Cure for edge connector trouble

[jbshocks]

I have a CEI machine that I got going that has 3 edge connectors.  I cleaned the connectors with a brass brush and contact cleaner when i first got it going (per Uniman's tutorials on universals)  Since then the machine has worked pretty good but would get random reel errors which were quickly reset as well as occasionally stopping a reel in the wrong location.  I decided to try deoxit contact conditioner on it to see if it helped.  http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1609/.f?sc=2&category=292  The machine now seems to be trouble free.  I would recommend this to universals with there troublesome edge connector or any other main boards.  Radio shack has a small aerosol can of the stuff but this tube is much more cost effective. 

[uniman]

Gonna have to try that. Thanks for the tip.

I took a backplane apart awhile back to see if I could find the problem and think I found it. The backplane has a two piece pinch like connector. The top part has a small tab. When you pull off the gray plastic cover (not recommended) the two metal pieces are pinched together. When the cover goes on the tab on the top piece rides in a track and it pulls the two pieces apart. But it pulls them too far apart leaving very little area for contact. I experimented by removing the keepers holding the gray covers and pulled them up about 1/8". Then glued a piece of plastic under the gap between backplane and gray cover to hold gray cover in place. This brought the two metal pieces closer together but a little deeper in the connector but when the board was connected it was a tighter fit. I was really excited as I thought I found the fix. Put the backplane in a machine with one of my more finicky boards, one that needed a wiggle and a push to get a good connection, and it still needed a little help as coins dropped thru the comparitor when first connected. But it was better. Just not perfect. Haven't had a problem with it since.