Gold plated connector question

Is that really gold plating or just gold anodizing??
This is an example of gold anodizing. Looks close

Only the pins on the inside are gold plated, and if low grade connectors, even they might not be gold plated. I have seen both.

I can say for certain that the outside of those connecters is not gold on any of those parts, I made a post somewhere that shows the difference between gold plate and anodized, but I can't seem to find it now. But as other people have suggested, those are anodized and not gold plated.

It's good however that you are questioning everything, nothing is going to get past you. Assume it's all gold, and ask on the forum to make sure what it is, and it's a sure bet you will be not only doing better than someone guessing, but providing other peoples with the information they should be armed with when processing the same material.

SCott

Hahaha, oops!





I'm not trying to dispute Nobles findings, specially not with an old cable bought at a drugstore maybe ten years ago for $2, made and packaged in China, and realize labels aren't always the most trustworthy source of information. The term "gold plated plugs" could be used here to reference only the inner plugs, but these particular connector shrouds do appear to be slightly more than anodized.
This could open open up a whole nuther can of worms, but when we were buying these things they told us "gold", or on another often discussed item here, "silver", such as old RAM. When we were buying it, they told us it was silver contacts, but now that we're wishing to sell, it's become mere "tin". I full well understand there's an art to how one references an item when buying or selling. To better sell an item one will clearly and naturally wish to concentrate on the positives, and when going to buy something from an individual (where the price may be negotiable) it's best not to start drooling all over it before getting around to the price haha ; )
I'm only presuming with the matter of RAM that maybe it's a mix of tin and silver, and when they were selling it they addressed the connectors silver content, but now it's for sale, and buyers are mostly addressing the "tin"? Maybe that question belongs in a whole other thread

Originally Posted by Bear

Hahaha, oops!

I'm not trying to dispute Nobles findings, specially not with an old cable bought at a drugstore maybe ten years ago for $2, made and packaged in China, and realize labels aren't always the most trustworthy source of information. The term "gold plated plugs" could be used here to reference only the inner plugs, but these particular connector shrouds do appear to be slightly more than anodized.
This could open open up a whole nuther can of worms, but when we were buying these things they told us "gold", or on another often discussed item here, "silver", such as old RAM. When we were buying it, they told us it was silver contacts, but now that we're wishing to sell, it's become mere "tin". I full well understand there's an art to how one references an item when buying or selling. To better sell an item one will clearly and naturally wish to concentrate on the positives, and when going to buy something from an individual (where the price may be negotiable) it's best not to start drooling all over it before getting around to the price haha ; )
I'm only presuming with the matter of RAM that maybe it's a mix of tin and silver, and when they were selling it they addressed the connectors silver content, but now it's for sale, and buyers are mostly addressing the "tin"? Maybe that question belongs in a whole other thread

Hahaha, no actually I'm glad you posted this.

The gold plating does refer to the pins, and not the surround, I'll explain why.

The reason gold plate is used in electronics is for two reasons. First, it is one of the best conductors of electricity with only silver or alloys doing so better. Second, and the reason why gold is used instead of silver, is that gold does not oxidize, meaning it doesn't tarnish. Silver does tarnish and in doing so starts to build up a resistance to conducting electricity, so gold is used instead.

Now think about the surround or metal casing you find around the plug that I stated above is anodized. It is not intended to conduct electricity, matter of fact, it doesn't. It's only intended as being a strong framing, to keep the plug together and the pins compressed so they don't get sloppy inside the plug itself. It's anodized to prevent oxidation as most metals used in electronics that run a risk of oxidizing.

I don't get the feeling that the Chinese manufacturers will spend any extra money on manufacturing plugs than they absolutely have to, and nobody looks at the back of the computer or the plugs so there would be no reason for doing it for show.

When I owned a car audio shop, a lot of the connectors we used were plated in gold, but in excess. It was done on purpose for show. But that is the only example of gold plating connectors that don't actually need to be plated I can think on. In the realm of computers however, gold is only used where it is required. With maybe the exception of a few computers for the ultra right that have gold plated cases, or something else totally ridicules in the same way.

Scott

But that is the only example of gold plating connectors that don't actually need to be plated I can think on. In the realm of computers however, gold is only used where it is required. With maybe the exception of a few computers for the ultra right that have gold plated cases, or something else totally ridicules in the same way.

Scott

About 99% of the time this is true. But there are cases where I have processed certain connectors that the housing is gold plated.

Originally Posted by AuburnEwaste

I wanted to follow up on what I found out with these connectors. I took the outer metal coverings off and took them to the scrap yard. According to the XRF gun, there is gold present.

And that's on the metal pieces you took off correct?

Originally Posted by AuburnEwaste

I wanted to follow up on what I found out with these connectors. I took the outer metal coverings off and took them to the scrap yard. According to the XRF gun, there is gold present.

Unless the scrap yard is buying gold plated metals, they usually do not purchase the programing for precious metals, specially if they are leasing the unit because it adds so much to the cost per month to lease it.

If they do have the programing for precious metals, then they should have been able to give you a percentage of gold present.

The way an XRF gun works is by shooting a tight beam of a specific X-Ray frequency at the target, and then reads the return that is reflected back to the XRF gun. This only reads the surface area, and not more than a few microns into the surface. There are units that can determine if something is gold plated or not, but not of the metal composition under the plating.

So, the scrap yard would have to purchase the correct programing, and the XRF would only read the gold plating, if they were in fact plated. If they were plated, the XRF would have given a percentage of the metal composition of the plating. But it wouldn't be expressed as gold being "present", it would be read as a gold percentage, and the person scanning the surround would have expressed it either as a percentage of gold or as gold plating.

