Connectors, was [sdiy] bit one

[The Peasant]

Whoops!

Sorry Harry, I'm referring to a pc mount power type connector in this case, 
not an IC socket, I should have been clearer. I completely agree with your 
info on sockets, including amp Diplomate.

I also agree that low-level signals need high quality contacts designed for 
the application, using 10 amp contacts for microamp signals is a guarantee of 
erratic behaviour. Many manufacturers make this mistake.

Take care,
Doug
______________________
The Electronic Peasant

www.electronicpeasant.com


Quoting harrybissell <harrybissell at prodigy.net>:

> Arrgh... the white ones are not AMP... the Diplomate is black, and has
> full metal contact on BOTH sides of the pin, excellent retention force.
> 
> I think that Augat made those wihte ones, iirc. They DO suck !!!
> 
> otoh... AMP is now owned by Tyco... kiss of death for product quality imho
> 
> H^) harry
> 
> The Peasant wrote:
> 
> > I strongly agree with using high quality/gold pins and sockets. The
> equipment
> > that I have encountered that have had problems with tin connectors
> includes
> > everything from industrial/laboratory equipment from manufacturers such
> as
> > Baush & Lomb, & Fisher Scientific, to multi-million $$ X-ray machines
> from
> > Varian, Siemens and others.
> >
> > The smart manufacturers like Varian are now all using gold plated
> machined
> > contacts exclusively, with extremely high reliability. When a signal has to
> go
> > through a dozen or so sets of contacts to get from source to input
> circuit,
> > you really don't have much choice.
> >
> > The worst connectors that I have found are the rectangular pin in-line
> white
> > plastic amp/molex type with tin plated contacts. The female contacts are
> one-
> > sided and don't have a lot of contact force, I think the molex KK type is
> one
> > example. They are similar to computer mother board power supply plugs in
> pcs,
> > but considerably looser and with less insertion force (the computer type
> plugs
> > are OK.) Especially where there are temperature changes (power supplies),
> > these type quickly oxidize and go intermittant. Many small linear and
> > switching power supplies use these connectors, I've seen them fail many,
> many
> > times.
> >
> > Take care,
> > Doug
> > ______________________
> > The Electronic Peasant
> >
> > www.electronicpeasant.com
> >
> > Quoting Scott Stites <scottnoanh at peoplepc.com>:
> >
> > > Hi gang,
> > >
> > > I work in the customer service department for a test equipment
> manufacturer,
> > > and
> > > the term "Gold Pin Mod" is ubiquitous to everything that was produced
> up
> > > until a
> > > few years ago, when my department started forcing its hand.
> > >
> > > It has to do with tin connectors, particularly on but sometimes not
> limited
> > > to,
> > > the power supplies.  Invariably, as time progressed, the equipment
> would
> > > become
> > > unreliable, jumpy, -generally screwed up in other words - and the
> customer
> > > would
> > > send it in.  Automatically, we'd replace the pins in the power supply
> > > connectors
> > > with gold plated pins, and soon we just started doing it automatically
> to
> > > anything that was in warranty.  Worked like a charm in exactly 100% of
> the
> > > cases.
> > >  Putting in tin connectors only bought a bit of time, and we are of the
> > > philosphy
> > > that you don't clean anything - you replace (these are high dollar boxes
> to
> > > begin
> > > with).  I finally moved up to 'core' development teams, and I *never*
> would
> > > sign
> > > off on anything that didn't have gold plated connectors on the power
> > > supplies,
> > > BOM price be damned.
> > >
> > > Of course, these are service monitors that get a lot of field work in
> all
> > > kinds
> > > of environments, but all the same - if I had a tasty vintage synth like
> that,
> > > I'd
> > > raid Fort Knox and see if there wasn't some way to put in gold plated
> > > connectors.
> > >  Just a thought......
> > >
> > > Cheers,
> > > Scott
> 
>