Gold Tip Connector Ends

**rca987** · 09-24-2011, 07:19 PM

Just for clarification...

These aren't ONLY gold plated ends visibly, correct?

For instance....USB, printers, IDE cables are gold tipped ends as well?

What about Male or Female? Both gold tipped, or just one or the other?

**ComputerScrapper** · 09-24-2011, 07:30 PM

USB, printer and IDE cables are normally gold plated. I have found some IDE cables in the past that are not gold plated. I have never seen a USB end that is not gold plated but I am sure that they exist somewhere. When it comes to male or female it really depends on the kind of end you are talking about.

I usually check my IDE cables. I just bust them a little bit on the end to make sure that they are gold plated.

**parrothead** · 09-24-2011, 07:39 PM

We need to get some pictures of the types of ends that are good. If any buyers see this, please educate us a bit with some samples.

**ComputerScrapper** · 09-24-2011, 07:50 PM

Originally Posted by parrothead

We need to get some pictures of the types of ends that are good. If any buyers see this, please educate us a bit with some samples.

As a buyer myself it is rather difficult for a complete education course on this topic because it depends on who the buyer sells the material too. Some buyers do not want phone cord or ethernet cord ends but my buyer does take them.

We generally accept any kind of cable end that is gold plated and honestly it can be difficult to determine sometimes if something is gold plated or not, especially in the IDE cables like I mentioned above.

**easyrecycle** · 09-24-2011, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by ComputerScrapper

As a buyer myself it is rather difficult for a complete education course on this topic because it depends on who the buyer sells the material too. Some buyers do not want phone cord or ethernet cord ends but my buyer does take them.

Its hard to explain...an not to easy to show...but rule of thumb...if it looks gold..it will pass as gold cord end...phone cord ends are no good but cat5 are good.

Some buyers will not buy the IDE ends. We will not buy them because we do not have the time to check them, so if we can see "yellow" its good. USB cable ends are good as 99% are all gold plated.

Take note to trim them GOOD tho...if you leave to much wire on it..the price of the ends will drop big time as the ends will need to be cleaned up at some point or time due to the fact that there will be more "trash" in the refining costs. Trim them as close to the end as you can.

**PartTimeScrapper** · 09-24-2011, 07:44 PM

Im sure it doesnt matter maleor female ends as long as they are gold plated. I clip the wires of my ribbon cables too and throw the connectors in the bucket.

**ComputerScrapper** · 09-25-2011, 07:22 AM

Out of all the elements of e-scrap I think gold ends are probably the most difficult to explain. We get multiple questions on them each day and many times there is no easy answer to the whole thing. I tell most people to avoid keyboard and mouse connections because they are rarely gold plated. Your older style printer cables are almost always gold and when you get into higher end computers, like for the gamers, you will even find gold plated ends on power supply cables but those are pretty rare.

I honestly do wish that there was an iron clad list that could be provided but there are so many factors that have to be considered.

P.S.- Power cords are not gold plated, they are brass....I usually add this to all communications when dealing with customer questions. The brass gets a little dull in color and can resemble gold in poor lighting situations. I can't count the number of times that I have received a package with hundreds of power cord ends just to tell the customer that they have sent the wrong stuff. I still buy them but for no where near the price of gold ends. Our local yard buys them as dirty brass so they are worth a little bit of money.

**easyrecycle** · 09-25-2011, 10:26 AM

I have had the power cord ends as well in my gold end box...but as he said....there really no list that can be posted...its something you have to check...it only take a sec or two to check them.

**eesakiwi** · 05-11-2013, 08:20 PM

Originally Posted by easyrecycle

I have had the power cord ends as well in my gold end box...but as he said....there really no list that can be posted...its something you have to check...it only take a sec or two to check them.

I have seen the 'TV power cords with Gold clips on them" too. Its a subject that has come up a few times.

They do LOOK like Gold, not like Brass at all, a deeper 'Gold' colour than Brass has. After saving a bunch (5 pairs?) I decided to scrap them as Brass instead.

