Cleaning Plated Electrical Contacts?

[GeneO]

Have been Googling the proper way to clean plated electrical contacts
but either get nothing if use " or a lot of nonrelevant hits without.

Am interested in any suggestions esp how to remove the nonconductive
oxides.

If a connector is too damaged would also be interested in what are
considered the best type replacement.

Thanks

Gene

 

[N_Cook]

GeneO <genosmm@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:a690e81b-0559-4308-8444-c03d943b245b@p9g2000vbl.googlegroups.com...

Have been Googling the proper way to clean plated electrical contacts
but either get nothing if use " or a lot of nonrelevant hits without.

Am interested in any suggestions esp how to remove the nonconductive
oxides.

If a connector is too damaged would also be interested in what are
considered the best type replacement.

Thanks

Gene

Assuming not sputter damaged contacts, otherwise good underlying surfaces.
I use a nylon cable tie, introduced with the contacts in contact. In a
filing action with the ratchet part of the nylon, then turn upside down and
repeat


--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

In article
<a690e81b-0559-4308-8444-c03d943b245b@p9g2000vbl.googlegroups.com>,
GeneO <genosmm@yahoo.com> wrote:

Have been Googling the proper way to clean plated electrical contacts
but either get nothing if use " or a lot of nonrelevant hits without.

Am interested in any suggestions esp how to remove the nonconductive
oxides.

A good contact cleaner followed by a switch lubricant - will help prevent
corrosion later. Servisol or Electrolube for the latter.

If a connector is too damaged would also be interested in what are
considered the best type replacement.

--
*The modem is the message *

Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

 

[GregS]

In article <266cd8ae-325e-4cd7-bd08-43d62fd4892e@w37g2000prg.googlegroups.com>, nesesu <neil_sutcliffe@telus.net> wrote:

On Sep 18, 8:28=A0am, GeneO <geno...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Have been Googling the proper way to clean plated electrical contacts
but either get nothing if use " or a lot of nonrelevant hits without.

Am interested in any suggestions esp how to remove the nonconductive
oxides.

If a connector is too damaged would also be interested in what are
considered the best type replacement.

Thanks

Gene

I get the impression that you are talking about pin and socket
connectors rather than 'button' contacts as used in relays for
example.
First of all, connectors have a very finite numbers of mate-unmate
cycles in their original design and once they reach that number
[either half] they are basically scrap. Further, if you mate a worn
out connector with a good one, you may contaminate the surface of the
'good' half and compromise it's future performance.
Except for connectors especially designed for large numbers of mating,
most commercial connectors are good for 50 to 200 cycles, and that is
highly dependent on the environmental conditions [dust and grit are a
quick death].
Once the surface plating is worn through or the pins have overheated
and lost some spring tension, there is nothing one can do to improve
the connection but replace it with NEW components.

Best replacement? Depends on the application. A lot of engineering
goes into the choice of a simple connector for a product if long life
and durability are needed.

Neil S.

The OP didn't say a whole lot. Some oxides can be removed with water,
like the green type. Not many contact cleaners actually remove oxide.
Oleic acid based cleaners will help remove oxides as well as friction.

greg

 

[William Sommerwerck]

The original Caig Cramolin (red) works well on tin and nickel surfaces.
ProGold does a fairly good job on gold surfaces. Go to the Caig site and see
what you think. Try not to be too alarmed at the high prices. (These are
"professional" (not consumer) products, and Caig gouges.)

There are probably other effective products out there.

 

[Arfa Daily]

"nesesu" <neil_sutcliffe@telus.net> wrote in message
news:266cd8ae-325e-4cd7-bd08-43d62fd4892e@w37g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
On Sep 18, 8:28 am, GeneO <geno...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Have been Googling the proper way to clean plated electrical contacts
but either get nothing if use " or a lot of nonrelevant hits without.

Am interested in any suggestions esp how to remove the nonconductive
oxides.

