Gold content in radio components - quantity, cost, extraction tips

Extracting gold from radio components and devices is profitable, despite changes in the quality of available raw materials .

The demand for gold is growing and the resources for recycling suitable raw materials are still far from exhausted.

Gold is a precious and noble metal.

It has long been used to perform three main tasks and functions :

• in jewelry;
• as a means of payment and an instrument for the circulation of capital;
• in technology.

The use of gold in technology is limited only by the high cost of this metal. The scale and direction of use of gold are determined by a unique set of its qualities , among which the most important are:

1. Complete resistance to corrosion and inertness to other substances and materials.
2. Very low electrical resistance.
3. High thermal conductivity.
4. High softness, ductility.
5. Possibility of producing very thin layers of gold.

Gold is widely used in the manufacture of radio components, electronics, and instrument making. In the article we will tell you which devices and their parts contain this noble metal and which contain it the most.

Why is gold used in devices?

Recycling – technologies for recycling production waste, used materials and products .
The importance of this economic direction has opened up for many the scale of the use of gold in electronics, radio, and in the manufacture of devices.

The main reason for using expensive metal in such products is the possibility of producing very small, corrosion-resistant conductive elements

In many cases, it is important to ensure the miniature dimensions of radio components and their parts.

Gold is used when it is necessary to minimize the risk of sparks and even the slightest corrosion.

Here are the main forms of using gold in radio components and devices:

1. Using gold foil.
2. Installation of gold coatings - sputtering, galvanic gilding.
3. Manufacture of small parts with precise and stable properties.

Most often, the use of gold in parts and products remains invisible during external inspection and even disassembly.

Only gold-plated contacts, some solid parts, and conductors remain visible.

Recycling experience and knowledge of the design of radio components helps in returning gold to economic and industrial circulation.

The extraction of gold from radio components is based on several important factors :

1. A large number of these products, including those completely unsuitable for use.
2. High purity of gold in products of this kind.
3. Possibility of extracting other valuable metals along with gold.

Knowledge of the content and extraction of gold and other valuable components from microcircuits and other parts allows for high recycling efficiency.

The older the gold-containing radio component, the greater the amount of gold that can be extracted from it.

This phenomenon can be explained simply - imperfections in the manufacturing technology and design of radio components often led to the implementation of expensive solutions.

Such solutions are typical for military equipment of the Soviet era, when the cost of parts was not a primary factor .
As electronics improved, the use of gold became more rational and justified.

Which computer parts contain gold?

Gold is an inert metal and practically does not corrode or oxidize. Moreover, he is an excellent guide. Therefore, they cover contacts, connectors, memory slots, ports, and jumpers. Capacitors, boards, video cards, even computer fans and keyboards contain precious metals, not only Au, but also Ag, Pt, Pd.

I will tell you in more detail which parts are the most gold-containing.

motherboards

The motherboard is the main part of any computer. It is here that control is exercised over the interaction of all components of the machine. Its controllers, chipset chips, connectors and contacts contain the lion's share (if you can call it 3 mg) of the computer's gold. If you look closely, you can see the gold-plated parts of the motherboard in this photo:

Non-working motherboards are a good source of Au if you have several dozen of them.

Processors

The processor is the main piece of computer software. It does all the computational work. There are also a lot of gold plated details. The content of gold dust in the Intel Pentium pro microprocessor is over 2 mg.

Watch this video showing gold refined from a processor.

But 1 kg of Pentium pro microprocessors contains 11.4 grams. gold. An ordinary person is unlikely to be able to collect so much, but for a system administrator this is not a problem.

Hard disks

The main storage device for information, the hard drive also contains platinum group metals. So, gold in one hard drive is 0.034 grams, and silver is 0.013 grams.

The older the storage device, the more precious metals it contains. And it’s not even a matter of the notorious quality of Soviet-made devices, but of elementary technical progress. It is worth remembering the evolution of discs - from massive vinyl records to micro-CD cards of modern smartphones.

Today's parts are much thinner and lighter. Accordingly, they contain several times less gold.

Radio tubes

The use of radio tubes in electronic technology has long lost its widespread character .
However, considerable stocks of these electronic devices are still kept by the population and even in some enterprises.

Gold in lamps was used for sputtering and gilding. Some lamp models contain very large amounts of precious metal.

