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[TenTec] Omni V display cure

To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: [TenTec] Omni V display cure
From: rblank@texas.net (Rick Blank)
Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 03:23:11 -0000
I must confess. I am one of the "golden ear" audio crowd, I guess 
that's why I like my OMNI-V so much!  Several of us audiophiles 
recently had a discussion on contact enhancers and what they can 
and can not do for connections.  One of the products we discussed 
is a product called "Tweek' which was Stabilant 22A repackaged by 
Sumiko, Corp. and sold in small bottles to the audio community.

I do not recommend "Stabilant-22A" anymore...While it did prove 
to give an increse in the quality of sound from 
different connectors, it's long term use led to some problems.

I have a friend that used the stuff religiously on a preamp with gold 
plated input and output jacks.  He got a job a couple of years ago in 
another state and had to store his hi-fi gear for a wile.  Returning 
back home, he pulled his gear out of storage (yes, it was stored 
properly, in the boxes, in a closet of his brother's air-conditioned 
house) and noticed something strange with all the RCA jacks....it 
looked as if small portions of the underlying metal had literally 
blasted off from the surface taking the gold plating with it and leaving 
an extremely pitted surface.  I saw this myself, and, I was familiar 
with the preamp and the construction of it as he had built the unit 
himself (it's a Hafler preamp once available in kit form) and I had 
checked it over with him back in 1986 when he bought and built the unit.

It took an entire afternoon with DeoxIt 100% and 5% strengths, a 
bunch of pipe cleaners, and a treatment with Caig's ProGold to get 
the connectors cleaned up...they still look like they have been 
sandblasted with rough sand.....

I have since had conversations with other audiophiles and we have 
shared the same experiences, this substance does nothing to 
prevent base metal migration through scratced or porous plated 
surfaces and over a period of time causes the plating to literally be 
blown of the surface of the connector...it looks like little craters 
under a microscope that go down into the base metal and "erupt" 
upwards....

If you want a good connector cleaner/enhancer, the Caig products 
are the way to go, I have no affiliation with any of these chemical 
companies, I have just used their products extensively in high end 
audio and in the restoration of boatanchors of all descriptions..a 
drop of DeoxIt 100% on connector pins for things like the displays 
will sometimes amaze me at how quickly and easily a repair has just 
been made.  A thin film of DeoxIt is all that is needed, after cleaning 
the connector using the stuff, to help retard future connector 
problems.  

No one that I know of that has been using DeoxIt or ProGold has 
mentioned anything about connector pitting or other problems, in 
fact, quite the opposite, connections seem to stay cleaner longer 
and give less trouble over the long run.  This is something that a  
respected audiophile journalist and myself have conferred over 
comparing stories about chemicals and their effects on high grade 
audio connectors, and we both agreee, Caig products' at the very 
least, clean marvelously, at the very best, seem to enhance 
condctivity at the connector junctions a bit...so, my advice is to try 
the Caig chemicals, at least they won't screw up your Omni-V!

Good Luck and 73

Rick, KI5SL,

P.S., there is another chemical that is marketed as a replacement 
for the "Tweek", it is  Torumat TC-2 conditioner available from Audio 
Advisor for $16.95 for a .33oz bottle, other hifi dealers may also 
carry this...I am not sure, I think I remember reading that this is ithe 
Stabilant 22A repackaged, NAPA auto stores also sell the Stabilant 
22A as an electrical system contanct enhancer, but, I don't 
remember the NAPA part number, etc.

I have no financial or other agreements with any of the products 
mentioned in this note.


To:                     alex.ai2q@worldnet.att.net
Copies to:              cburk001@juno.com, tentec@contesting.com
Date sent:              Tue, 23 Feb 1999 14:26:04 -0600
Subject:                Re: [TenTec] Omni V display cure
From:                   charles w burkhardt <cburk001@juno.com>

> 
> Thanks, Alex; Very good to hear from you. Many replies on this one, yours
> was the most detailed. Another ham recommended WD 40-that makes me a bit
> nervous. Something called "Caig deoxidizer' was also recommended. I can
> certainly wait, since the problem is not serious. Can you post additional
> information when you obain it. Thanks, again. Charlie
> On Tue, 23 Feb 1999 10:30:36 -0500 "Alex Mendelsohn"
> <alex.ai2q@worldnet.att.net> writes:
> >I had that problem with my Omni-V as well. I discussed it with Ten Tec
> >service but the guy I spoke with didn't have any idea about what to 
> >do. I
> >understood his position, because years ago I was a Heathkit service
> >technician, and there are a lot of problems that can only be solved 
> >when you
> >have the equipment in front of you (there's really no such thing as DX
> >troubleshooting).
> >In any case, about ten years ago I discovered something called 
> >Stabilant
> >22A. It's a clear, colorless fluid that comes in 0.5 ml glass 
> >"ampules." It
> >uses isopropyl alcohol as a carrier. It's billed as a "non-conductive 
> >block
> >polymer." However, when applied to contacts, it becomes conductive!
> >It only conducts on what should be conductive surfaces. Charlie, it's 
> >real
> >magic. I've used it to ensure that ICs are truly high-rel in some
> >applications (shock and vibration). I've used it on electromechanical
> >assemblies my 45 year old American Flyer toy trains. I used it on the
> >connectors on the display board on my Omni-V and the problem of 
> >display
> >intensity changes has NEVER recurred.
> >I removed the Omni-V's top cover, carefully pryed the display board 
> >header
> >connector assemblies apart, dabbed all the pins with Stabilant 22A, 
> >and
> >reinserted the headers. The problem disappeared!

Stuff Deleted

> >> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: owner-tentec@contesting.com 
> >[mailto:owner-tentec@contesting.com]On
> >Behalf Of charles w burkhardt
> >Sent: Monday, February 22, 1999 9:54 PM
> >To: tentec@contesting.com
> >Subject: [TenTec] Omni V
> >Gentlemen: Used my 'new' Omni V in the recent  Arrl  cw  test.  WOW!  
> >It
> >IS possible  to work strong stations a kc apart! One troubling note:
> >after the rig had been on for several hours the vertical elements in 
> >the
> >display  became  dimmer. Not  enough to lose clarity but enough to 
> >see.
> >No degradation in performance  but do I have an immanent problem? 
> >Thanks.
> >Charlie K0GPF

Rick Blank, KI5SL                      
AMSAT NA #26195
2331 Vance Jackson Road
San Antonio, Texas 78213    
rblank@texas.net

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