Stabilant 22 Contact Enhancer Application Notes

App. Note 2 - Card Edge Connectors

AT, '386, '486, Pentium(TM) & Other Computers - Stabilant 22 used on computer card connectors

Problem - Erratic operation of a graphics card:

An AT type computer operating at 8 mHz and using a monochrome card/monitor a its primary monitor, and a CGA/EGA board and color monitor as a second monitor, was operating erratically with apparent conflicts between the two boards, even though they should have been compatible. Numerous tests were run, and although the computer would sometimes run without conflicts for a couple of hours at a time, eventually a program, such as Autocad(TM) (Autodesk Inc.) which switch between the two monitors, would suffer severe screen malfunction on the color monitor.

Initially, a BIOS problem with the CGA/EGA card was suspected as the cause of the problem and two different CGA/EGA cards were tried, in turn, without resolving the matter.

Only when the Printer also misbehaved, was the other card replaced and this seemed to cure the problem for about 10 days, when it re-appeared much worse than before.

When the same customer installed several new computers, he also switched through several different graphics boards and color monitord. He tried to obtain the highest resolution possibile, as it was necessary for the CAD software used by his firm. Several times equipment was removed by the technicians, as it was upgraded. Often he had minor glitches upon its return. He finally had to write it into his company's specfications that Stabilant HAD to be used whenever a new computer card was installed or changed! The problems went away.

Stabilant 22A applied to card edge connector:

In almost every similer case where any of his associatesncountered problems, the cards were pulled out and Stabilant 22A was applied to both sides of the edge connector of the board, as well as to the socketed ROM's on the board. In every case, the problems went away and have never returned.

Other connection problems:

As a result of this experience, the next time that the cards had to be pulled in order to update the BIOS, the SIIM's or the PLCC's on the motherboard, Stabilant 22A applied to the connectors!

Memory reliability improves:

As we states on an erlier revision, some of the the computers at his plant, were oblolete. Some had been used at the lower of their two operating speeds because occasional parity errors would occur on some spreadsheet program operations. The computer was switched to the higher clock speed a week after the memory chips were installed and no parity errors have been observed since that time.

Conclusions:

The customer reports that any additional equipment that they have acquired since we last contacted them, is now treated with Stabilant 22,Stabilant 22A, or Stabilant 22E as a matter of routine maintenance and that they have experienced many less problems in unexplained program or peripheral crashes than before.

Revision 4