Protective film for electrical connections

[svMarite]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

The dielectric value is a measure of the point in which the grease will breakdown and start conducting electricity (arcing, usually). If grease starts conducting electricity, it probably won't end well for the circuit it's slathered on to in general. When a wire with grease applied is clamped or crimped, the grease will be pushed out of the way by the pressure and contact between the conductors will be made unhindered. It would take a really, really bad connection before the protective grease prevented conductivity although it can happen if you get too slap happy with the stuff around switch and relay contacts.



If you're heat shrinking anyway, best to use the dual wall stuff which negates the need for grease because it includes a hot glue style sealant. I still wouldn't use grease under regular heat shrink all the same.

Thank you!

[Capt Gill]

Originally Posted by svMarite

Thank you!

The correct term should be dielectric constant not dielectric value, e.g., the value of the dielectric constant at room temperature (25° C, or 77° F) is 1.00059 for air, 2.25 for paraffin, 78.2 for water, and about 2,000 for barium titanate (BaTiO3) when the electric field is applied perpendicularly to the principal axis of the crystal.

[Cpt Pat]

Mastic tape for connectors. https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-...4317059&rt=rud


It's not much fun to take off, but antenna PL-259 connectors exposed to weather and salt water look shiny and new when it is removed. Side note: PL-259 ("UHF") connectors are not water proof.

[Reefmagnet]

Technically correct, no doubt. In this application the description is simply expressed as a maximum voltage often referred to as "dielectric strength". For example, lanolin has a typical dielectric strength of 70 kV.

[Capt Gill]

Originally Posted by svMarite

Thank you!

This issue has been an issue for me for some time, but I never seemed to have the time to get clarity on it until this discussion forced me to do a little research; you may want to check this link out as it resolved the issue for me. <https://www.w8ji.com/dielectric_grease_vs_conductive_grease.htm>

[john61ct]

Note that most excellent article is pretty old-school, and about **greases** only.

Yes it is true that "conductive greases" with metal particles added perform more poorly than the plain "dielectric" ones, historically used to be just silicone.

But material science has not been standing still in the decades since transistors were the new hotness, and there are plenty of new substances discussed above that both

help prevent corrosion on and between connection surfaces, and

actually facilitate conductivity.

But they fall completely outside the context of that article, and also perhaps the scope of the OP.

As is the discussion of heatsink applications and "thermal resistance".

[dfelsent]

Boeshield T9. Or EE wire. Silver plated Teflon insulated ridiculously expensive. But awesome. Don’t bother, not worth it on a boat.

[dfelsent]

Originally Posted by dfelsent

Boeshield T9. Or EE wire. Silver plated Teflon insulated ridiculously expensive. But awesome. Don’t bother, not worth it on a boat.

Too late to edit, but I did a price check on #16 high strand count EE PTFE insulated silver plated wire. About three bucks a foot. That’s what I meant about expensive.
I did have a source of that for near free once. Wired an OSTAR trimaran with it in about 1979. The owner later told me that unlike any other boat he had there were no electrical problems.
I credit the materials not my skills.
But if you have to pay? Nope.

[svMarite]

Originally Posted by Capt Gill

This issue has been an issue for me for some time, but I never seemed to have the time to get clarity on it until this discussion forced me to do a little research; you may want to check this link out as it resolved the issue for me. <https://www.w8ji.com/dielectric_grease_vs_conductive_grease.htm>

Thanks for that