component ID help

[kelly]

Has anyone seen any components that look like this? What are they? The leads are gold plated, but before I digest them, I was wondering if they have more value as-is. If they do, where can I sell them other than e-pay?

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[Oz]

They look like they are fuses using a bi-metallic strip that breaks contact if it heats up.

 

[jimdoc]

They are called reed switches.
I can't tell you where to sell them,
or what metals they contain from just
seeing pictures. Some are rhodium plated.
I just save them all for now.
Jim

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

 

[goldsilverpro]

They are reed switches. A company I worked for sold a special gold/palladium solution for plating them. It produced a white deposit. Like jimdoc said, they are also plated with other metals.

 

[kelly]

Sweet, Thanks guys. Looks like it will go into my PGM's box for now.
K

 

[butcher]

reed relays or switch's use magnet to activate the switch, if you want to sell electronic hobbyist would be interested.

 

[JRH]

A lot of your old smoke detectors have these switches in them. They are installed at the test point of the detector to allow the detector to be tested with the application of a magnet.