If a connector is too damaged would also be interested in what are
considered the best type replacement.

Thanks

Gene

I get the impression that you are talking about pin and socket
connectors rather than 'button' contacts as used in relays for
example.
First of all, connectors have a very finite numbers of mate-unmate
cycles in their original design and once they reach that number
[either half] they are basically scrap. Further, if you mate a worn
out connector with a good one, you may contaminate the surface of the
'good' half and compromise it's future performance.
Except for connectors especially designed for large numbers of mating,
most commercial connectors are good for 50 to 200 cycles, and that is
highly dependent on the environmental conditions [dust and grit are a
quick death].

Neil S.


That seems a bit pessimistic. I have many lead sets in my workshop - phono,
jack, XLR, Speakon, SCART etc - which have been made up using fairly
'bog-standard' connectors from the likes of Maplin, Farnell etc, or bought
ready made from the same sources, and these are used several times, just
about every day, to connect up items that are in for repair. Many have been
in use for years. Musical instruments are jacked into amplifiers and mixer
desks many many more times than 200 in their life, and most such items
employ very 'standard' and inexpensive makes and designs of jacks and plugs.
I think that I would be pretty disappointed with *any* connector in a user
application, no matter how cheap and nasty it was, that was considered
shagged out after as little as 200 uses.

Arfa

 

[William Sommerwerck]

First of all, connectors have a very finite numbers of mate-unmate
cycles in their original design and once they reach that number
[either half] they are basically scrap. Further, if you mate a worn
out connector with a good one, you may contaminate the surface
of the 'good' half and compromise its future performance.
Except for connectors especially designed for large numbers of mating,
most commercial connectors are good for 50 to 200 cycles, and that is
highly dependent on the environmental conditions [dust and grit are a
quick death].

That's an awfully small number. A properly manufactured gold-plated
connector should be good for at least 10 times that, shouldn't it?

I'm pretty certain the sorts of connectors used on (say) flash RAM are good
for a couple thousand cycles. They'd have to be (???), as it's assumed the
card will be repeatedly inserted and removed.

 

[nesesu]

On Sep 18, 8:28 am, GeneO <geno...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Have been Googling the proper way to clean plated electrical contacts
but either get nothing if use " or a lot of nonrelevant hits without.

Am interested in any suggestions esp how to remove the nonconductive
oxides.

If a connector is too damaged would also be interested in what are
considered the best type replacement.

Thanks

Gene

I get the impression that you are talking about pin and socket
connectors rather than 'button' contacts as used in relays for
example.
First of all, connectors have a very finite numbers of mate-unmate
cycles in their original design and once they reach that number
[either half] they are basically scrap. Further, if you mate a worn
out connector with a good one, you may contaminate the surface of the
'good' half and compromise it's future performance.
Except for connectors especially designed for large numbers of mating,
most commercial connectors are good for 50 to 200 cycles, and that is
highly dependent on the environmental conditions [dust and grit are a
quick death].
Once the surface plating is worn through or the pins have overheated
and lost some spring tension, there is nothing one can do to improve
the connection but replace it with NEW components.

Best replacement? Depends on the application. A lot of engineering
goes into the choice of a simple connector for a product if long life
and durability are needed.

Neil S.

 

[Adrian Tuddenham]

GeneO <genosmm@yahoo.com> wrote:

Have been Googling the proper way to clean plated electrical contacts
but either get nothing if use " or a lot of nonrelevant hits without.

Am interested in any suggestions esp how to remove the nonconductive
oxides.

If a connector is too damaged would also be interested in what are
considered the best type replacement.

For brass 316 jack plugs, use a green nylon scouring pad.

If the corrosion is on battery connectors that have been used with
alkaline batteries, you will wreck the surface with dry physical
cleaning before you make contact - but with a drop of water, the
corrosion comes off easily.


