Cell Phone Battery Terminal Oxidation: What's the Best Solution?

[eNtRopY]

The number one failure mode in cell phones is battery terminal oxidation. If you visit a cell phone dealer, he/she will tell you that about once a year you should purchase another $40 battery. This is bullsh:t.

I have found the best solution for cleaning battery terminals while maintaining maximum electrical-contact integrity... brass and copper cleaner!

First, I tried using standard electrical terminal cleaner (which can be purchased at any auto parts), but through experiment, I have found that brass and copper cleaner seems to do a better job.

You can purchase brass and copper cleaner at just about any hardware store.

eNtRopY

 

[screwball]

i always just use and eraser head off a pencil to clean brass contacts, works great for me and its cheap

 

[megashawn]

Pencil eraser has always worked good for my contact cleaning needs. Steel wool works good if you can get to the site with a piece of it.

 

[eNtRopY]

Originally posted by megashawn
Pencil eraser has always worked good for my contact cleaning needs. Steel wool works good if you can get to the site with a piece of it.

Perhaps so, but you're degrading the integrity of the contact. When using steel wool, you are putting microscratches on the surface of the conductor. This will reduce the number of points where the two metal surfaces meet thereby reducing the conductance. Likewise, when you use an eraser head, you are inadvertently leaving a thin trail of insulating rubber on the surface of the contact which will also reduce the overall conductance.

Come on guys... a bottle of Brasso is only $3... that's not exactly going to break your bank. And how often do you normally use Brasso? I remember my parents had the same 8 oz bottle from the time I was four until they finally threw it away when I was in high school. I also remember watching the Price is Right as a kid and seeing the runners-up winners win lifetime supplies of the stuff... a whopping five bottles.

eNtRopY

 

[screwball]

Originally posted by eNtRopY
Perhaps so, but you're degrading the integrity of the contact. When using steel wool, you are putting microscratches on the surface of the conductor. This will reduce the number of points where the two metal surfaces meet thereby reducing the conductance. Likewise, when you use an eraser head, you are inadvertently leaving a thin trail of insulating rubber on the surface of the contact which will also reduce the overall conductance.

Come on guys... a bottle of Brasso is only $3... that's not exactly going to break your bank. And how often do you normally use Brasso? I remember my parents had the same 8 oz bottle from the time I was four until they finally threw it away when I was in high school. I also remember watching the Price is Right as a kid and seeing the runners-up winners win lifetime supplies of the stuff... a whopping five bottles.

eNtRopY

not everyone has a supply of the stuff laying around the house tho

and for a quick fix eraser heads do the job, hopefully everyone has a pencil