Old radar display

[Surplusmaster]

Hi:
I just got an old raday display unit (motorola) from an airbase and I wondered if there is any gold in the high resolution display,
any Ideas ?
Thanks --

 

[MMFJ]

Quite likely in the switches. Also, look for relays (gold or silver contacts are common).

Capacitors with RED or GREEN ends are high in silver content, as are some 'open air' capacitors.

Of course, pin connectors abound in vintage electronics, with test points having little/no solder to deal with.

Pop it open and get some shots of the inside, it is much easier to point you in the direction when seeing the boards.

 

[MMFJ]

Another thought - this is kinda cool looking, does it power up? If so (and maybe even if it doesn't), you might want to stick it up on some of the online sites as a 'collectible' - not everyone has one of these! 8)

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

It's probably worth a lot more to a collector, than it is to break down and recover the precious metals from it.

If I were you, I would post this on one of the ham radio sites. I had a ground radar unit from a 1980s bomber that I picked up cheap, and ended up selling on a ham radio site for a lot more than I could have recovered the gold from it.

Scott

 

[Smack]

Could be used as a movie prop as well.

 

[NobleMetalWorks]

Could be used as a movie prop as well.

Now that is a good idea, never thought about that. There are a bunch of companies in Hollyweird that collect, buy and sell, items that can be used as props in movies.

Smart!

Scott

 

[Geo]

be careful when checking this one. the CRT may have gold shielding on the inside. if the tube is made of porcelain it will have a coating of gold at the most or palladium in the least on the entire inner surface except for the screen.

 

[texan]

I am afraid I would have to put that with the "too cool to scrap" display I have started in my office. If the unit was made to "milspec" then there are probably some neat chips in it....but stil not a wreckable item. I would like to see some shots of the "guts" of the thing if you care to share.

Texan

 

[Surplusmaster]

Hi:
Thanks everybody, I was thinking of leaving the knobs on and stripping out the insides and giving the shell (steel) and glass facing to a museum, it would still look as cool, or maybe just donate the whole thing intact.
At the least I would like to check the possible PM content of the display
as Geo has indicated.
Geo, Why did you say take care when examining the tube ?
Could the supposed lining be simply scraped off ?
I will post pictures of the circuitry when I get a "roundtoit"
Thanks Again-

 

[Geo]

in the really old CRT's or even the newer ones for that matter, contain heavy metal particles that can become airborne. how ever you open the tube, be careful not to breath any of the dust that comes out of it. the gold or palladium (im betting gold) is used as a shielding. during operation, radiation is emitted from the cathode. its not shielding the operator, but the other components. all this is assuming the body of the CRT is porcelain and not glass. ive processed a dozen or so military test fixtures that had oscilloscopes. two had palladium and three was all glass and the rest had gold.

 

[Surplusmaster]

Thanks Geo-
I will take a look at it after I've gone down to the Home Depot
and buy a good particle mask,
Thanks-

 

[qst42know]

CRTs can hold a potent charge like a large capacitor for a very long time, be careful with the high voltage lead.

 

[glondor]

That is definitely too cool to scrap. The colour of that screen is fantastic. Should be on display if it can not be put back into service. Just an opinion.

 

[Geo]

That is definitely too cool to scrap. The colour of that screen is fantastic. Should be on display if it can not be put back into service. Just an opinion.

actually, the CRT screen should be a slight off white. what you see in the picture is a plastic cover that protects the CRT. if you remove the CRT, it still will be that color, but you would be able to see the tube was missing. the glass front of the tube is welded to the rest of the tube, if you were really gentle, you could remove the body of the CRT without breaking the front and dummy it back in and you would never know the tube is missing.