> 5~10 years ago, I cut the end off of a bad red SATA cable. > To my surprise, the copper conductor was disintegrating as Gene describes. > Unbelievable. > Somebody botched their chemical engineering.
Cool: second first hand account. Thanks. So there is at least some anectodal evidence. I also found a potentially related reference to a 70's problem with corrosive wire insulation at https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/304699/Oxidation+of+copper+wire but still can't find anything more concrete (and that one doesn't mention the insulation's dye as the culprit). Stefan
