eBay's cheapest wire connectors (Patreon)

eBay's cheapest wire push-connectors (Not for house wiring!)

I bought 100 3-way push connectors on eBay for £5 shipped within the UK. That is almost too cheap to be real - but they arrived quickly, carefully packed in a flat package. This exact connector style has been around for a very long time, and is primarily intended for making fast electrical connections inside things like fluorescent or LED lights. They are NOT rated for high current, and shouldn't be used as general connectors in house wiring. Despite the listing describing them as having a copper bar, they only make electrical connection between the edge of a springy steel plate and the wire itself. I'm not sure the exact composition of the metal, but it is very lightly attracted to a strong magnet. That hints they might be stainless steel, especially as they remain shiny. Since the electrical connection between the two wires is made by current passing through the steel I wonder how the contact resistance of the connection will vary with time. A contact between two dissimilar metals results in a potential difference like a battery, and in the presence of water this can result in electrolytic corrosion. I'd guess that if these connections are kept dry they should remain stable. Let me know what you think about the differing metal to metal contact. If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:- https://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's algorithm quirks, allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty. #ElectronicsCreators