How do you keep your BNC male/female clean on your test equipment? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 03:12:50 pm
content: After 20min search, the only useful information regarding BNC and cleaness here at the forum is this one:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/cleaning-bnc-connetor/msg169651/#msg169651My question is now how to prevent a BNC to get dirty.I invested a lot on money in my gear and I want to keep it in the best shape possible.I came up with these solutions:(cheap plastic)http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-100-BNC-Male-Type-N-Male-Pretective-Cover-Cap-Plug-PL-259-Yellow-Dust-Cover-/121235957835?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c3a39e84bhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/New-BNC-Female-Cap-Plugs-Caplugs-Lot-100-Yellow-New-Protection-Dust-Cover-/121136673516?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c344ef2ec(expensive metal, with chain)http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-2-Amphenol-BNC-Cap-Chain-Dust-Cover-UHF-VHF-/111336347100?pt=US_Radio_Comm_Coaxial_Cables_Connectors&hash=item19ec29d5dcI think I can live without the cup chain for bench equipment, no big deal.My concerns are I will surely be irritated when I will see my bench full of little yellow cups or when I always have to uncover a BNC before to use it.Anyway let´s see what do you thing on this topic, surely it depends on how dirty is your lab air but I think it could be a good general habit.PS: Right now I am keeping the Agilent stock protector on (black rubber) my MSO BNCs, but they are not user friendly at all.PSS: Next 3D printing project?

author: retrolefty
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 03:49:52 pm
content: QuoteJust hot glue a few inches of string from the cap and the equipment.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 04:07:55 pm
content: Bag of 100 for about $6.00 from McMaster Carr. Soft Vinyl material

author: electronics man
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 04:11:57 pm
content: but how would you go about cleening them if they did get dirty?

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 04:17:41 pm
content: Quote from: electronics man on May 13, 2014, 04:11:57 pmRead the OP for a link.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 04:32:19 pm
content: The friction fit tends to make them fairly self-cleaning. If cleanliness matters for signal quality, like at high frequencies, chances are you won't be using BNC's anyway.

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 04:33:53 pm
content: Quote from: robrenz on May 13, 2014, 04:07:55 pmThose ones are driving me nuts, they are so hard to take out and put back in. Moreover the soft Vinyl material is just slippery under my fingers, no grip at all. It could be I had bad ones, they were installed on my Agilent MSOX for the shipping.The yellow one I posted seems to have a good ring to grab them, but you know in a picture everything looks great and perfect.Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on May 13, 2014, 04:32:19 pmGood point as always. It just drives me crazy the idea everytime I connect a BNC I am pressing some dirt in the connetor. Yeah, it could be just overkill but the protections cup are so cheap, why not do that?

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 04:52:23 pm
content: Quote from: electronics man on May 13, 2014, 04:11:57 pmMy method using wadding polish and Deoxithere.My newest method using Simichrome polishhere.

author: georges80
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 04:55:57 pm
content: Seems like you must be working in a dirt filled environment...I've used test equipment with BNC's for decades and NEVER had concern for dirt or or cleaning them. Since my test equipment is always in a lab or in my work office, the cables remain connected 99% of the time anyway. Why unplug/plug test cables/probes in all the time?I think some of you folk are just a tad insane when it comes to your equipmentcheers,george.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 04:58:25 pm
content: Quote from: zucca on May 13, 2014, 04:33:53 pmThen how aboutthesewith the pull tab?

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 05:00:23 pm
content: Quote from: georges80 on May 13, 2014, 04:55:57 pmThank you, yes I quite agree

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 05:06:25 pm
content: I just would do what I did and go out and get a whole lot of BNC-RCA adaptors ( used for security cameras) and drill a hole through the RCA side to thread a small key ring through. I have that on the strap of my handy talkie to hold the BNC-SMA adaptor for it for when i move it to a fixed antenna. costs under $1.I am not insane about clean equipment, but I like to have good connections. My working DMM's often need a good cleaning because they have gone deep into oil and dirt in a machine. I just try to keep them mostly clean and the case more or less unstained, but often they need a good strip and clean to gety back to just scratched.

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 05:14:14 pm
content: Quote from: robrenz on May 13, 2014, 04:58:25 pmCool, BNC condoms!