Its the two pins on the end of the (NZ) 240V AC cord where its attached to the CRT TV's board, after its gone thru the Off/On switch.

**drozenski** · 05-11-2013, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by eesakiwi

I have seen the 'TV power cords with Gold clips on them" too. Its a subject that has come up a few times.

They do LOOK like Gold, not like Brass at all, a deeper 'Gold' colour than Brass has. After saving a bunch (5 pairs?) I decided to scrap them as Brass instead.

Its the two pins on the end of the (NZ) 240V AC cord where its attached to the CRT TV's board, after its gone thru the Off/On switch.

A usual rule of thumb with connectors is.

If it has power no data then the connector will be brass,copper or another type of metal.

If the connector pass's data 1's and 0's then it will be gold.

It's not 100% but i have found it about 98% accurate.

**newattitude** · 09-27-2011, 04:40 PM

but brass looks like gold and vice versa. To me anyways. The computer cable ends I've seen look the same color as where the memory sticks and cards plug into the motherboards and those are not gold as I've been told by e-waste folks so you can see where the confusion comes from. I just assumed the ends were brass like any other plug end. *shrugs*
rocket science to some maybe but not to others.

**PartTimeScrapper** · 09-27-2011, 04:58 PM

Originally Posted by newattitude

but brass looks like gold and vice versa. To me anyways. The computer cable ends I've seen look the same color as where the memory sticks and cards plug into the motherboards and those are not gold as I've been told by e-waste folks so you can see where the confusion comes from. I just assumed the ends were brass like any other plug end. *shrugs*
rocket science to some maybe but not to others.

Who told you that. I thaught all pci,isa,agp,ram,ide slots on motherboards where gold plated? I could be wrong but that was my understanding. Why bother gold plating the cards that go into that slot and not the slot itself?

**Mealane8** · 05-10-2013, 08:12 PM

Originally Posted by newattitude

but brass looks like gold and vice versa. To me anyways. The computer cable ends I've seen look the same color as where the memory sticks and cards plug into the motherboards and those are not gold as I've been told by e-waste folks so you can see where the confusion comes from. I just assumed the ends were brass like any other plug end. *shrugs*
rocket science to some maybe but not to others.

Actually, I have come to believe that the ends of circuit boards, and also some of the connectors between two or more circuit boards are indeed gold. So, who told you that they weren't? It seems to me that some gold (electronics, precious metals) refiners are willing indeed to buy them as such, so who told you that they weren't?
Of course some of the scrap that you mentioned only contain a very small amount of actual gold (they often are no-where close to 24-karat).

**hobo finds** · 05-10-2013, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by Mealane8

Actually, I have come to believe that the ends of circuit boards, and also some of the connectors between two or more circuit boards are indeed gold. So, who told you that they weren't? It seems to me that some gold (electronics, precious metals) refiners are willing indeed to buy them as such, so who told you that they weren't?
Of course some of the scrap that you mentioned only contain a very small amount of actual gold (they often are no-where close to 24-karat).

**newattitude** · 09-27-2011, 06:19 PM

I don't recall who told me that and I was saving them because I thought they were too. You're right I would think, gold on the ends should plug into gold plated slots right? I dunno, some of this stuff is confusing.

**Mechanic688** · 09-27-2011, 06:40 PM

ata sockets,,

ata connector,,

printer cable ends,,

usb cable ends,,

ide flat ribbon cable,,

I hope this clears some of it up.

**rca987** · 09-27-2011, 06:42 PM

Thanks Mech.

**Mechanic688** · 09-27-2011, 07:11 PM

Just a little more, Round IDE Cable,,

Memory Board,,

**PartTimeScrapper** · 09-27-2011, 09:08 PM

Dont forget about the monitor cables too.

**bjybjy** · 12-10-2011, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by PartTimeScrapper

Dont forget about the monitor cables too.

What about female monitor cable ends like this:

Gold or no gold?

Gold Tip Connector Ends

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