Electrical conductivity enhancer

[greenman407]

If any of you have ever spent any time around HO scale model railroading, you know about a constant problem with corrosion of the track and problems with good electrical pickup. So the solution has for the past 25 years been a product called Railzip. It enhances electrical conductivity like Magic. I dont know what its made of but its fantastic. Well, whats that got to do with Model Submarines? I dont know about you but the electrical connection on the back of my Subdrivers, under the thumb screws, turns green. It requires constant cleaning. Ill bet this stuff takes care of that. At the very least itll give me some peace of mind that I wont lose power to my sub because I forgot to clean it or am too lazy to clean it. A little dab will do ya. I bought this stuff from Amazon but Tower Hobbies has it as well.

[trout]

Your a genius! That may help on my electrical system. Thank you.

[greenman407]

Well................I wouldnt go that far..................but

[satlite440]

Well................I wouldnt go that far..................but

what about gm's dielecric lubrcant pn#12377900 used to protect miro 64 trrminals from moisture oxidation and corrosion and micto fretting(a condtion where dissimalar metal content in the termanals causes pitting and eching and resistance across the mateing surface...





The fretting corrosion condition is caused by a buildup of non-conductive insulating oxidized debris occurring between the two electrical contact surfaces of the connection or connector.
Fretting corrosion may be caused by any of the following:
• Vibration
• Thermal cycling
• Poor connection/terminal retention
• Micro motion
• A connector, component or wiring harness not properly secured resulting in movement

On low current signal circuits, this condition may cause high resistance, resulting in intermittent connections.

TIP: Fretting corrosion looks like little dark smudges on electrical terminals and appears where the actual electrical contact is being made. In less severe cases it may be unable to be seen or identified without the use of a magnifying glass.

To combat fretting corrosion, use clean, one-inch nylon bristle brush to apply dielectric lubricant to both the brake switch-side and the harness-side of the affected connector. Reconnect the affected connector and wipe away any excess lubricant.

TIP: Do not apply an excessive amount of dielectric lubricant to the connector or hydro lock may result when attempting to mate the connector

[greenman407]

Another common use of dielectric grease is on the rubber mating surfaces or gaskets of multi-pin electrical connectors used in automotive and marine engines. The grease again acts as a lubricant and a sealant on the nonconductive mating surfaces of the connector. It is not recommended to be applied to the actual electrical conductive contacts of the connector because it could interfere with the electrical signals passing through the connector in cases where the contact pressure is very low. Products designed as electronic connector lubricants, on the other hand, should be applied to such connector contacts and can dramatically extend their useful life. Polyphenyl Ether, rather than silicone grease, is the active ingredient in some such connector lubricants.
Silicone grease should not be applied to (or next to) any switch contact that might experience arcing, as silicone can convert to silicon-carbide under arcing conditions, and accumulation of the silicon-carbide can cause the contacts to prematurely fail.


[edit]


I got the above quote from Wikipedia.............for what its worth. Thanks satlite440 for the info.

[satlite440]

we use this stuff on almost all connecters of 20+pins or more.alwats on ecm/tcm connecters with lots of micro 64 termanals. however we only use it on the female side so the pins push their way through the lubracant.. gm calls ti luberacant i call it greese whatever.. it seems to correct alot of faults we have with termanals..and fretting.and most ecm/tcm connecter have many output drivers that carry high loads and havent ever seen myself any arcing contact on the termanals unless the male/female interface(we call it pin tension or drag test, all termanals shhould have a good slight amout of drag when testing with a termanal test probe(one of 25 or so) or a repalcaement termanal... most codes are caused by eather poor pin tension, bad crimps, and the like. novice tecs think they have fixed the problem after finding good power&ground ctks a good wake up signal and serieal data comunication.. so it must be the sensor.but they did an eyeball ck when they would have found the problem with a pin drag test...

[Kazzer]

I dont know about you but the electrical connection on the back of my Subdrivers, under the thumb screws, turns green.

It's also an easy fix to nickel plate these areas. Use the plugnplate kit. If you have a further need to gold plating, you could always gold plate the nickel.