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Post by Gone on Jan 25, 2020 22:23:08 GMT
The point I was trying to make was that , whatever was preventing the connection was insignificant, unnoticeable, invisible ... I will probably (at some convenient moment) clean up the plugs again with the nail file and spray with WD40 as recommended. It is very striking how tenuous the line between working and buggered is Rog The best stuff to use is dielectric grease which is a type of silicone grease that stays soft so protects the terminals. Just push it around the pins on both parts of the connector then join them together. eBay is your friend.
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Post by Gone on Jan 25, 2020 22:30:51 GMT
Gold contacts are the best for good connection so is platinum or even silver at a pinch be a cheapskate and use brass and you will get oxidation ..... simples (brass is considered to be good enough for the hoi polloi) Gold is definitely best, silver is okay at 12v or more, but a data signal voltages, the very thin oxide that forms will insulate at very low voltages, it needs something like 12v to break it. Brass is still common on cars, but the connectors are stuffed with dielectric grease in wet areas to keep the oxide films under control.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2020 1:26:43 GMT
Just to re-iterate. Regular WD40 is non conductive, but WD40 also do a switch cleaner variant. Spraying a blast of regular WD40 onto the contact may well shift any dirt and will certainly shift any damp, so it may fix things in the short term. Long term maybe not. I have no idea of the theory because WD40 keep their recepies secret, but I have experimented with the stuff for years. As a complete aside, my daughter has a friend who works for them. PS Is this thread becoming a bit CWF?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2020 8:13:26 GMT
No one's been banned yet , and the Welsh fella's not appeared, irate and demanding 'mods' take action Rog
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2020 8:15:26 GMT
The WD40 subject is all a bit fishy.
As for experimenting with it for years about 30 years ago I did some advanced testing of WD40 with a friend of mine using matches or lighters.
Quite effective stuff actually. Rather expensive compared with cheap Woolworths hair spray though it did have a better flame spread and pattern.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2020 8:22:57 GMT
The WD40 subject is all a bit fishy. As for experimenting with it for years about 30 years ago I did some advanced testing of WD40 with a friend of mine using matches or lighters. Quite effective stuff actually. Rather expensive compared with cheap Woolworths hair spray though it did have a better flame spread and pattern. Some people apparently think it's good for arthritis! I think that's the problem with making a product and marketing it as a fix for all. It is very good stuff though, I always keep a can around in case I run out of Jamesons. Edited to say I found this article on its ingredients. I'm not sure how authentic it is. I don't think it would get anyone pissed despite some idiot drinking it in the game of neknominate. www.ibtimes.co.uk/neknominate-man-drinks-pint-wd40-viral-drinking-game-1434916www.wired.com/2009/04/st-whatsinside-6/
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2020 8:40:46 GMT
So ... if I clean up the pin connectors with a file ... plug them in and tighten up the threaded locking washer 'thing' ... and then smear the surfaces with grease or vaseline ... will this stop connections being broken by condensation
or
is it just a fact of life and I should just accept it and clean the contacts as and when necessary and forget about it ?
Rog
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2020 8:47:23 GMT
It will quite likely cure both issues, Rog. Some put vaseline or grease on the battery terminals of their car for the same reason.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2020 9:06:28 GMT
So ... if I clean up the pin connectors with a file ... plug them in and tighten up the threaded locking washer 'thing' ... and then smear the surfaces with grease or vaseline ... will this stop connections being broken by condensation or is it just a fact of life and I should just accept it and clean the contacts as and when necessary and forget about it ? Rog I'd say yes to option 1. I was thinking back many years when you could buy this stuff you spray over the HT components on a car/motorbike (dizzy cap, leads etc). It created a ckear plastic like seal over everything so it wasn't easy to see if you had covered the area. Anyone remember what it was called? Anyway I remember that I stopped using it because it kept flaking off over time and I'm sure it worked it's way into contacts and made things worse.
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Post by Gone on Jan 26, 2020 9:56:28 GMT
So ... if I clean up the pin connectors with a file ... plug them in and tighten up the threaded locking washer 'thing' ... and then smear the surfaces with grease or vaseline ... will this stop connections being broken by condensation or is it just a fact of life and I should just accept it and clean the contacts as and when necessary and forget about it ? Rog If the pins are made of brass, then a gentle clean - a little fibre glass brush is good, but very fine wet & dry sparingly applied is probably ok. But if plated steel, then abrasive cleaning will strip the plating and rust is inevitable. But probably they are brass/copper and possibly plated, in which case a clean and stuffing the connectors with non conducting grease to seal the terminals will work. I find WD40 good for displacing water, but it doesnβt last.
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Post by naughtyfox on Jan 26, 2020 10:18:22 GMT
No one's been banned yet , and the Welsh fella's not appeared, irate and demanding 'mods' take action
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Post by naughtyfox on Jan 26, 2020 10:21:16 GMT
So ... if I clean up the pin connectors with a file ... plug them in and tighten up the threaded locking washer 'thing' ... and then smear the surfaces with grease or vaseline ... will this stop connections being broken by condensation or is it just a fact of life and I should just accept it and clean the contacts as and when necessary and forget about it ? Rog If the pins are made of brass, then a gentle clean - a little fibre glass brush is good, but very fine wet & dry sparingly applied is probably ok. But if plated steel, then abrasive cleaning will strip the plating and rust is inevitable. But probably they are brass/copper and possibly plated, in which case a clean and stuffing the connectors with non conducting grease to seal the terminals will work. I find WD40 good for displacing water, but it doesnβt last. I think wiping stuff with a cotton bud dipped in pure ethanol (available at chemists?) is a simple way to go, but the buds must be made of cotton and not a viscose-mix.
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Post by lollygagger on Jan 26, 2020 10:35:24 GMT
As unplugging it and plugging it back in worked, I'd just do that if it goes off again.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2020 10:40:47 GMT
As unplugging it and plugging it back in worked, I'd just do that if it goes off again. Well yes but ask yourself why it worked...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2020 10:43:47 GMT
As unplugging it and plugging it back in worked, I'd just do that if it goes off again. Well when my horn stopped working, I just removed the wires and bought an aerosol horn. It scares the shit out of oncoming boats in a tunnel.
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