--
~ Adrian Tuddenham ~
(Remove the ".invalid"s and add ".co.uk" to reply)
www.poppyrecords.co.uk

 

[whit3rd]

On Sep 18, 9:46 am, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net>
wrote:

First of all, connectors have a very finite numbers of mate-unmate
cycles in their original design...
most commercial connectors are good for 50 to 200 cycles

That's an awfully small number. A properly manufactured gold-plated
connector should be good for at least 10 times that, shouldn't it?

If you have logic levels in mind, and some noise margin, a slightly
dirty connector is no big issue. Some RF test equipment,
though, has to be concerned with milliohms of resistance,
and can be completely defeated by a small amount of oxide (like,
a copper oxide rectifier making harmonics out of your main signal, or
a mechanical vibration sensitivity - the avionics guys hate that).

So, commercial connectors that are 'good' for 200 cycles are possibly
adequate for 10,000. There's a few critical applications where
connector insertions are counted and connector-replace is performed at
suitable intervals.

 

[Ross Herbert]

On Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:28:42 -0700 (PDT), GeneO <genosmm@yahoo.com> wrote:

:Have been Googling the proper way to clean plated electrical contacts
:but either get nothing if use " or a lot of nonrelevant hits without.
:
:Am interested in any suggestions esp how to remove the nonconductive
xides.
:
:If a connector is too damaged would also be interested in what are
:considered the best type replacement.
:
:Thanks
:
:Gene


I don't think I have ever come across a "plated" electrical contact. In my
experience electrical contacts are always a solid material such as brass (cheap
and nasty - often used in electrical appliances) or a more exotic alloy material
such as nickel-silver. The contact material used is dependant on the application
(AC or DC and whether inductive) and the magnitude of the current being handled.

Most relay contacts can be cleaned and reconditioned using a contact burnishing
tool such as http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/22-910

The use of a lubricant such as those mentioned in other responses may be
considered useful.

 

[Arfa Daily]

"Ross Herbert" <rherber1@bigpond.net.au> wrote in message
news:3cmdb51o9cfgaantdo289j3dlqsbpvquj4@4ax.com...

On Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:28:42 -0700 (PDT), GeneO <genosmm@yahoo.com> wrote:

:Have been Googling the proper way to clean plated electrical contacts
:but either get nothing if use " or a lot of nonrelevant hits without.
:
:Am interested in any suggestions esp how to remove the nonconductive
xides.
:
:If a connector is too damaged would also be interested in what are
:considered the best type replacement.
:
:Thanks
:
:Gene


I don't think I have ever come across a "plated" electrical contact. In my
experience electrical contacts are always a solid material such as brass
(cheap
and nasty - often used in electrical appliances) or a more exotic alloy
material
such as nickel-silver. The contact material used is dependant on the
application
(AC or DC and whether inductive) and the magnitude of the current being
handled.

I'm sure that you must have, Ross ?? I'd agree with you on 'solid brass
contacts' in clunky mains power switches etc, but elsewhere, many contacts
seem to be plated rather than solid. For instance, I just put the word
"plated" into the search pane on one component supplier's website, and it
came back with 59 items, most of which were connectors with a variety of
plating materials quoted for their contacts, including gold, silver & tin.
Similarly, a quick look in a catalogue at switches, reveals many to have
either gold or silver plated contacts. Also, many relays have contacts
described variously as gold "plated", "covered", "overlayed" etc. It is
these contacts that I find you have to be careful not to use any kind of
abrasion on, for fear of going through the very thin layer of plating. I
generally find that pulling a piece of dry cardboard through things like
relay contacts, is enough to clean them. A tiny spot of cleaner/lubricant
introduced to the contact gap, finishes the job off.

Arfa

 

[GregS]

In article <f46025b5-ecf1-4d8c-b925-6dcb0bd5ca86@q14g2000vbi.googlegroups.com>, Dubtron <swohlfarth@gmail.com> wrote:

On Sep 18, 10:28=A0am, GeneO <geno...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Have been Googling the proper way to clean plated electrical contacts
but either get nothing if use " or a lot of nonrelevant hits without.

