[ARC5] Connectors and contact cleaners

[Mike Everette via ARC5]

Meant to say "Termi-Kleen PS" (plastic safe) -- sorry about the typo.

73

Mike
WA4DLF 

--------------------------------------------
On Thu, 6/12/14, Mike Everette via ARC5 <arc5 at mailman.qth.net> wrote:

 Subject: [ARC5] Connectors and contact cleaners
 To: arc5 at mailman.qth.net
 Date: Thursday, June 12, 2014, 6:05 PM
 
 Be really careful when choosing
 contact cleaners.  Even some which claim to be
 plastic-safe, really are not safe on ALL plastics and may
 craze or crystallize ABS or even some kinds of
 bakelite.  Some which are safe on harder plastics will
 soften or even melt styrene plastic.
 
 I've had direct experience with this and it ain't no
 fun.  Where I work, some of the guys used to spray the
 "system cable" connectors on Motorola Syntor-X9000
 radios.  These sort-of-Jones-looking connectors have
 something like 40 pins more-or-less, and are soldered to one
 of the main boards in the radio.  Changing one takes
 quite a bit of time in order to avoid damaging that
 board.  
 
 Garden-variety cleaners like Jiffy Bath (one of the biggest
 offenders) would "eat up" these things... make the plastic
 body crumble when the cable was plugged in and the retainer
 tightened down.  Replace the connector!
 
 We tested numerous cleaners, and the only thing we found to
 be absolutely safe on the job was "Termi-Kleen CS" sold by
 Dyna Systems, in Texas.  It ain't cheap; but neither
 were the connectors ($72 each in the 90s).  Think of
 it; some of the connectors on WW2 gear are near unobtanium
 now.  When we started using that cleaner, our
 requirement for replacement connectors dropped to near
 zero.  We had been using 10 or so a month, sometimes
 more than that.
 
 Moral of the story:  When in doubt, TEST FIRST on a
 sample, and give it maybe 24 hours to see what
 happens.  Assume NOTHING.  Remember:  ASSUME
 = make an ASS outta U and ME.
 
 I have no stock in Dyna Systems.  I just know their
 stuff works.
 
 73
 
 Mike
 WA4DLF
 
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