The prongs of the PSU connector were damaged, revealing the orange metal beneath.
The prongs of the PSU connector were damaged, revealing the orange metal beneath.
I posted about my Corsair RM750x PSU a few weeks back, describing how arcing caused scorch marks and I was advised to clean them off. I cleaned it today using IPA 99% and Q-Tips. While doing so, I noticed part of the protective layer came off, revealing the orange metal underneath. It could have been from the arcing or maybe from too much force when plugging in. Is this a problem? I’m unsure about the material, but if it’s copper it might oxidize over time. Will this affect the unit?
Metal used in IEC C13/14 connectors is usually brass (copper and zinc alloy) and it does not react with oxygen on it's own. Now, if you add electrolyte (e.g water from humidity), then brass does oxidize. Brass develops a patina during oxidization onto itself, which is either greenish or brownish color. While oxidization is a form of corrosion, brass patina isn't like rust on iron and brass discoloration doesn't damage the underlying metal.
Maybe you've seen copper roofs/statues/coins when they are new, the look like shiny brown/gold, but over time and due to elements (e.g rain), copper surfaces turn into green.
So, if it even is oxidization, there would be no need to worry.
It's great to hear! The information suggests it might be brass, bronze, normal copper, or even oxidized copper. I used 99% IPA to clean the scorch marks, but I wasn't sure if that would prevent oxidation. The metal dries very fast, which is why I was concerned.
For oxidization, it needs prolonged exposure to electrolytes. Copper corrodes faster than Brass, but it doesn't corrode within seconds when using isopropyl alcohol. Only thing that can corrode certain metals fast, is strong acid.
So, no need to worry about using IPA to clean metal surfaces.
E.g 90% pure (or higher grade) IPA is used to clean thermal paste off from CPU IHS (or from any die/coldplate in that matter).
It is accurate because electricity requires a "clean" metal-to-metal surface to flow. Although electricity can travel through corroded metal, it raises resistance. The more corrosion present, the greater the resistance until electricity can no longer pass through (due to excessive air gaps inside). This won't occur. The PSU includes a fan for active cooling.
However, if you consider reducing power for the PSU, it will actually run cooler because less electricity is being converted. But the PSU might have trouble maintaining the DC rails within voltage requirements until it completely stops converting AC to DC (insufficient power) and shuts down.
Sure, it's still acceptable if it corrodes slightly. You might be able to remove it using IPA, though I'm not familiar with handling such situations before.