Am interested in any suggestions esp how to remove the nonconductive
oxides.

If a connector is too damaged would also be interested in what are
considered the best type replacement.

Thanks

Gene

I have had very good luck repairing low current relay contacts and
mechanical rotary switches using "tarn-x" silver cleaner containing
acidified thiourea. MSDS: http://www.jelmar.com/msds/TX_MSDS_eng.pdf.
If you take the relay or switch apart to get to the contacts, use a
cotton swab with a small amount of cleaner and apply to the oxidized
(tarnished) surfaces. They shine right up and the surface does not
appear to be damaged by it. Then dry and apply a very light film of
silicone based contact cleaner to keep the air away and help with
lubrication. Works great for speaker relays in amplifiers and mode
switches for VCR's.

Silicone based products are really not a good thing, at least thats what
some say. However sometimes a silicone grease is used to
protect connections. Silicone sprays were common 30 years ago.
I don't recall any of the more common recommended sprays having
silicone. I see mixed recommendations of lubing relays.
Some say no, but I do.

greg

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

GregS wrote:

In article <f46025b5-ecf1-4d8c-b925-6dcb0bd5ca86@q14g2000vbi.googlegroups.com>, Dubtron <swohlfarth@gmail.com> wrote:
On Sep 18, 10:28=A0am, GeneO <geno...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Have been Googling the proper way to clean plated electrical contacts
but either get nothing if use " or a lot of nonrelevant hits without.

Am interested in any suggestions esp how to remove the nonconductive
oxides.

If a connector is too damaged would also be interested in what are
considered the best type replacement.

Thanks

Gene

I have had very good luck repairing low current relay contacts and
mechanical rotary switches using "tarn-x" silver cleaner containing
acidified thiourea. MSDS: http://www.jelmar.com/msds/TX_MSDS_eng.pdf.
If you take the relay or switch apart to get to the contacts, use a
cotton swab with a small amount of cleaner and apply to the oxidized
(tarnished) surfaces. They shine right up and the surface does not
appear to be damaged by it. Then dry and apply a very light film of
silicone based contact cleaner to keep the air away and help with
lubrication. Works great for speaker relays in amplifiers and mode
switches for VCR's.


Silicone based products are really not a good thing, at least thats what
some say. However sometimes a silicone grease is used to
protect connections. Silicone sprays were common 30 years ago.
I don't recall any of the more common recommended sprays having
silicone. I see mixed recommendations of lubing relays.
Some say no, but I do.

Silicone based chemicals were banned from all telephone switching
centers with mechanical switching.

The old General Cement "Tuner Lube" is petroleum based and doesn't
build up an insulating film like Silicone based products.


--
You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense!

 

[Dubtron]

On Sep 18, 10:28 am, GeneO <geno...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Have been Googling the proper way to clean plated electrical contacts
but either get nothing if use " or a lot of nonrelevant hits without.

Am interested in any suggestions esp how to remove the nonconductive
oxides.

If a connector is too damaged would also be interested in what are
considered the best type replacement.

Thanks

Gene

I have had very good luck repairing low current relay contacts and
mechanical rotary switches using "tarn-x" silver cleaner containing
acidified thiourea. MSDS: http://www.jelmar.com/msds/TX_MSDS_eng.pdf.
If you take the relay or switch apart to get to the contacts, use a
cotton swab with a small amount of cleaner and apply to the oxidized
(tarnished) surfaces. They shine right up and the surface does not
appear to be damaged by it. Then dry and apply a very light film of
silicone based contact cleaner to keep the air away and help with
lubrication. Works great for speaker relays in amplifiers and mode
switches for VCR's.

