Precious metals in household appliances and office equipment: new value for old devices

The “gold rush” in a modern way is not a search for a promising vein in the vastness of Siberia, followed by exhausting digging, washing out grains of the coveted metal.

To become the owner of precious metals today, you need to buy household radio and electrical appliances from the population that have lost practical interest, and, armed with a “young chemist’s” kit, engage in refining - the purification of secondary precious metals (SPM).

If you have information about which household devices and office equipment contain the largest amount of gold, silver, platinum, platinum group metals (palladium, iridium, etc.), refining becomes not just an entertaining chemical experience , but a cost-effective production.

The realities of the modern economy dictate that manufacturers use minimal precious metals in the manufacture of various gadgets, which cannot be said about the era of active construction of communism.

Therefore, household appliances produced in the Union, or more precisely, elements of devices, contained a large amount of precious metals. It is this equipment that is the target of buyers.

Why are gold and other precious metals used in equipment?

Gold, platinum, silver, as well as other valuable metals (copper, brass, etc.) are unsurpassed conductors, which ensures the uninterrupted functioning of high-tech computer and other devices.
In addition to this technical parameter, precious metals do not oxidize .

This characteristic, in turn, directly affects a significant increase in the service life of the same high-tech devices, which include various equipment:

• TVs;
• refrigerators;
• washing machines, etc.;
• office equipment (printers, faxes, etc.).

LLC "DRAGOMIR" - purchase of radio components at competitive prices

Our company accepts electronic scrap at competitive prices. We guarantee you fast processing of the radio components you brought or sent and payment of the remuneration due to you. You will find information about the specific types of radio components we accept on the corresponding pages of our website.

Working with us is profitable and convenient; we receive radio components in the following cities:

• Ekaterinburg;
• Tyumen;
• Chelyabinsk;
• Permian;
• Vladivostok;
• Krasnodar;
• Barnaul.

You can contact any of our offices or send radio components by mail, payment is guaranteed. Don't miss the opportunity to earn very substantial money quickly and without hassle. Contact us right now!

USSR TVs

This gadget was previously released in two versions : a tube device and a transistor device.

It makes no sense to buy tube TVs, since precious metals are contained in these devices only in the beam tetrode - the largest lamp marked 6P36S, 6P44S, 6P45S, GU50.

Another thing is transistor TVs. There is an abundance of precious metals here.

Buyers are interested in the following elements :

• microcircuits encased in plastic housings;
• transistors marked KT814, KT940, KT310, KT502, KT503;
• AL307 LEDs in the channel switching unit;
• “yellow” (according to the color of the case) transistors KT203, located in the SMRK unit and in some variants (models) on other boards;
• capacitors KM-1;
• “yellow”, sometimes “red” capacitors K10-17, etc.

Any product is subject to careful inspection, since products of this type, produced in the Union, were distinguished by a variety of models .

In addition, one device could have different configurations, both containing precious metals and not using them.

We bring to your attention a table that shows which USSR TVs contain valuable elements and how many there are. The mass of precious metals in one product is given in grams.

If we compare the content of precious metals in Soviet TVs “Horizon”, “Vityaz”, etc. with imported ones, it is worth noting that a device manufactured in Japanese and Chinese, Taiwanese or Korean assembly contains only 0.1474 g of gold and 2.4859 g of silver.

Computers

Soviet-style electronic computers contain in their design many capacitors marked KM, K10-17, as well as “yellow” microcircuits in plastic or ceramic shells . These are elements containing precious metals.

There are also gold-plated connectors, contact pads and other elements suitable for refining.

In computers from abroad, the processor is valued. There is a particularly high gold content in processors housed in a lilac ceramic case .

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the table with the content of precious metals in some computers and their processors. The mass is also given in grams per device.

Foreign-made computers manufactured before 1990 contain elements similar to domestic parts marked K10-17. These capacitors are accepted at the same price at which domestic parts are purchased.

Cell Phones

The old cell phone that many of us have lying around unused at home contains:

• Au – 0.024 g;
• Ag – 0.25 g;
• Pd – 0.009 g;
• Ta (tantalum) – 0.4 g.

