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Figure D-4
NOTE
Caring for Connectors
Cleaning
Cleaning Interior Surfaces
Interior surfaces, especially on precision 3.5mm connectors, are very difficult to
reach, and it is easy to damage connectors in trying to clean them. The openings are
very small, and generally the center conductor is supported only at the inner end, by
a plastic dielectric support bead. This makes it very easy to bend or break the center
conductor.
One suitable method (Figure D-4) is to cut off the sharp tip of a round wooden
toothpick, or a smaller diameter wooden rod, and then to wrap it with a single layer
of lint-free cleaning cloth.
Cleaning interior surfaces
Metal must never be used (it will scratch the plated surfaces), and in cleaning
precision 3.5mm connectors the diameter must not exceed 0.070 in. (1.7 mm). The
wooden handle of a cotton swab, for example, is too large for this purpose. Even
though the handle can sometimes be inserted into the connector, even when wrapped
in lint-free cloth, movement of the handle against the center conductor can exert
enough force on the center conductor to damage it severely.
Moisten the cloth with a small amount of alcohol and carefully insert it into the
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Appendix D
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