Scott

 

[JB]

Silicone based products are really not a good thing, at least thats what
some say. However sometimes a silicone grease is used to
protect connections. Silicone sprays were common 30 years ago.
I don't recall any of the more common recommended sprays having
silicone. I see mixed recommendations of lubing relays.
Some say no, but I do.

greg

Silicone based cleaners leave a residue that protects against friction but
tends to insulate. You have to break through the film in order to even have
contact. I have found them useful for connectors that see lots of use, such
as Notebooks, but I usually have to wash them with Isopropyl to remove most
of what I put on.

There is no point in lubing relays. Any residue will increase the
likelihood of burning of the contacts. They should be cleaned and burnished
with a non-residue cleaner and as minimally abrasive tool as possible. Bond
paper strips will often suffice.

Isopropyl Alcohol at 90% or better is clean, leaves no residue, won't harm
most plastics and is the only recommended cleaner for many switches and
contacts. Do not use less than 90% as there will be risk of moisture
damage.

 

[GregS]

In article <VqKdnWBSC88LBirXnZ2dnUVZ_jCdnZ2d@earthlink.com>, "Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote:

GregS wrote:

In article
f46025b5-ecf1-4d8c-b925-6dcb0bd5ca86@q14g2000vbi.googlegroups.com>, Dubtron
swohlfarth@gmail.com> wrote:
On Sep 18, 10:28=A0am, GeneO <geno...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Have been Googling the proper way to clean plated electrical contacts
but either get nothing if use " or a lot of nonrelevant hits without.

Am interested in any suggestions esp how to remove the nonconductive
oxides.

If a connector is too damaged would also be interested in what are
considered the best type replacement.

Thanks

Gene

I have had very good luck repairing low current relay contacts and
mechanical rotary switches using "tarn-x" silver cleaner containing
acidified thiourea. MSDS: http://www.jelmar.com/msds/TX_MSDS_eng.pdf.
If you take the relay or switch apart to get to the contacts, use a
cotton swab with a small amount of cleaner and apply to the oxidized
(tarnished) surfaces. They shine right up and the surface does not
appear to be damaged by it. Then dry and apply a very light film of
silicone based contact cleaner to keep the air away and help with
lubrication. Works great for speaker relays in amplifiers and mode
switches for VCR's.


Silicone based products are really not a good thing, at least thats what
some say. However sometimes a silicone grease is used to
protect connections. Silicone sprays were common 30 years ago.
I don't recall any of the more common recommended sprays having
silicone. I see mixed recommendations of lubing relays.
Some say no, but I do.


Silicone based chemicals were banned from all telephone switching
centers with mechanical switching.

The old General Cement "Tuner Lube" is petroleum based and doesn't
build up an insulating film like Silicone based products.

I got some of that stuff. For rubber and some plastics
petroleum based products can hurt. I have been using plastic safe liquid
CRC 2-26 but I really don't know whats in it. For those outside
the US, if you use Cramolin Contaclean, it must be removed after
cleaning because it will gum. Here is an old
can. Check out the buildup at the top.

http://zekfrivolous.com/misc/cramolin%20contaclean.JPG

greg

 

[GregS]

In article <HmNtm.3127$tl3.2818@nwrddc01.gnilink.net>, "JB" <nospam@goofball.net> wrote:

Silicone based products are really not a good thing, at least thats what
some say. However sometimes a silicone grease is used to
protect connections. Silicone sprays were common 30 years ago.
I don't recall any of the more common recommended sprays having
silicone. I see mixed recommendations of lubing relays.
Some say no, but I do.

greg

Silicone based cleaners leave a residue that protects against friction but
tends to insulate. You have to break through the film in order to even have
contact. I have found them useful for connectors that see lots of use, such
as Notebooks, but I usually have to wash them with Isopropyl to remove most
of what I put on.

There is no point in lubing relays. Any residue will increase the
likelihood of burning of the contacts. They should be cleaned and burnished
with a non-residue cleaner and as minimally abrasive tool as possible. Bond
paper strips will often suffice.