In radio tubes you can find grids coated with a layer of gold, contacts, and other parts.

The general technological extraction scheme is complicated by the abundance of valuable metals that can be returned to production and other areas.

Here are some examples of gold content in Soviet-made radio tubes:

Special points: what you need to consider and know

Not every imported capacitor will contain a large amount of palladium. The reason is that manufacturers add other valuable components to it: gold, silver. These elements are also contained in different quantities. The indicator is determined by brand and year of manufacture. Modern capacitors and boards have a significantly reduced content of valuable elements, so purchasing in Moscow or other large cities is not popular. The decline in gold is due to increased production costs.

There are several categories of ceramic layer capacitors that contain different precious elements: gold (yellow case), silver case, and tantalum case.
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Microcircuits

The use of gold in microcircuits is due to the high electrical conductivity of this metal. Its use makes it possible to achieve miniature sizes and reliability of contacts, soldering and other types of connections.

Precious metal in microcircuits is necessary to create corrosion-resistant, thin, low-resistance conductive lines.

Modern technologies make it possible to create such elements in the form of the thinnest coatings. The percentage of gold in microcircuits is low, but working with large quantities of such raw materials becomes cost-effective and profitable.

The table below shows which microcircuits contain gold (grades in which it is used) and how much it is.

Content:

1. Why is there gold in electronic components and radio components?
2. Which radio components contain the most gold?
3. Soviet radio components containing gold
4. Relays containing gold
5. Transistors containing gold
6. Microcircuits containing gold
7. Foreign radio components containing gold

Now radio components are called electronic components, and the outdated name follows them from Soviet times, when there were still radio tape recorders, radios, and so on. Nowadays it is more correct to call electronic components.

Transistors

The gold content in transistors makes mining this metal profitable.
Some types of KT series transistors can produce up to 0.2 grams of precious metal.

Other valuable metals are also found in transistors :

• silver;
• palladium;
• platinum.

The efficiency of mining gold and other metals depends on sorting. Skillful selection of raw materials allows you to more accurately determine the technology, and therefore reduce the cost of the process of extracting precious metals, and obtain a more complete yield of the final product.

Here are some examples of which transistors contain gold and in what quantity:

In transistors manufactured for the needs of military equipment , the gold content is higher than in the same parts of the civilian production sector.

The brand of military equipment transistor begins with a number, for example - 2 Т104В.

Radio components containing gold

Gold-bearing deposits are developed if the content of the precious element is at least 1 gram per ton of rock. In one chip there is from 1 to 5 percent yellow metal. The leads of the part, enclosed in a ceramic case, are coated with gold.

If it is made of plastic, the content of valuable raw materials is less - from 0.2 to 1 percent. In transistors, the precious element is about 2 percent. The substrate located under the conductor is made of gold.

But capacitors break all records. Their size is approximately equal to a three-liter jar. One such part contains approximately 8 grams of yellow metal. In addition, there is also 50 grams of silver. However, only capacitors used in military equipment - generators and radio signal transmission stations - are equipped with expensive filling.

Some gold can also be extracted from radio tubes. The precious element is deposited on a grid located near the cathode. The latter, when the lamp is operating, heats the grid. When exposed to heat, it begins to release electrons. This disrupts the operation of the product.

Therefore, the radio component needs to be coated with gold . Spraying from it is also found on the legs of objects of consecration, but this only applies to old samples, decades old.

Several microns of precious raw materials were previously applied to connectors of all types of semiconductors, such as diodes, optocouplers, thyristors, and zener diodes. Gold is rarely found in resistors. However, some of them, along with silver, also contain a little yellow metal.

These are the standards by which radio components were manufactured in the USSR in the 70s and 80s of the last century. Gold is also found in modern radio components . However, it is impractical to extract hundredths of a gram from an item for which tens, or even hundreds of thousands of rubles were paid. Let the old parts be used - that's another matter.

Most often, radio components containing gold are found in old-style computers, switching devices, and radio equipment. Electronic computing units of the SM and CE series should be of primary interest to applicants. One such machine contains from 0.2 to 10 kilograms of gold. Some military equipment can boast of the same thing.

Beginners will find it useful to list not only the general names of radio components equipped with gold “filling,” but also specific model designations. So:

Transistors KT201, KT203, KT3102, KT301, KT306, KT605. All of them are equipped with golden colored legs.

