USB Port Corrosion?

[Fuelrod]

This is probably a stupid question but I was hoping someone could just easy my concerns. I just got a Belkin USB Gold series cable w/ gold plated connector. It says the cable is corrosion-proof but what about the USB port itself. I have always been under the impression that dissimilar metals will cause corrosion. Since my USB port is some silver alloy (I'm guessing some aluminum type metal) will using the gold connectors cause corrosion over time? Any comments would be nice.

 

[Howard]

Gold is extremely resistant to corrosion. I take it that corrosion, in this case, is the reaction of the metal and oxygen to create an oxide of that metal?

 

[Fuelrod]

Actually I guess my worried is if there will be corrosion to the inside of the USB port. It is kind of like what I was always told for memory; to match up the connector types with whatever your motherboard had, gold with gold, tin with tin. I was told if you mixed the two you would get corrosion at the connector interface.

 

[dkozloski]

Corrosion should not be a problem unless you are living under conditions of extreme high humidity such as the tropical jungles. Dissimilar metal corrosion requires an electrolyte. Keep things dry and you should be okay.

 

[arthurb1]

Fuelrod, it wasn't corrosion with Tin contacts with gold contacts, it was actually almost a 'weld' since tin and gold were disposed to have a chemical reaction with each other, that the currents going through them speeded up.