[sdiy] 16pin dip header -- mild warning

[mark verbos]

oh, and to think I assumed that it was just to glorify the components, 
like a pair of baby shoes dipped in gold.

;P

mark

Peter Grenader wrote:

>Gold, like titanuim, has a remarkable resiliance to atmopheric contaminants.
>The way I remember it (I used to be a QA who worked a lot with printed
>circuit board production) is that copper, like steel, is considered an
>'active' metal which will completely dissolve over time when subjected to
>normal atmopheric conditions and water serves to accellerate this process.
>
>Tin, like aluminum, reactes somewhat differently in that they are considered
>'passive' metals.  A natural layer of oxidation (usually about 2 mils
>thick)) will coat and actually seal the material underneath from further
>contamination overtime, but it will not go all the way through as it will in
>an active metal.
>
>When properly electroplated, Gold serves and a semi-permanent insulting
>layer which greatly improves a connector's resiliance to corrostion and in
>so doing, regulating the surface resistance and electrical conductivity of
>the substrate underneath..
>
>
>