1
\$\begingroup\$

Is there a good spray or paint-on treatment that I can apply to small electronic connectors before connecting them, that will help them maintain a good connection over long spans of time?

I am building custom lighting systems (indoor & outdoor) that contain connectors to separate different parts of the electronics. I've had issues with connections becoming unreliable over time (dirty? oxidized? not sure... the pins look fine), causing lights to flicker, and even fail, due to the connection. I'd like to find a way, short of soldering, to make these connections more reliable.

\$\endgroup\$
1
  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ Only thing I can think of is the battery terminal gel you can find at auto parts stores. Its made to prevent corrosion. It may not be as easy to apply as you were hoping, but it should get the job done. \$\endgroup\$
    – ambitiose_sed_ineptum
    Commented Nov 2, 2016 at 17:38

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3
\$\begingroup\$

The following article may help you with some of the fundamentals you are looking into: A Perspective on Connector Reliability. A connector will always introduce some type of resistance and it will possibly fail over time. But there is a grease you could try to use for your connectors. NO-OX-ID is the product that appeared to be effective for corrosion, copper deposit, rust, and general connector defects.

\$\endgroup\$
1
  • \$\begingroup\$ Great article! NO-OX-ID "A Special" looks like exactly what I'm looking for. One of the most relevant (to me) things I learned thanks to you, was that tinning a stranded wire for a screw terminal acts against the purpose of allowing that terminal to create a solid connection. Instead they recommend keeping it stranded, and coating with NO-OX-ID. That saves me a bunch of tinning! Thanks again for your answer. \$\endgroup\$
    – Dave
    Commented Nov 2, 2016 at 18:22

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.