[ARC5] Contact Cleaner Use on Connectors?

[Roy Morgan]

On Jul 3, 2012, at 10:14 PM, J. Forster wrote:

> Does anybody have experience using a contact cleaner, like De-Ox-It or
> Cramolin on connectors?

John,

You may know that Cramolin is no longer available (at least in its  
legendary form of quite some time ago).  The original formulation used  
compounds now not acceptable to OSHA and EPA.  If you should happen to  
ask an old timer real audio studio professional if he has any  
Cramolin, watch the persons face very carefully.  They may not be  
willing to admit they have any.  To them, it's like the 1945 Baron  
DePhillipe Rosthchild Grand Cru is to wine lovers (found by SOME  
connoisseurs among their closest friends at well over $1000 a bottle).

De-Oxit D5 is the five percent solution available from Caig.com and  
other places.  See www.caig.com for the various forms it comes in  
(pints, spray cans, 100 percent in small quantities, in sample kit  
with other magical materials in tiny spray cans), and an order form!

Do not confuse DeOxid (found at Radio Shack) and De-Oxit, the Caig  
product.  Do not.

YES, YES.  De-Oxit D-5 is likely the very best choice you can make.   
If the connectors are oily, you might want to clean first with Windex  
(my favorite), or 50-50 409 and household ammonia (my favorite for  
real cleaning, followed by a THOROUGH rinse or two), or maybe brake  
cleaner (after carefully testing on any plastic around).  Then squirt  
with De-Oxit and work the connectors a couple of times.

I recently treated some switches in a 1945 RBB radio.  It took some  
number of cycles to clear the gunk from the wiping contact area.

Sounds like your situation involves modest to low voltages.   
Industrial sensors, I would guess, do not work on micro-volts, as do  
some high end audio microphones where fidelity is THE goal.

Roy

Roy Morgan
k1lky at earthlink.net
K1LKY Since 1958 - Keep 'em Glowing!