Hello I am new here and could use some help in deciding what to do with my 700 Schneider PLC cards. PLC are programmable logic controller cards used in automation and quantum computers
I used to build electrical automation control panels for industrial processing systems (food industry, pharmaceutical industry, aluminum anodizing companies etc. etc.)
My brother was the "programmer" so I used to tell people that I built the brains for automation systems & my brother "gave it brains" --- so I installed a good many PLCs in the panels I built
I have been told by a few people there is a decent amount of gold in each card since retail price when new is 1-7k per card.
The amount of precious metals in those I/O (Input/Output) cards has NOTHING to do with the very high price of those cards when sold new - the very high price is due to the high cost of R&D (Research & Development) & then the high cost of manufacturing the cards in order to make them "programable" with the I/O logic & then be able to process that I/O logic to make the processing system they are wired to properly function in producing the product the system is making
In other words - it is NOT the amount of precious metals in them that make them sell for (up to) $7,000 but rather the high cost of designing them (R&D) & then the actual cost of "making" them --- you know - the factory they have to build to make the cards - the "raw" materials they have to buy to "make" into cards - the employees they have to hire etc. etc.
A good many of the panels I built were built to replace old outdated systems - so I had MANY boxes full of old obsolete I/O cards
Side note here - I have also spent about 12 years recovering the precious metals out of electronic circuit boards --- first 2 years as a hobby (learning) & then the next 10 years doing it as a living - so I have actually processed some of these I/O cards for their precious metals
If there is half a gram in each card that 350 grams of gold so over 10oz.
And this is what I can tell you --- you will be LUCKY to get a tenth of a gram
OR LESS per card
To put it somewhat in perspective - out of 350 cards maybe 1/4 to 1/2 troy ounce gold - & that is if you know how to get the gold out of them in the first place & then are VERY good at doing that process to get the gold out
I think I'll make some aqua regia and put in 4-5 of all the chips or cards out of each unit
That will NEVER work -
it just is not that simple - there is a HUGE amount of prep work you need to do to those cards before you can even think about attempting to recover the precious metals from them
To even come close to explaining how you go about recovering the precious out of those cards - I would have to right a book - or - you can start doing A LOT of research here on this forum where it is all explained
Bottom line here is that you CAN NOT just put the cards &/or chips in aqua regia & expect to recover some precious metals --- in fact the only thing you will do by doing that is make a BIG mess - creating TOXIC waste in the process - with an outcome of NO precious metals recovered
And a final word of advice - DO NOT go looking at You Tube for advice about doing this --- we get new members here almost every day asking us --- 'I watched a You Tube video & I now have a big chemical mess & I can't figure out where my gold is &/or how to get it out of my chemical MESS"
Kurt
