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Thread: Washing a PCB... have you done it?

  1. #21
    Strawberry (Level 2) bust3dstr8's Avatar
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    Alec using CLR sounds like a great idea. I have been using vinegar to clean corroded pads,
    but heavy corrosion I need to scrap them to expose fresh tin/copper.

    I have a Laseractive pac I am working on with well over a hundred corroded pads.
    If I dab each contact with some CLR how long should I let it sit?
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  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by bust3dstr8 View Post
    Alec using CLR sounds like a great idea. I have been using vinegar to clean corroded pads,
    but heavy corrosion I need to scrap them to expose fresh tin/copper.

    I have a Laseractive pac I am working on with well over a hundred corroded pads.
    If I dab each contact with some CLR how long should I let it sit?
    If your gonna use CLR be sure to wear rubber gloves or not let it touch your skin, it will burn if left on your skin for too long.

    I would dab a Q-Tip with some CLR and see how it reacts with the corrosion. If the corrosion is a strong base it will bubble up nicely then you could use an old tooth brush to scrub it off quickly.

    The battery corrosion I cleaned off a board took about 2-3 times of pouring small dowsing amounts of CLR and lots of scrubbing before I got it all off. I then rinsed it off with hot tap water immediately afterwards and let it dry for 24 hours.

    Depending on the temperature and humidity where ever your gonna let it dry lets you know how long you should leave it out for. When I let my board dry, the humidity was about 20% outside and it was 105 in the garage. To be on the safe side I'd let it dry over a weekend, or 48-72 hours if it's cold or very humid.
    Last edited by alec006; 03-21-2012 at 03:32 AM.
    "...leave love bleeding, in my hands, in my hands again..."

  3. #23
    Pretzel (Level 4)
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    You could also use ammonia instead, that is also pretty good for corrosion, though any decent acid or base should work.

  4. #24
    Strawberry (Level 2) bust3dstr8's Avatar
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    The CLR worked great. I dabbed a little bit on the pads with a q-tip and let sit for about 20 minutes. The pads took the new tin real well and should be real easy to solder new caps to.
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    Quote Originally Posted by bust3dstr8 View Post
    The CLR worked great. I dabbed a little bit on the pads with a q-tip and let sit for about 20 minutes. The pads took the new tin real well and should be real easy to solder new caps to.
    That's wonderful to hear, I'll keep that in mind when I do contacts
    "...leave love bleeding, in my hands, in my hands again..."

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    re:It's not PCB's bussiness!but i searched this

  7. #27
    Great Puma (Level 12) Niku-Sama's Avatar
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    huh?

    that PlayStation works fine by the way.
    tossed the shell because it crumbled apart, used the mobo to replace a fried one. still going, gave it to a friend of mine.

  8. #28
    Cherry (Level 1) channelmaniac's Avatar
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    It's an old thread, but I've washed HUNDREDS of boards and other items such as keyboards over the years...

    I cleaned a few Neo Geo game boards in the sink over the past 2 weeks with liquid dish soap and a tooth brush. Got the gunk out of the slots nicely and cleaned up the boards very well. They went into the oven at 170F for 30 mins each and they came out toasty and dry.

    I've NEVER had a board sent back for repair that was ever damaged by cleaning in this way.

    RJ
    Last edited by channelmaniac; 10-08-2013 at 07:02 PM.

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    Wouldn't that leave behind water deposits which could potentially damage parts of the board?
    Quote Originally Posted by starsoldier1 View Post
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    Quote Originally Posted by ApolloBoy View Post
    Wouldn't that leave behind water deposits which could potentially damage parts of the board?
    Yes that's why they're recommending blowing the board out with compressed air and mildly heating to evaporate stray condensation.

  11. #31
    Cherry (Level 1) channelmaniac's Avatar
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    I don't have hard water where I live and thus have no concerns about mineral deposits. Drying in the oven at 170F quickly gets rid of all the water, will not damage caps, and keeps the water from being on there long enough to cause rusting/corrosion issues.

    Manufacturers do waterbaths for new production PC boards, but they used de-mineralized and de-ionized water.

  12. #32
    Insert Coin (Level 0) McFlY88DmC's Avatar
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    I've done it once myself before. I was doing a full capacitor replacement on my Model 1 SegaCD, and the seller I bought the replacement caps from said to carefully scrub the board with bathroom cleaner in order to remove the corrosive electrolyte that had leaked out all over the board. I was scared as heck to do that initially, but it wasn't that big of a deal in the end. I did rinse the board in distilled water, since my tap water tends to leave crusty mineral deposits all over things. I also used compressed air to blow out some of the residual water under the chips/sockets. Be sure to let things dry out for at least a day or two.

    That SegaCD has not given me any grief since I finished the repairs over six months ago. YMMV of course
    "Electronics don't work too well once you've released their magical smoke."

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