this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2024
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Electronics

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Instrument is a Geonics EM16 VLF receiver, using in the mineral exploration industry to find buried linear conductors.

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[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

I greatly prefer citric acid. It comes in crystals so a small tub equals gallons of vinegar, it doesn't smell bad, and you can control the strength by dissolving more crystals into water.

It's incredibly fast compared to vinegar at cleaning battery alkaline.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

Cool, I thought there was a pretty good chance there are acids of which I've never heard.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Coca Cola works really well if you don’t have citric acid on hand. I’ve cleaned car battery terminals with it a bunch of times (over decades). The only bummer is that it’s sticky, but you can drink the leftovers.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

To each his own. I've tried a few solutions. I use vinegar and apply it with some large cotton swabs. I usually wash them with the vinegar two or three times and let it sit for an hour. Then I use the baking soda dissolved into water and apply it several times. If possible to remove the contacts completely I will soak it in vinegar and then the baking soda solution. I buff the contacts if they are badly corroded. I can't stress enough how much a little dielectric grease prevents further corrosion.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Yeah, I use baking soda and dielectric grease after acid too. I was only offering that citric acid is better than vinegar in every way.