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 05:33:01 pm
content: Yeah, georges80 and robrenz you are right. Surely I am that kind of animal, proudly insane about cleaness. You should watch me cleaning everything for hours when I buy a used puppy on ebay. At the end I am so happy to see how beautiful the device is, I never think I am wasting time to protect/clean my gear.Some people clean their cars just inside and outside, some people clean also the engine compartment on a regular base. Does the car run also with a dirty engine compartment? Probably yes. Do you feel the difference between a clean and a dirty engine compartment? Probably not. As soon you are stepping in the personal taste field there is not right or wrong, it is what it is.A big thanks to everybody for the discussion, I´m loving it! Next step I will buy something and put a review here.

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 05:36:59 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on May 13, 2014, 04:32:19 pmYes, I rarely have to clean a BNC connector. Some of my test gear is pretty ancient and the BNC connectors still work fine.Sometimes a foreign body gets into the connector and needs to be fished or blown out but I don't bother fitting BNC caps anywhere.However, my (25-30 year old?) HP8566B spectrum analyser still has its original caps fitted to the rear panel BNCs that provide I/O for some very rarely used functions. I suspect that these have been there for the life of the analyser because the BNC connectors look immaculate underneath if I pop off the cap and have a look.Lower quality BNC connectors are notorious for being a bit erratic especially up at VHF/UHF and I try to only use good quality stuff from the top names like Suhner or Greenpar. The cheapy BNC connectors used on low cost coax cables and low cost RF adaptors aren't as well made and suffer from an inferior fit when mated. No amount of cleaning can fix this

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 06:38:20 pm
content: Quote from: G0HZU on May 13, 2014, 05:36:59 pmThanks GOHZU. This result makes sense to me and it is worth 0.01$ investment.EDIT: 10$ is for 100 plastic protectors, replaced 10$ with 0.01$

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 09:04:04 pm
content: Quote from: robrenz on May 13, 2014, 04:58:25 pmStill the grip of that material is not convincing me. I think they are much better then the other one tough.Quote from: robrenz on May 13, 2014, 04:52:23 pmLord have mercy I am a sinner.Robrenz your restauration skills are... are... unbelievable... You are better than a time machine. Now my cleaned gear looks like old and dirty again. Dang it!After to take a look on the difference between a old/restaurated BNC, and the effort you are putting in to get it top notch I am more convinced than before than a 0.01$ plastic BNC cup is not insane madness.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 10:02:40 pm
content: If you buy dirty equipment, that's one thing, but once the BNCs are clean, they are not going to get dirty again for many years. The exception is if you live next to an ocean or a volcano, but in that case I am not sure how much the Caplugs will help.

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2014, 10:36:50 pm
content: I'd be a bit cautious about using metal polishes even if it does make the connector look shiny and new. My advice would be to just use the test gear and forget about using dustcaps and just make sure no grit or crud gets into the connector. I usually just blow the dirt out and maybe use a clean cloth dipped in IPA if I think the connector is dirty.On decent RF test gear it is often recommended to always fit a high quality adaptor onto the main input connector to minimise the number of mating cycles on the equipment connector and also to keep it away from damage.I try to do this on all of my analysers and I only ever connect high quality Suhner adaptors to my network analyser. Usually it has a precision N to SMA adaptor on the ports and I try to not connect coax cable connectors direct to the VNA ports. Even HP/Agilent recommend you try to protect the main RF connector this way. But this is for protecting precision RF connectors for accurate use up to many GHz.On a DSO or sig gen or other bit of test gear with BNCs I think you can (realistically) make direct connections as many times as you like and also I don't think you need to worry about end caps unless your test gear is kept in a garage or shed all year round (not a good idea anyway?)

author: turbo!
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2014, 12:34:07 am
content: If the plating is worn off from use, no amount of cleaning will restore it permanently.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 14, 2014, 12:58:45 am
content: Quote from: zucca on May 13, 2014, 09:04:04 pmThanks, those are skills inherited from my pure Italian father

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 14, 2014, 02:36:26 pm
content: Thank you all for the awesome support and inputs, after thinking on all the feedbacks what I get personally is:If you use the BNC, don´t bother, if you are not using it and you love to have a beautiful BNC for the rest of your life cover it.I will now order 50 caps to protect manly the never used BNCs in the back panels, I´ll give a shot on the yellow ones in ebay.Quote from: robrenz on May 14, 2014, 12:58:45 amYesterday I couldn´t stop to watch your videos, I did a full immersion for about 4 hours, really MADE IN ITALY quality.I´m now a bad EE, Wannabe Machinist like you worst case when I retire. Mamma mia!

