gold, silver, nickel, platinum.. which to use... dist blocks, rcas, etc.

[904slumpin]

they got gold plated rcas and blocks, silver plated, nickel, and even platinum.. is there s "best" when it comes to this?..

trust me i already googled it lol.. not trying to make a VS thread.. but is there an all around better choice? i heard nickel actually is best? just want more advice.

[904slumpin]

can i solder without any trouble on something that is gold plated. rather ask before i do it

[Maxim]

For power or signal distribution I'm not entirely sure if it matters much more than preventing corrosion and aesthetics. Gold, nickel, and platinum plated surfaces will all resist corrosion and tarnishing much better than a copper or aluminum piece would on its own. This is why you'll often see gold-plated RCA's or HDMI cables. Realistically, I'm not sure if it makes much of a difference what type of plating you choose other than the look and the price. Nickel and platinum will be similar. Gold's obviously gonna stand out if you want it to. Gold will provide the best electrical conductivity of any metal besides copper or silver so it would hypothetically be best for RCA's.

Soldering opens up a whole can of worms on plated parts. What would you be looking to solder? Generally something is soldered and then plated. If you solder an already-plated piece the heat of the solder gun could melt the thin metal plating or the reaction of the plating with the lead and tin in solder can possibly compromise the bond of the metals.

Edited May 10, 2012 by Maxim

[skittlesRgood]

fuck the plating. look at what the main metal used is. you could buy unicorn blood plated terminals but if its just covering up dog shit, whats the point?

[Zapanater]

^^^ That is quoteworthy sir. I like silver terminals because it is the same color as the solder.

[Maxim]

fuck the plating. look at what the main metal used is. you could buy unicorn blood plated terminals but if its just covering up dog shit, whats the point?

You could melt it and drink it and stay alive forever.

[skittlesRgood]

"this unicorn blood tastes like shit"

holy fuck i derailed this topic quickly lol.

anyways, i tried to solder onto a distro block once. the whole block melted just about the same time the solder did. dont know what it was made out of but i was glad i wasnt using it in my car.

Edited May 10, 2012 by skittlesRgood

[904slumpin]

For power or signal distribution I'm not entirely sure if it matters much more than preventing corrosion and aesthetics. Gold, nickel, and platinum plated surfaces will all resist corrosion and tarnishing much better than a copper or aluminum piece would on its own. This is why you'll often see gold-plated RCA's or HDMI cables. Realistically, I'm not sure if it makes much of a difference what type of plating you choose other than the look and the price. Nickel and platinum will be similar. Gold's obviously gonna stand out if you want it to. Gold will provide the best electrical conductivity of any metal besides copper or silver so it would hypothetically be best for RCA's.

Soldering opens up a whole can of worms on plated parts. What would you be looking to solder? Generally something is soldered and then plated. If you solder an already-plated piece the heat of the solder gun could melt the thin metal plating or the reaction of the plating with the lead and tin in solder can possibly compromise the bond of the metals.

so basically if i get gold plated knu 1/0 terminal rings the solder will fuck up the prettyness? lmao ill just go with nickel plated i guess?

wouldnt use a solder gun id use a torch for this since its 1/0

[Maxim]

From what I'm reading you'll be fine. The Google machine is giving me all sorts of useful information but it looks like it takes roughly a 5% concentration of gold to compromise the strength of solder and there's not nearly that much in a thin coat of plating. If you're looking for the best answer it'd be "the less lead there is in the solder the better if you're gonna be soldering plated parts." But if you're just looking to solder the power wire inside the terminals there won't be any issues with soldering.

EDIT: If you use gold-plated terminals it'll likely melt off some of the gold plating on the inside and possibly some around the rim of the terminal. It shouldn't fuck up the outside though if that's your concern. If you like the look of the gold terminals feel free to use them without fear.

Edited May 10, 2012 by Maxim

[RooTxBeeR]

fuck the plating. look at what the main metal used is. you could buy unicorn blood plated terminals but if its just covering up dog shit, whats the point?

Quoted!