Is Dielectric Grease Helpful On Ribbon Connector Contacts?

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#1 1 year ago

OP

RAC

PinbotForBob

Pinside member

Livermore, CA

6y 21,000 2 1

I have a 1986 Williams Pinbot machine that I just finished restoring, and one of the upgrades that I did to it was to convert the displays to Wolffpac Tech blue LED display boards. The look is awesome, of course, but after having built and installed the kit a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a problem where random characters and numbers were not quite as bright as others around them, or as they had been when I first did the conversion. Strangely, the problem also seemed to "float around" the displays a bit.

With that said, I opened-up the back box and checked all of the ribbon connectors to make sure they were seated well, but was unable to find any obvious problem. However, my slightly sliding the connectors off and then back on again seems to have helped, as now the problem appears to be resolved.

I've chalked this issue up to an unidentified connector perhaps making poor or intermittent contact with where it is plugged in, such as onto the main control board. I then started to wonder if perhaps using a tiny bit of dielectric grease on said cable connectors might ensure a better contact... and if so, prevent the problem from happening again in the future?

I'd appreciate anyone's input, on whether or not using a tiny amount of dielectric grease on ribbon cables and other connection points is at all recommended.

Thanks!

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1

#2 1 year ago

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ForceFlow

Pinside Moderator

9y 238K 31,369 268 14

No. Just replace the twitchy ribbon connector. They can get worn out and sometimes the wires can break internally after being flexed too many times.

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#3 1 year ago

237

slochar

Pinside member

7y 86,550 6,915

OP
Quoted from PinbotForBob:
I'd appreciate anyone's input, on whether or not using a tiny amount of dielectric grease on ribbon cables and other connection points is at all recommended.

No, makes a mess. Some people use tweak or other contact enhancer, but really, replace the connector like ForceFlow says. It's just worn out.

We use dielectric grease at my job for connectors that are exposed to road salt and other chemical hazards, as well as temperature extremes, and it's a higher current than the ribbon cables are.

I did mess around with using it on stubborn bulb sockets. While it did 'work' - it was REALLY messy when you went to change a bulb. Never again.

FWIW, the people that weren't used to it at work when they pulled the module out, they weren't too happy about the greasiness on their fingers, either.... so I asked them why they were holding the module at that point. It was literally a 1/2" portion of about 1 foot wide, and not in the middle either.

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#4 1 year ago

PMD

pete_d

Inactive member

Seattle, WA

1y 32,300 406

In addition to what the others have said, I'll point out that dielectric grease is non-conductive. It's used on electrical connections to protect them from the environment or to help with heat transfer, and of course those things can help the conductors themselves remain conductive. But absent those issues, dielectric grease is just going to make a mess and potentially interfere with conductivity.

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#5 1 year ago

237

slochar

Pinside member

7y 86,550 6,915

Quoted from pete_d:
But absent those issues, dielectric grease is just going to make a mess and potentially interfere with conductivity.

It would if it didn't get scraped away when you push the connector on (as designed). Of course, if you have a connector that's already not gas tight like the OP's ribbon connector, it might not scrape away enough, and it will still not make a good connection.

The old rule of thumb is never expect a chemical to correct a physical issue. Now that I think about it, the other contact enhancers are probably the same thing, just a more watery one. It's not like they are conductive.

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#6 1 year ago

PMD

pete_d

Inactive member

Seattle, WA

1y 32,300 406

Quoted from slochar:
It would if it didn't get scraped away when you push the connector on (as designed). Of course, if you have a connector that's already not gas tight like the OP's ribbon connector, it might not scrape away enough, and it will still not make a good connection.
The old rule of thumb is never expect a chemical to correct a physical issue. Now that I think about it, the other contact enhancers are probably the same thing, just a more watery one. It's not like they are conductive.

Hence "potentially interfere". I understand it's possible it could get scraped away and not interfere. But it's not guaranteed that will happen. And for sure, it can't make things better.