For quick disconnects, spades, rings, etc. Any internal soldered or crimped connection. Does it make a difference to use gold or tin plating over brass, bare brass, or bare copper?
A properly crimped connection is a gas-tight weld, so oxide build up shouldn't be an issue, same with soldered connections.
For physical connectors the forces are lower and then oxidation and corrosion are issues.
It generally agreed that gold-gold or tin-tin are prefered over any mixed metal combinations. Copper oxide is a semiconductor and the risk of it forming between contacting surfaces is best avoided.
For physical connectors the forces are lower and then oxidation and corrosion are issues.
It generally agreed that gold-gold or tin-tin are prefered over any mixed metal combinations. Copper oxide is a semiconductor and the risk of it forming between contacting surfaces is best avoided.
Just solder the connects properly if they are not to be opened frequently.
And read the IEC, and NASA standards, a few companies' manuals.
For audio use, copper wire, preferably tinned (less prone to corrosion), is good enough.
Even insulated copper wire, properly tinned at ends is good. Solder is less affected by atmospheric corrosion, unless you are in a badly polluted area.
Of course, if you are OCD about making something very fancy...
read up on Monster Cable (allegedly single crystal wire), and be a little skeptical when the asking price is in multiples of generic competition. Mostly a scam.
To prevent corrosion, use sleeves over the crimps, or varnish after soldering.
And read the IEC, and NASA standards, a few companies' manuals.
For audio use, copper wire, preferably tinned (less prone to corrosion), is good enough.
Even insulated copper wire, properly tinned at ends is good. Solder is less affected by atmospheric corrosion, unless you are in a badly polluted area.
Of course, if you are OCD about making something very fancy...
read up on Monster Cable (allegedly single crystal wire), and be a little skeptical when the asking price is in multiples of generic competition. Mostly a scam.
To prevent corrosion, use sleeves over the crimps, or varnish after soldering.
Is hestshrink effective for preventing corrosion, or do I need to use the fully-insulated terminals?
I’ve actually got some of that single-crystal wire! You can get it bulk for a couple dollars per foot.
I mostly solder, but I’m redoing some wiring and am adding quick disconnects in a few places. Sounds like tin coated brass everywhere will be fine. Thanks for the advice ��
I’ve actually got some of that single-crystal wire! You can get it bulk for a couple dollars per foot.
I mostly solder, but I’m redoing some wiring and am adding quick disconnects in a few places. Sounds like tin coated brass everywhere will be fine. Thanks for the advice ��
Not sure how could anybody guarantee that, in any case an absolutely irrelevant and unnecessary "bonus".
Plus you will break the "crystal" dozens of times, every time you cut a piece of wire from that roll.
I can almost hear the terror screams " NO! NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOHHHHHH!" coming from it every time you grab your diagonal nippers.
OFC copper or brass uninsulated crimp eyes/push tabs etc., with either a tinned or gold plating is what I use. I crimp & silver solder & then fit my own heat shrink insulation over..usually clear.
Screw terminals over spade lugs exclude oxygen adequately. Experience, +-5 v signals in a 7 computer test system stretched over a 150' line, with commo to main summary computer in a room 400' away. No problems with connections on barrier strips in the 10 years I was responsible for coordinating it.
Push in strips, only useable on telephone level signals, ie 48 v at some advanced # of milliamps. Confirmed by complaints on pa-systems about push in connectors used driver - output transistor board in 90's Peavey amps. They sometimes lose connection on the ground wire which is low voltage + low current.
Gold plate is useful for long time connections at line level, like push in banana plugs and RCA plugs. I found over a decade the tinplate RCA plugs on my phono pickup and preamp to power amp connections needed reseating every 5 or 8 years. Else they would go silent.
Push in strips, only useable on telephone level signals, ie 48 v at some advanced # of milliamps. Confirmed by complaints on pa-systems about push in connectors used driver - output transistor board in 90's Peavey amps. They sometimes lose connection on the ground wire which is low voltage + low current.
Gold plate is useful for long time connections at line level, like push in banana plugs and RCA plugs. I found over a decade the tinplate RCA plugs on my phono pickup and preamp to power amp connections needed reseating every 5 or 8 years. Else they would go silent.
I’m actually having the RCA problem on a preamp I have. By reseat, do you mean desolder, remove, reinstall, and solder again?
Just unplug and plug back in a few times, maybe cleaning at the same time.
Sometimes the clip that accepts the center pin gets loose and needs tightening up.
Sometimes the clip that accepts the center pin gets loose and needs tightening up.
And use spray if you are in a corrosive area, reduces that issue if the contacts are protected from atmospheric contact... any oily spray, even light machine oil will do.
Gold is about 66% conductive while silver is over 99%. The problem is silver corrodes if air gets to it and over time will become less and less conductive. Gold never gets worse than 66% so you know what you have. If you can get an air tight connection go with silver or copper as they are much better than gold until they corrode. Removing cleaning them brings them back to near new but is a pita. Gas tight shrink tube solves that issue. The adhesive type helps but is hard to remove. Everything is a trade off and you just have to decide which ones are important to you. There are some good gas tight push on connectors out there.
I meant I removed and replaced the tinplate RCA connectors between preamp & amp when they went silent. Were good for another 4-8 years then. Removing & replacing scrapes the oxide off mechanically. Same process with bad ground on interboard push in connectors in 90's Peavey amps. Removal/replacement of the wire in the punchdown block scrapes the oxide off.
Good supply of gold plate RCA cable is used game cable sets at a charity resale shop. $2 usually. Have 3 cables instead of two, whoopie.
If tin is still on the amp or preamp RCA jack, that is still subject to oxidation. Plus gold migrates to the tin side, the military reports. Never seen it myself.
The soldered side of an RCA jack is not subject to oxidation. Solder is a solid that excludes oxygen between the two tin plated surfaces, the RCA connector tab and the PCB land.
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