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 18, 2014, 10:04:47 pm
content: I got those BNC yellow caps ($4.86 for 50, $2.77 shipping). Very happy with them, they snap in place and get off in about 3ms. The yellow ring on the top ensure a nice and firm grip. They work no problem also in a triax 3 lag connector.Here some details:"We all live in a yellow BNC...yellow BNC...yellow BNC..."

author: Brian of Romsey
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2018, 01:03:04 pm
content: Hi,I found a cheap BNC 'cover' at AliExpress:https://www.aliexpress.com/item/escam-10pcs-BNC-Male-Plug-To-RCA-Female-Jack-Adapter-Connector-Coaxial-CCTV-Durable/32857303308.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.167.45b24130IiG0mp&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_2_10152_10709_10151_10065_10344_10068_10130_10324_10342_10547_10325_10343_10340_10548_10341_10697_10696_10192_10190_10084_10083_10618_10710_10307_10301_10303_10059_10184_308_100031_10103_441_10624_10623_10622_10621_10620-10709,searchweb201603_2,ppcSwitch_7&algo_expid=ce75abcb-9dc2-45aa-b161-ae875901ebb8-24&algo_pvid=ce75abcb-9dc2-45aa-b161-ae875901ebb8&priceBeautifyAB=0Brian.

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2018, 02:56:13 pm
content: Quote from: zucca on May 13, 2014, 03:12:50 pmI bought a bag of 100 of these from this seller and they work fine. I was scrounging BNC caps with chains from used equipment but they were always dangling and in the way and these turned out to be much simpler to use even thought they're not as fancy. Also in some of my HP gear the connectors on the back are recessed and crowded together and it's almost impossible to twist the BNC caps to remove them so these push on - pull off caps are MUCH easier to use.I don't care for the black vinyl covers. I've found the size to be inconsistent and sometimes you have to pull HARD to get them off. I actually broke a Type N connector on a dummy load while trying to get the vinyl cover off.

author: charliedelta
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2018, 10:00:30 pm
content: Isopropol. Removes muck if the plating is good and not ground away by the Chinese BNC adaptors. A light film of Deoxit and even very light film of silicone grease and you should be good to go if you using the real silver plated BNC's. If you using Epay spell you dont have to clean them, they just fall apart and the plating chips off in chunks, then you have a rust problem!

author: pigrew
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2018, 01:10:47 am
content: I'm in the market for buying some items like these (for BNC, but also N and SMA).I ordered some PVC caps from AliExpress (6mm,8mm,12mm,16mm,22mm). The 6mm and 8mm work well on SMA. (I'm still waiting for the 22mm to be delivered.EDIT: 22mm is too large.)The 12mm fits on the end of the male BNC, but doesn't go on all the way. It's very slightly too small.The 16mm is just slightly too big to grip onto a male N connector. It doesn't grip on the thread, but it does engage past the threaded portion.I have a yellow CAPLUGS EP-8 which holds acceptably on a female BNC. I may order more of them for the OP's eBay link.Which sizes work well for other people? It seems that everyone prefers rigid plastic for BNC, but I always feel that threaded connectors (SMA + N) will cut bits of plastic as I engage and disengage the dust cap?McMaster-Carr has some sizes of conductive and anti-static caps, but they all seem the wrong size. Are ESD-safe caps available from anywhere that fit? Although most manufacturers seem to be putting the soft PVC caps on their equipment and I doubt that they are ESD-safe, so maybe it doesn't matter.ADDENDUM: I like the design ofthis bayonet-style rigid plastic capfor female BNC.

author: TERRA Operative
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2018, 03:32:42 am
content: For cleaning tarnish, I found these little paper cloths at the dollar store that are designed for polishing jewellery.They work fantastic for cleaning connectors and stuff. I use them all the time now when restoring equipment, even for polishing screw heads and other metal bits.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2018, 03:47:36 am
content: Clean the female BNC with airbrush cleaning brushes and alcohol.Airbrush Cleaners

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2018, 08:23:26 am
content: Those airbrush cleaner are made from steel. That seems like an excellent way to ruin the plating.The common way to save connectors is to use so called pin-savers. These are simple male-female adapters and they reduce the number of mating cycles on the equipment itself.

author: tkamiya
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2018, 03:13:07 pm
content: I use individually packaged alcohol pad. I'm diabetic so I have LOTS of those. The cloth is lint free and small. I can use fine tipped tweezer and clean inside. I leave the center pin alone.I'd be afraid to use anything abrasive.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2018, 03:56:17 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on August 30, 2018, 08:23:26 amIncorrect - the set I have is nylon bristles. You are referring to the needles which are steel. I don't use those for BNCs.