KT802, 808, 803, 809, 812, 908. We need samples produced before 1986. In later models gold was not used.

KT907,904, 606. Externally they have no gold elements and no yellow color. However, valuable raw materials are actually present.

But KT602, 604, 611, 814, 815, 816, 9909 have gold cases.

Relay RES9, 10, 15, 22, 34, RPS24, 32, 34, RKG15.

Microcircuits K142EH, K50, K56PY2, AOT101, K145, also known as the “white spider”.

Chips K133, 134, 178, 249, 564, 565, K140, 157, 217.

Diodes of the D226 series and similar ones.

Capacitors Km3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 52-1, 52-7, K53-1, 53-6, 53-7, 53-10, 53 -15, 53-16.

Resistors PTP1, 2, PLP2, 6, PP3-40, 3-41, 3-43, 3-44, 3-45, 3-47, KSP1, 4, KSU1, KSD1, KPU1, KPP1, SP5-1, 5 -2, 5-3, 5-4, 5-14,5-15, 5-16, 5-17, SP3-19, 3-44.

Connectors SNP59-64V, SNP59-96R, GRPPM7-90Sh, RPPG2-48.

Switches TV1, P23G, Pg2-5, 2-6, 2-7, 2-10, P1T3-1V, PR2-10, PKN8, PT33-26, PP8-6, PPK2.

Relays and connectors

Relays and connectors are important parts of electrical installations and electronic circuits. Contacts are the main component of such devices.

Contacts coated with a layer of gold have several advantages:

• simplicity and reliability of soldering;
• low risk of sparking;
• lack of resistance at the point of contact;
• no corrosion.

Many types of electrical equipment have gold-plated contacts . Such contacts are found in many types of connectors and relays.

Extracting gold from relay contacts and connectors is easier than when processing radio components.

This is explained by the fact that gold in such raw materials is the only precious metal that requires extraction.

Another way to extract Au from microcircuits

This extraction method will require patience as the entire procedure will take at least seven days. For a week you need to “soak” the parts in a solution of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide in a 2:1 ratio. Parts placed in the solution should be stirred periodically using a glass stick.

If all the rules are followed, then after a week the solution will change color, it will become cloudy, and small flakes of gold will appear at the bottom of the container. Then the mixture of hydrogen peroxide and acid is filtered, resulting in a powder.

The grains of gold are so fragile that they can easily be turned into sand with just a touch of your fingers.

Au will acquire its usual properties only after remelting. In order for sand to turn into an ingot, it must be melted in a crucible. Initially, it is recommended to treat the crucible with borax, but some chemistry lovers prefer to add this element during melting, and not before starting the procedure.

The crucible is also treated with a longboat to reduce the melting point of the precious metal. Since gold melts at a temperature of 1063°C, processing is necessary since the melting point is higher than what the torch produces.

Instruments and equipment

Gold is used in precision equipment, especially in older models .

Here are some examples of devices and instruments powered by electricity, indicating the amount of precious metal:

Precious metal in devices is most often used for coatings, but parts made from this metal are also found.

Disposing of devices after repeated use is a profitable activity.

What radio components are easiest to find?

A large number of old radio components carry out their work precisely thanks to their content on the boards. If a radio component is made of aluminum materials, you can often find in it the types of transistors with the following list of markings: KT-803; KT-808; KT-809; KT-812; KT-908; KT-912.

There is also the fact that some Soviet-built televisions have a large amount of precious metals in the radio components that make up their system, although many dispute the veracity of this information. However, in Soviet-made TVs it is indeed possible to find several expensive capacitors, as well as KT-203 transistors. But the price of such a transistor will not be too high. And in TVs built in the sixties, you can even find lamps.

Sell ​​gold

To find precious metals in radio components from old TVs, you need to spend a considerable amount of time disassembling it and breaking it down into individual parts, because such a TV is a rather heavy and immovable device. It is no easier to disassemble smaller devices, such as radios, tube-type receivers and all old tape recorders. A very large number of valuable capacitors are contained in the VCR assembly of that time.

Do-it-yourself gold extraction

Those interested in recycling can begin work in this direction by collecting gold-containing raw materials. Studying the indicators of radio components, methods of their primary processing and sorting will create a good basis for further work .

