Why can the contact pins (inserts) of the rectangular connectors turn dark and show discolouration e.g. EPIC H-A Insert or EPIC H-BE Insert, etc?
The silver coated contacts (pins) change color after a certain storage period. The reason for this process is a chemical reaction between silver and sulphur contained in the atmosphere. The low electrical conductivity of this thin silver sulfide layer has no influence of the contact (pin) resistance. The high contact pressure will destroy this layer during the actual insertion process.
