Best strain relief compound for HF (say USB 3)

[alanambrose]

Hi,

Can anyone recommend a hot snot / potting epoxy kind of compound to protect USB 3-speed connections from vibration. This is a non-critical application for some exhibition equipment which has just come back for repair due to some shipping-induced damage (probably a big drop) ... I've done all the physical strain relief I can but I would really like to embed some USB C-speed connections in something like epoxy / hot snot etc to provide further protection against vibration / shipping container impact ... but without screwing the HF characteristics of course.

Alan

[Lord of nothing]

How about Rugged USB Connector?
The Industry build such for an good Price.

I know some USB Card have USB Connector who could screwed in: http://www.delock.de/produkte/F_319_USB-3-0_89325/merkmale.html?setLanguage=en

Maybe someone here know how does it called?! 

[alanambrose]

The physical and electronic design is not up for grabs (this is a repair). I think I'm asking (I'm no RF guy) are there readily available glues / compounds which have a low dielectric strength at 10GHz? The connector is this one FYI - not that it makes any difference to the question:

http://www.cliffuk.co.uk/products/usb/dualusbinxlr.htm

(the dual USB 3 one at the 2/3rds down the page).

This page: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/relative-permittivity-d_1660.html suggests Araldite has a dielectric constant of about the same as glass. If only I could remember what that meant 

Alan

[DaJMasta]

What part of it, exactly, are you trying to pot?  If you can keep the potting material away from the signal lines (or outside the shielding), it can be basically whatever you want, because then your dielectric is either the stuff already in the connector or it's air.  I don't see why you'd need to get potting compound either in the connector housings or on the header contacts, so I'm not sure the choice of materials would need to be too elaborate.

I think mentioning other connectors as options isn't a bad notion, since a repair could just swap them out, but it may be difficult to find very different ones in that form factor.  If the mounting of the XLR plate is solid, then maybe the best way to relieve physical stress on the connectors is actually securing the wires externally - like bundling with other cables or holding down to tie points or something.

[T3sl4co1l]

What does RF have to do with it?  If you're glopping the goo all over the connections, you're doing it wrong... it's a shielded connector.

Tim