Furthermore, "gold present" is very different than "gold plated". In order to be able to plate gold onto something else, it would be above a certain percentage. A solution of potassium gold cyanide is used to electrolytically deposit gold onto the base metal being plated. This means the gold plating will be of very high purity because there just simply are not other metals present, and if they were, they wouldn't plate in the same way.

So, we know that an XRF will not read past the depth of the gold plating, and we know that gold plating is of high purity, or high percentage and is not expressed as "gold present", it's expressed by a percentage. The XRF could not distinguish between plating and solid unless it was a specific manufacturer that has only recently been able to sell a XRF gun that could distinguish between gold plate or not. But, unless you are doing a quantitative analysis by ICP, or a fire assay, or some other destructive method of assay, you would not know what was under the gold plating, and never would the XRF gun read what is under the gold plating, and mix it with the reading of the gold plating itself, so that you had some reading that was a composite of the two.

I blew up the picture of the printer cable itself, since you can see the name on the cable:



It's a "Belkin" cord. So I check the Belkin website, and found the plug:

Gold Series IEEE 1284 Printer Cable | Data Cables | Macbook & PC | Cables | Products | Belkin USA Site

If you click on the option for "features" you find this:

Delivers maximum conductivity with no data loss using 24k gold-plated, corrosion-proof connectors and copper contacts
Reduces interference with aluminum undermold shielding and double-shielded, braid-and-foil construction
Features ground indents for excellent conductivity and retention with mating conductors
Minimizes cross talk and ensures high-speed, error-free transmission with 28-gauge, stranded, tinned-copper conductors individually insulated in polypropylene
Increases flexibility while maintaining durability with featured Tactilite™ overmold
Installs easily with oversized, ergonomic thumbscrews
Delivers maximum conductivity with no data loss
Includes a Belkin Lifetime Warranty
Offers flexibility and durability for use in tight areas
Features our Flextec™ PVC rubberized cable jacket, offering extreme flexibility for tight installations
Ensures electrical isolation and relieves stress with PVC premolded individual conductors

The two things I want to point out are these:

Delivers maximum conductivity with no data loss using 24k gold-plated, corrosion-proof connectors and copper contacts

and:

Reduces interference with aluminum undermold shielding and double-shielded, braid-and-foil construction

If you notice it clearly states that the gold plating that does exist is 24k, which is exactly what it should be, not gold present but 99.95% at least gold plating, and the only place that it's mentioned is in reference to "connectors and copper contacts" so the pins on the inside of the plug are exactly as they should be, copper plated with gold.

The second quote states "aluminum undermold shielding", this is the surround that is anodized, or the frame. There is nothing stated about it being gold plated.

Now lets compare the pictures of the plug, close up, with a known example of a gold plated USB connector

The Belkin Plug cable:



Known gold plated USB cable and connector:



You can see the difference in the texture, and color. Gold plating is highly reflective, and not pitted it's more smooth and shiny.

If you tool the plugs down and have the entire plug scanned, you still probably wouldn't read the gold plating on the pin connectors, but I could almost believe that the XRF scanner read gold present because both the Al and Au were scanned.

Did you see the XRF scan? If not, you cannot be sure what it actually did read

Do you trust the scrap yard?

If you do have them scanned again, snap a picture with your camera phone and post it here. Also ask what type of XRF scanner they are using, and if they have the precious metals programing that would enable it to scan precious metals. Scrap yards usually only have heavy metals, ferrous metals, Al Zn, etc etc etc, not precious metals. There are some that do have the precious metals programing installed but more often not.

Scott

EDITED:

I do want to be fair and include this. Some XRF scanners that do not have the programing for precious metals, may represent Au as being present, but will not get a reading beyond that. They are usually the less expensive models which is probably what a scrap yard would be using. So that is possible.

I also want to say that I am not infallible, and I do sometimes make mistakes just like anyone else. So although I am convinced that the outer surround a ferrous anodized metal and not Au, I do not have it in hand, I did not do a scan myself, or an acid test, and cannot be 100% sure that it is what I believe it is.

I just wanted to be fair and include this information. I am more interested in posting truth rather than being right.

Scott

I did see it and it read the percentage, I do not remember what it was. It also showed copper and nickel.

Edit: The housings are NOT Aluminum, they are steel, checked it with a magnet.

Originally Posted by NobleMetalWorks

Only the pins on the inside are gold plated, and if low grade connectors, even they might not be gold plated. I have seen both.

I can say for certain that the outside of those connecters is not gold on any of those parts, I made a post somewhere that shows the difference between gold plate and anodized, but I can't seem to find it now. But as other people have suggested, those are anodized and not gold plated.

It's good however that you are questioning everything, nothing is going to get past you. Assume it's all gold, and ask on the forum to make sure what it is, and it's a sure bet you will be not only doing better than someone guessing, but providing other peoples with the information they should be armed with when processing the same material.

SCott

just a side not ontop.. best thing to do is buy a gold tester.. I've got from low to high grade gold, silver, and platinum. find it ON E yeah.. that the site.

Originally Posted by AuburnEwaste

Just remember if you are using a Gold tester and it confirms that the item is Gold plated, it actually isn't. Because as we now know, nothing is ever Gold plated ever.

Actually an acid test kit is handy. I keep one in a small case, whenever I go anywhere I take it with me. You cannot believe how many times I have come across something, or someone, with something I might be interested in and my test kit proved was gold plated, or solid gold, or silver, or platinum, etc etc etc.

I'm not sure what you meant by your comment, it almost seems sarcastic. Could you say what you meant?

Scott

Scott, I too take my kit everywhere I go... its always good to know what I'm or you or they are dealing with.. especially garage sales..