What if they are 'gold plated' contacts-- does this change the scenario at
all?
On another note-- how does one tell the checmical makeup visually between
bronze, gold, etc.?
- Original Message -
snip/
served to help keep them clean. Modern very low voltage/low current keying
Keys almost universally would have silver contacts. Silver is one metal
whose oxide is conductive.
The contact area is a high stress point of pressure, Gold is a soft metal
and actually can develop films that inhibit good conduction, unless the
contact wipes so as to be self cleaning.
My Bencher BY-2 paddle has gold-plated silver contacts. The contacts
don't wipe. The paddle is 21 years old. The contacts have *never* been
cleaned, and the paddle works great.
73,
- Rob W7GH
On Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:09:55 -0700, Stuart Rohre [EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
The contact
Fred's bond paper key contact cleaning scheme is the best and most favorable
to long life of your key contacts.
-Stuart
K5KVH
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On the topic of keys, paddles, and bugs, I wonder if members of the list would
tell
me how they keep key contacts clean and reliable. Do you regularly burnish key
contacts? Do you use a chemical cleaner (e.g. de-oxit)? Do you maintain a
minimum keying current? Or do you simply never have a
A single sheet of white paper cut into strips placed between the
contacts with some pressure on the paddle while you pull through will
clean the contacts without damage. Run a strip a few times through an
you will see the results. I use just under the amount of pressure that
rips the paper.
I use De-Oxit. A drop between the contacts is allowed to sit there a few
minutes, then the excess is removed by closing the contacts on a bit of
paper. It solves the dirty contact problem for me. One treatment lasts
many months.
My second favorite method is to gently close the contacts on a bit
Kent K9ZTV, made the point off-line that burnishing (rubbing to smooth or
polish) contacts on modern keys might not be a good idea. He observed that
any abrasive rubbing or polishing might damage special finishes or alloys
that the manufacturer may have used on them.
I was speaking of my
On the topic of keys, paddles, and bugs, I wonder if members of the
list would tell
me how they keep key contacts clean and reliable. Do you regularly
burnish key
contacts? Do you use a chemical cleaner (e.g. de-oxit)? Do you maintain a
minimum keying current? Or do you simply never have
John H Gibson wrote:
On the topic of keys, paddles, and bugs, I wonder if members of the list would tell
me how they keep key contacts clean and reliable. Do you regularly burnish key
contacts? Do you use a chemical cleaner (e.g. de-oxit)? Do you maintain a
minimum keying current? Or do you
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