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View Full Version : Connect copper wire and silvery wire?



Stephen Tashiro
12-09-2010, 8:41 PM
Junk computer components would provide me with a plentiful source of wire to repair things. However, many of their wires are a bright silvery color, not copper. Is it OK to splice the silvery wire and copper wire together? Or does this create a problem due to dissimilar metals?

Dan Hintz
12-09-2010, 8:54 PM
Considering they all connect at some point or another to each other, I doubt they would have chosen metals highly dissimilar on the eVscale. The silver wire could be either pre-tinned copper wire (quite common in hookup wire) or steel when used as a protective shield.

Joe Pelonio
12-09-2010, 9:52 PM
The problem is with the addition of a 3rd participant, water. Keep them dry and you shouldn't have a problem.

Bryan Morgan
12-09-2010, 11:06 PM
Generally, dissimilar metals will get oxidation on the surface between them. Ask people who buy cables with gold plated connectors to hook into nickel plated connectors on their audio equipment... If you are soldering them I don't think it matters.

David Cefai
12-13-2010, 4:27 PM
I've never seen a problem related to this. Components have "silvery" wire and are soldered to copper tracks on a circuit board.