rare in my experience) some resistors have gold plated end caps hidden underneath the encasing material.

Now that I look at it again, there is also what looks like a green blob-type tantalum capacitor to the left of that empty circle on the board, just left of that heatsink’ed transistor that you marked in green. And just a bit further over to the left looks like a black plastic transistor? There may be others but it’s such a poor and dark photo.

 

[BlackLabel]

Yes, I just marked the metal transistors/ICs.
The should hold the majority of values on this board (IF they're gold plated).
The regular ICs are known by all scrappers and each of the TO-126 do have two bond wires inside (and a lot base metal).

I doubt about the resistors end caps.
To gold plate them makes only sense for precision resistors below maybe 10 ohms.

 

[macfixer01]

Big ATENTION when you buy gold plated boards becouse many are just flash plated with very very small amount of gold (you will need 10 kg of boards to get 0.5gr of gold), in general all HP new and vintage boards are gold plated but contain very small amount of gold in the pictures you will se that 4 pieces are cut from vintage HP boards and is just flash plated and that another 2 vintage boards are just flash plated, so big ATENTION when buy plated boards becouse is not worth to process them.

I’m sure I’ve probably mentioned it a few times here before but HP boards with gold plated traces will vary in quality, whenever they were made. On several occasions I’ve had identical boards with the same trace layout, same chips, and comparable dates, but possibly made by different subcontractors? On one you could peel the traces and they come off the board with the gold pretty much intact, but on the other board as you tried to peel a trace what little gold was there just flaked off as a fine dust. You’re left with the dark nickel plating underneath and a fine dusting of gold residue on it. It’s just done as a quick test of the plating quality. While I did peel traces when I first started out scrapping, that’s way too much work for nothing when the chemicals can do it instead.

 

[Alondro]

I’m sure I’ve probably mentioned it a few times here before but HP boards with gold plated traces will vary in quality, whenever they were made. On several occasions I’ve had identical boards with the same trace layout, same chips, and comparable dates, but possibly made by different subcontractors? On one you could peel the traces and they come off the board with the gold pretty much intact, but on the other board as you tried to peel a trace what little gold was there just flaked off as a fine dust. You’re left with the dark nickel plating underneath and a fine dusting of gold residue on it. It’s just done as a quick test of the plating quality. While I did peel traces when I first started out scrapping, that’s way too much work for nothing when the chemicals can do it instead.

I have a bunch that are gold plating atop copper. Varying ages, but they all appear to be fairly good electroplating.

 

[Mrdeeocean]

Nobody seems to care for the green and brown ceramic disk capacitors

 

[Yggdrasil]

Nobody seems to care for the green and brown ceramic disk capacitors

Well, there should not much of value there.
So it would probably cost more to process them, than the value of the Aluminum it will yield.

 

[Ag and Au]

I have a bunch of these old HP boards. Should I get excited?

 

[Yggdrasil]

I have a bunch of these old HP boards. Should I get excited?

Maybe, the plating seem thick.
Just calculate the total area and multiply by thickness and you will know.
Or check if they have collectors value.

 

[BlackLabel]

I have a bunch of these old HP boards. Should I get excited?

There are worse boards out there for sure.
Good haul!

 

[Ag and Au]

Thank you. Follow up question: Can I draw any conclusions when I process them (after depopulating of course) in copper (ll) chloride (AP) with respect to how easily the plating peeled up and did not adhere to the PC board?