And this is not counting non-ferrous metals (copper, tin, etc.). Precious metals are found in circuit boards and in all live contacts of cell phones.

From 40 cell phones that have lost practical interest, the same amount of gold is mined as is mined from 1 ton of gold ore.

Where to look for radio components containing precious metals?

In old household appliances, especially office equipment.
The development of science and technology today is surprising. The greatest success has been achieved in the area of ​​reducing the cost of the final product. The cost of branded smartphones, TVs, laptops is several times lower than their final cost. This allows both manufacturers, dealers, intermediaries to earn money, and is a stimulator for economic growth.

But such progress has been achieved due to the reduction in the cost of production of household appliances. This was made possible, among other things, by significantly reducing the use of precious metals.

Old household appliances, especially office equipment, widely used gold, silver, platinum and platinum group metals in their production. Therefore, simply throwing them into a landfill is wasteful.

Of interest is not so much the device itself as its components - radio components. They are the source of precious metals. It is most profitable to sell radio components for scrap that were produced in the USSR.

Printers

This type of office equipment, from a profitability point of view, is the most unprofitable investment .
Of course, this equipment also contains precious metals.

In particular, gold-plated contacts of the print head and cartridges.

Copiers - photosensitive elements - are coated with noble metal.

However, the amount of precious metals in printers is so negligible that “the game is not worth the candle.” For example, foreign equipment in this category contains 0.01 g of gold and 0.8 g of silver. A domestically produced product, model CM6329 02M, boasts only 0.01 g of “yellow” metal.

Costs of separating gold from radio components

One liter of reagents costs approximately 300 rubles. 1 gram of isolated gold is valued at approximately 2500-3000 rubles. To get about 3 grams of yellow metal from KT605 transistors, for example, you will need 100 parts. Each of them contains 27 micrograms of valuable raw materials.

You can buy transistors for 15-20 rubles apiece. Spend about 2000 rubles, you will receive approximately 8000-9000 thousand. It is necessary to calculate the profitability of an enterprise. “Recycling” of some radio components is unprofitable.

Refrigerators

It doesn’t matter whether the household unit was manufactured in the Union or has been released from the assembly line at the present time, all refrigerators, or rather thermostats, have silver contacts, as well as soldering with PSR solder.

Consider the most popular brands :

• Nord-155 contains 0.0012 g Au and 6.21 g Ag;
• The Smolensk brand refrigerator can boast the same amount of precious metals;
• Mir-101-1 – 3.177 g Ag;
• Minsk-126 – 2.38 g Ag;
• Zyl - 1.326 g of the same metal;
• Don – 1.8 g Ag.

In general, it is also quite meager . Whether it’s televisions or high-precision equipment, not to mention equipment intended for the military-industrial complex of the USSR.

Tape recorders and radios

These units, produced in the Union, also had elements containing precious metals in their designs.

The most valuable items
in tape recorders :

• “black” microcircuits in a plastic shell (174un7 and other parts);
• powerful transistors marked KT802 and similar elements - KT814, KT503, KT203, KT3102;
• “yellow” chips located in the indicator controller.

Such elements are found in the legendary Mayak tape recorder of the 80s, as well as in devices similar to it .

In tape recorders, precious metals can also be contained in capacitors, relays, switches, and other elements; noble metals in radiols are contained in capacitors.

In addition, silver contacts of range switches are often found. Let us consider in the table the content of valuable elements in some tape recorders.

Refining of precious metals

There are several ways to remove VDM from recycled equipment .

For home use, the electrolysis method is primarily suitable.

To do this you will need:

• capacity;
• hydrochloric or sulfuric acid as an electrolyte;
• a cathode made of lead or steel;
• an anode made of gold, in the case of refining of this particular precious metal;
• power supply providing alternating current.

In addition to electrolysis, precious metals can be “etched” chemically - using a mixture called “aqua regia”. This composition is a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids in a ratio of 3:1.

Refining of various items and parts is carried out in a way that will allow you to obtain the necessary elements with minimal losses.

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.