The presence of conditions in the home will allow amateurs to engage in practical gold extraction. It is important to know:

1. About the dangers of working with toxic and caustic substances, about safety precautions.
2. On the technology of laboratory work in chemistry.
3. About legal methods of collecting raw materials and marketing the resulting metal.

The basic condition for working in the field of precious metals recycling is compliance with the law .

The only easiest and safest way to work in the field of precious metals recycling is to cooperate with a registered company that knows and complies with the requirements of the laws.

Independent work can be carried out on assignments from a company where the consumer can return a valuable device for recycling.

You can read more about practical work in the field of self-extraction of gold from radio components here.

Experience, understanding of processes, the ability to rationally approach chemical operations, as well as information about which parts contain gold will allow you to obtain sufficiently pure metal above 950 purity.

Extraction of precious metals – how profitable is it?

Having figured out how to separate gold in devices and from radio components, you can proceed directly to the implementation of the commercial project itself. So, in the Soviet Union, this method of earning money was very popular among a narrow circle of radio amateurs.

Today, during a period of unstable economic and political situations, gold is a fairly profitable and effective source of investment.

Gold is a hard currency that is least subject to fluctuations and changes in value. The dynamics of the exchange rate depend on many factors, but experts and analysts recognize that this precious metal is a reliable way to preserve your savings.

Knowing which parts contain large quantities of gold, you can gradually accumulate your capital and be confident in the future. The exchange rate of hard currency depends on many factors, among which it is worth highlighting: fluctuations in the exchange rate of the US dollar, the state of the world economy and political stability in the largest countries, as well as seasonal fluctuations in supply and demand and rising energy prices.

Extracting gold from technical devices and radio components at home is a rather painstaking process and requires extreme caution, but the idea itself has significant commercial potential, so we can say with confidence that the skin is worth the candle.

Collection and operations with radio components

When doing recycling, you don’t have to perform the full cycle of work:

1. Collection of raw materials.
2. Sorting and primary processing.
3. Gold recovery and refining.
4. Melting and sale of ingots.

Cooperation with a specialized company makes it possible to limit yourself to those works that conditions allow. Many individual enthusiasts limit themselves only to collecting and sorting radio components.

Here are several channels for searching and collecting such raw materials:

• collection from ownerless abandoned industrial and other facilities;
• collection from the population.

The photo above shows some parts containing gold, and the table shows a list of them with some average prices for them in Russia:

Gold is found not only in radio components. Read about where else you can find it here.

Are there precious metals in computers?

If we roughly calculate the weight of all previously mined (legally) gold, the figure will be impressive - 189,000 tons. And about 10% of this weight comes from electrical engineering.

However, if you disassemble a modern computer into its component parts and find out in detail what is valuable, in addition to information, is inside, the results will be disappointing: all the “gold-bearing” parts of the computer in total contain no more than thirty milligrams of gold. But the parts of the ancient mastodon - a computer from the early nineties - contained up to 3 grams of precious metal.

So does it make sense to mine gold from computer technology? If you rush to take your gaming computer apart in search of gold, the total amount mined will not exceed hundreds of rubles. But if you have your own computer workshop, and a pile of non-working microcircuits has accumulated under the table, you shouldn’t throw them away.

Why do you need to recycle computer equipment?

Mining gold at home is an exciting process. And it is quite possible to use it for personal purposes. But it will not be possible to sell the yellow metal extracted in this way - it is illegal. It is much more rational to dispose of broken equipment in accordance with the law - take it to a collection point for household appliances.

Plastic is a real scourge of modern society. And one battery pollutes 20 cubic meters of land and water with heavy metals. If each of us takes care of the environment, we can save the planet for our children.

Legality of such mining

Expert opinion

Vsevolod Kozlovsky

6 years in jewelry making. Knows everything about samples and can identify a fake in 12 seconds

If you seriously decide to mine gold from old computer equipment, you should read the administrative code of the Russian Federation, since according to the law, all gold found in electronics belongs to the state.

The task of users, if equipment fails, is to dispose of it appropriately. Simply put, do not throw it in a landfill, polluting the environment, but hand it over to special collection points, which will then take the batch to a recycling plant:

• workers will manually disassemble and sort all the parts, which will then be sent for recycling;
• gold-containing parts will be crushed and refined.

You can do refining at home just for fun, since this process is quite exciting.