Cardas connectors pulled out the ground ring on my HK 225 :( (1 Viewer)

[David K.]

I was plugging some SLVR Cardas conectors into my HK to test them out, the connectors were oxidized, but I didnt think silver oxide was anything bad, I noticed that the grip was temendous, possibly friction to to oxide, and when I pulled out the connector it took out the ground ring from the female RCA jack along with it :frowning:

luckily they were from ports I didnt need and I was test the connectors.

Should I be concerned with fire hazard or safety issues now with the amp since the Ground rings are tore out?

I plan to upgrade to a better receiver in the future. but im kind of scared to use these connectors now. I quickly headed over to radio shack and picked up some dexit pro and gold, and cleaned them. They seem to fit better, but the grip is still super strong with these connectors

is this just an inherent design with cardas plugs?

 

[Chu Gai]

I wouldn't be concerned about the safety aspect of things. You can buy replacement plugs at a number of places and just resolder the new ones in.

I don't know if this snugness is common with the Cardas connectors. Although the RCA is a 'standard', there's a little bit of variability in how they're machined so it wouldn't surprise me if the plugs fit better on different makes. If they're silver, you can clean them with any number of products including various cleaners for jewelry. There's also some products from Caig for example that are contact lubricants. If you're going to hold on to those, that might not be a bad thing to pick up.

One problem with connectors that are too tight, apart from what happened to you, is that if removed and inserted frequently, they can simply wear off the gold plating that's on some of these connectors. Maybe you should give some thought to locking RCA connectors. Easy to go on and then tighten.

In the future, use a more gentle back and forth twisting motion when removing the connectors. Pam Anderson and Jenna Jameson swear by it. Far be it from me to argue with those two.

 

[NickSo]

clever

 

[David K.]

I would like to hold on to the cables, I spent time and money making them. Im just afraid of using it on a new receiver, if I upgrade :frowning:





Yea after my jacks got wrenched out, I went straight to rat shack and got the deoxit kit. It fit better after, but still obtusively tight. I think the original oxidation form the connectors created too much friction.

 

[Chu Gai]

Well, then you're going to have to weigh whether the time, cost, and effort of making them is worth your trashing an RCA plug on your new receiver then. If you're hell bent on this, contact Caig, describe your problem, and ask for a product recommendation.