Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => The Knowledge => GPS => Topic started by: postrestant on 05 January, 2019, 11:17:17 am

Title: Silicon Grease
Post by: postrestant on 05 January, 2019, 11:17:17 am
Is there any reason why not to put silicon grease in a mini / micro usb port? (I'm wanting to do it to add some protection while charging in the wet. Edges and other electrical stuff.) Thanks.
Title: Re: Silicon Grease
Post by: Kim on 05 January, 2019, 12:09:18 pm
Main argument against would be that it would encourage the accumulation of dirt, but I don't think that's anything a squirt of IPA wouldn't solve.

I don't do it myself, simply because I don't use USB connectors in wet environments.
Title: Re: Silicon Grease
Post by: Ben T on 05 January, 2019, 06:14:57 pm
er... cos there's no need to?
Seems like far too much effort to go to to avoid having an etrex  ::-)
Title: Re: Silicon Grease
Post by: postrestant on 13 January, 2019, 10:25:55 pm
+1 for etrexs.  But the silicon grease has solved my intermittent connection problem on a micro usb port. (I think these things corrode fast when they get a bit of water in them.)
Title: Re: Silicon Grease
Post by: Kim on 13 January, 2019, 10:27:44 pm
Yep, DC voltages on small connectors in the wet is a recipe for corrosion.  It'll be far worse than, say, dynamo wiring.
Title: Re: Silicon Grease
Post by: grams on 13 January, 2019, 10:35:21 pm
Most USB connectors aren't sealed at the back, so as long as you're happy with grease being pushed inside of the device each time you connect something...
Title: Re: Silicon Grease
Post by: Kim on 13 January, 2019, 10:38:41 pm
The mini-B connectors used by Garmin are the exception here.  Indeed, I suspect the reason they've stuck with them for so long while the rest of the world was standardising on micro is because they've got a design that's waterproof.
Title: Re: Silicon Grease
Post by: frankly frankie on 14 January, 2019, 09:34:11 am
Yep, DC voltages on small connectors in the wet is a recipe for corrosion.  It'll be far worse than, say, dynamo wiring.

"twitch"  ;)