Consumer board (TV, DVD, appliance) teardown

Single or double sided · often phenolic

Era read: Brown or tan phenolic substrate visible on one side is the single most reliable low-grade tell. Thin, flimsy, dominated by big through-hole parts.

Where the value sits

Mains input

MOV, fuse, X/Y caps. The only silver on the board.

Transformer

Copper windings — the main metal value.

Electrolytics

Aluminium cans. Near zero. Their real use is telling you the board is low grade.

Through-hole ICs

Pre-2010 plastic DIPs still carry gold bond wire. Post-2012, essentially none.

Heatsinks

Usually aluminium. Weigh before you get excited.

Connectors

Tin-plated headers. No gold.

Strip order

Value first, hazards first, heat last.

1. Discharge anything large Resistorsafety step

   Applies to any board with a mains section. Aluminium electrolytic capacitors →

2. Check for a silver-contact relay Eyes first

   On a big appliance board a single relay can be worth more than the board's entire gold content. Relays →

3. Pull the transformer Hot air + preheat380 °C

   Copper is the main value here and it's still only a couple of dollars. Transformers, inductors, chokes & toroids →

4. Stop —

   At this grade the acid costs more than the gold. Sell it whole and spend your bench time on something else. Low-grade boards (PSU, TV, modem, appliance) →

Other board types →