Pin Plating and Other Metals – Conductivity in Connectors
All cables (except fiber optic cables) are made of metal. Looking at any cable, the user will see metal in the connector on the end. Some connectors are made entirely of metal, while others are mostly plastic and contain small metal pins. Regardless of the amount of metal used to make the cable or what the cable is used for, these materials serve the same purpose of conducting electricity. Those of you who have worked with all kinds of cables over the years, like most people, have noticed that you can use different metals on different cables.
WHY ARE CERTAIN METALS USED IN CABLES matters?
So why use another metal? Are some metals better than others? Many factors influence the selection of metals used to manufacture cables. The first is conductivity. This list shows the metals commonly used in cable manufacturing, from most conductive to least conductive (assuming the metal is 100% pure).
1. Brass
2. Copper
3. Gold
4. Aluminum
5. Zinc
6. Nickel
7. Sliver
8. Bronze
9. Iron
10. Platinum
11. Carbonized Steel
12. Lead
13. Stainless Steel
Soft metals are good conductors of electricity, as shown in the table above. Many people think gold plated connectors are the best, but in fact gold is he third in terms of conductivity. In addition to this, conductivity is not the only factor involved in manufacturing other similar electronic products such as cables and circuit boards.
Most commercial cables, such as coax to ethernet, are made with a copper core. However, the underlying cable is copper, but the connector at the end of the cable is covered with another metal (usually gold). Copper is a good conductor, but it is not very corrosion resistant. Most of the copper conductors in the cable core are protected by dielectrics and jackets. However, these end pieces still need to be conductive, so the copper there is covered with another corrosion-resistant conductive metal (gold). Gold can tarnish if in direct contact with copper, so usually another metal, most commonly nickel, he places between the two to act as a barrier.
HOW DOES THE TYPE OF METAL will be effected?
There was a time when gold-plated cables clearly outperformed all others. For example, many electronics stores recommend gold-plated HDMI cables for use with new TVs and DVD players. To this day, gold-plated HDMI is used in many places, but all cable manufacturers must comply with laws, rules and regulations. These certification requirements ensure that cables meet specific standards, including cable performance.
As technology advances, new engineering techniques can improve cable quality even when less conductive materials are used in the manufacturing process. Today's nickel-plated cables are as good, if not better, than the gold-plated cables of 20-30 years ago. There are exceptions to this rule, especially audio equipment. The sound quality of ¼ inch connectors can vary greatly depending on the materials used. But this is the only major case of modern wiring where the type of metal makes such a big difference. Quality assurance standards tend to increase as technology advances, and this is reflected in many products available today, including cables.
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