Eirikur
Senior Member
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- Jul 9, 2019
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I think it's the 3.5mm jacks that are off-putting - they still are to me 'cause the spring connection is always a bit poor.
Tip: [ WARNING !!! use at your own risk !!! ]
Use a tiny amount of ATF Dexron-III or better on the male jack, insert into the socket and turn around a few times after you've first given them a good cleaning with isopropyl alcohol of course. That should end all corrosion for good. With tiny I mean almost unmeasurable, i.e. put a single drop of ATF on q-tip and then drain it with a piece of paper before use. Beware: You won't be able to get it off completely, ever!
Background: this fluid (it's not oil in the traditional sense) is intended to shield an automotive transmission against corrosion "forever" while having all the smoothing properties of oil. Particles latch on to metal surfaces and smooth them out, while also protecting them from oxidation. You might think this produces a insulation/resistance layer and you would be correct - but in super-tiny amounts it turns out not to harm mechanical surface contact while improving conductivity and offering corrosion protection. Be sure to wipe the male 3.5mm jack again after wiggling it in the socket, you will not be able to completely remove the ATF without chemicals.
How do I know this? I have a model railway and struggled with conductivity of the tracks vs. wheels for years.
Applying ATF solved the problems with deposited dust and oxidation completely. As you can imagine even a model train doesn't like oil on the tracks (no traction), hence the frugal application amounts.
I couldn't find proper scientific studies of this specific effect, but here are a couple of links that are somewhat helpful
