Midway power brick

MrGorf

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I'm working on cleaning up a Ms. Pac power brick and unsoldered the wires from the iso to clean them up. I cut the old solder off and re-stripped it but now can't tin the wire or get solder to stick to it. I guess there must be some oxidation on the wire.

How do I clean the wire so I can solder it to the transformer, or do I have to replace it?
 
... but now can't tin the wire or get solder to stick to it. I guess there must be some oxidation on the wire. How do I clean the wire so I can solder it to the transformer, or do I have to replace it?

I had this problem with some really oxidized wires on a control panel. I couldn't solder the wires back to the new start buttons because the solder would not flow or stick to the wires. I found two ways to help this. The second method works a little better IMO but I had a good many wires to do and foresee doing more in the future.

1. Get a Dremel with a wire brush and carefully go over the new stripped end of the wires. This is a bit time consuming but it works if you spread out the strands. Wear gloves and watch your fingers!

2. Muriatic acid: I put a small amount Muriatic acid in a bowl and put the stripped end of the wire in it. Just the metal, not the insulation. I clipped the wire on the side of the bowl so it wouldn't slip. I forgot how long I left it but it was in the minutes range. I then used baking soda & water to neutralize the acid. After that, it worked great. Of course, there are downsides. Some are that you can usually only buy it in gallon jugs, you have to be safe & careful and be mindful of how you dispose of the excess.

Of course your mileage may vary and if you find a better way please post it. Good luck!
 
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