Welcome to Boardsort™ - Learn - Sell - Profit -

The scratched numbers are scratched into one of the gold strips. Looks similar to using a rotary engraver.

_________________
Here to learn more so I can recycle more
My grades are my own opinion and not an official grade from Boardsort

Thanks Marked141. I'm thinking this a "homemade" project. Could be AARL. Or a "school" project. Even a research laboratory. I had a friend who had a side business. Making custom PCBs for major corporations. His specialty was taking a known finished PCB. Then miniaturizing it. He had his own laboratory in the basement of his house. Even had chemical etching tanks. Everything.
Thats why a little background on those chip carriers would be interesting. Enjoying the search.
Here to learn like everybody else.

I got them off Facebook and was told he found them on the floor after buying a load of electronics from a military surplus store.

It’s unlikely any part numbers or numbers off of those lil boards will be of much value insofar as identifying them via google etc.

They are part of a string of small boards soldered in series with, yes, gold bonding wires. These boards would have been used as part of a solid state amplifier circuit. As someone pointed out, for satcom use.

These small, gold plated, brass “boards” may have been the pre-amplification circuit or “front end” of a higher output Solid State Power Amplifier. Possibly in the L, S, C, X, Ku or Ka Band.

Could also have been part of the middle or final output stage of a much higher power Solid State Amplifer.

They could also have been part of a single 38dBm/6.3W SSPA Driver Amplifier for a Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier.

The flower petal pattern of equal dimensions is probably a sort of circuit waveguide to ensure proper propagation of the RF thru the device. Open a Dish Satellite horn. You’ll see similar architecture.

In either case, all of these little boards would have been screwed down inside an EMI/RFI proof aluminum box which in turn would’ve been screwed down to a proper heat sink. These guys get pretty darn hot when operating at rated RF Output Power.

The components on these boards can very easily be damaged by being overdriven, excessive VSWR etc. Hence why you have so many. Or, production started yet buyer or need never arose.

Regardless, bonding wires are real gold, easily broken and lost. Gold plating on brass or aluminum plates is far thicker and of higher quality than what you’d find on any modern PC, Laptop, router, modem etc.

As stated by other poster. Send pics, both sides to Chris/BS for review. Or, find honest and fair refiner for value. If you have as many as you say. There may be some decent value in what you have.

Enjoy the hunt!

RustyFuryIII

I sold boardsort some chips long ago and at that time they were categorized as foreign chips. It was the highest paid at the time.