19 Apr
2006
19 Apr
'06
1:55 p.m.
Joe wrote....
That's good point. A lot of the problems that
I've had with the 1000s
are due to poor contacts on those cards. I've found that if the contacts
are dry it's very hard to seat the cards. Now I take a paper towel and
dampen it with WD-40 and wipe the contacts good with it. It helps clean
the
contacts and it leaves a light film of kerosene (the primary ingredient of
WD-40) on the contacts and makes it much easier to seat and remove the
circuit boards.
WD-40 is basically a light oil with some solvent properties. It is
NOT meant
for GOLD contacts, nor electrical use. I don't know about others practices
or experience, but I wouldn't put WD40 on a gold edge card connector
(remember, most any HP card of the period is gold connectors & traces, not
copper or tin). I just can't imagine putting some oil on a edge card
contact! It's (WD40) certainly not designed for that in any case.
Use the right tool for the job and get a can of Caig Pro-Gold. It restores
the gold connections, coats them for better life, is completely electrically
inert, and... gets rid of the 'hard to seat the card' syndrome permanently.
Jay West