Isopropyl Alcohol at 90% or better is clean, leaves no residue, won't harm
most plastics and is the only recommended cleaner for many switches and
contacts. Do not use less than 90% as there will be risk of moisture
damage.

I kind of like using 70% rubbing alcohol sometimes, with
its small amount of mineral oil. Any % alcohol can cause
moisture problems, even 100%. The trick is to warm dry it.

My knowledge of silicon is it forms waterglass in some cases and insulates.
This is a powder like material. Sodium silicate. It does wash off.

I also discovered thick sticky residue on my can of CRC 2-26, but
its a more passive lube than the acedic nature of Cramolin Contaclean.
My can of TAL-5 is also sticky, was made by WD-40 company.
From memory I have never seen this happen with WD-40.

greg

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

In article <3cmdb51o9cfgaantdo289j3dlqsbpvquj4@4ax.com>,
Ross Herbert <rherber1@bigpond.net.au> wrote:

I don't think I have ever come across a "plated" electrical contact. In
my experience electrical contacts are always a solid material such as
brass (cheap and nasty - often used in electrical appliances) or a more
exotic alloy material such as nickel-silver.

The vast majority of connectors which aren't plain brass are plated.

--
*When cheese gets it's picture taken, what does it say?

Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

 

[Jim Yanik]

zekfrivo@zekfrivolous.com (GregS) wrote in
news:h987mf$4bh$1@usenet01.srv.cis.pitt.edu:

In article <VqKdnWBSC88LBirXnZ2dnUVZ_jCdnZ2d@earthlink.com>, "Michael
A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> wrote:

GregS wrote:

In article
f46025b5-ecf1-4d8c-b925-6dcb0bd5ca86@q14g2000vbi.googlegroups.com>,
Dubtron <swohlfarth@gmail.com> wrote:
On Sep 18, 10:28=A0am, GeneO <geno...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Have been Googling the proper way to clean plated electrical
contacts but either get nothing if use " or a lot of nonrelevant
hits without.

Am interested in any suggestions esp how to remove the
nonconductive oxides.

If a connector is too damaged would also be interested in what
are considered the best type replacement.

Thanks

Gene

I have had very good luck repairing low current relay contacts and
mechanical rotary switches using "tarn-x" silver cleaner containing
acidified thiourea. MSDS:
http://www.jelmar.com/msds/TX_MSDS_eng.pdf. If you take the relay
or switch apart to get to the contacts, use a cotton swab with a
small amount of cleaner and apply to the oxidized (tarnished)
surfaces. They shine right up and the surface does not appear to be
damaged by it. Then dry and apply a very light film of silicone
based contact cleaner to keep the air away and help with
lubrication. Works great for speaker relays in amplifiers and mode
switches for VCR's.


Silicone based products are really not a good thing, at least thats
what some say. However sometimes a silicone grease is used to
protect connections. Silicone sprays were common 30 years ago.
I don't recall any of the more common recommended sprays having
silicone. I see mixed recommendations of lubing relays.
Some say no, but I do.


Silicone based chemicals were banned from all telephone switching
centers with mechanical switching.

The old General Cement "Tuner Lube" is petroleum based and doesn't
build up an insulating film like Silicone based products.

contact wiping pressure should handle that "insulating" film.
Only TEK "HF switch contacts" didn't have enough wiping pressure to deal
with films left from tuner cleaner/lube sprays.

I got some of that stuff. For rubber and some plastics
petroleum based products can hurt. I have been using plastic safe
liquid CRC 2-26 but I really don't know whats in it. For those outside
the US, if you use Cramolin Contaclean, it must be removed after
cleaning because it will gum. Here is an old
can. Check out the buildup at the top.

http://zekfrivolous.com/misc/cramolin%20contaclean.JPG

greg

I used to use Tarn-X on TEK 500 series tube scope rotary switches,to clean
off the black oxidation.
It worked great,had to wash and oven-dry the scopes anyways.
You must RINSE the contacts after using Tarn-X on them.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net