Cleaning up re-soldered boards (nonspecific game question)

kcfreeloader

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Cleaning up re-soldered boards (nonspecific game question)

I wasn't quite sure where to put this question, but i know the amount of detail some of the restore people go to so i figure this is good as any.

I recently re-soldered all the components on an WG monitor board. That fixed the problem, but now on the backside the board looks like crap. Between the flux in the solder and burning off whatever they coat the board with makes it look messy. I know you can't see it when it is all together, but i know its there.

So, what were the boards originally coated with? I'm guessing lacquer. If so i guess the black stuff would probably wipe off with lacquer thinner.

I would like to re-coat the back of the board as well, so once again, if it's lacquer that would be easy enough. Anyone here do that? What did you use?
 
I don't have an answer, but I'd sure like someone to provide one :)

I tried isopropyl alcohol to clean off a monitor board (cinematronics), but it just made it "sticky". I have no idea what they used on it, but it was hard to clean off.

The best results I've gotten is from the dishwasher -- even then there's lots of crud on the solder side.

anyone else?
 
The coating you may be dealing with is this stuff called "Nicotine" in some cases :)

Other than that I don't have much of an answer other than to say that if you get some good practice, in most cases your solder jobs shouldn't look too bad (a good iron REALLLLY helps too, not the $5 radio shack specials).

Lastly you may want to look into the type of solder your using - I forget the rules but rosin-core solder is wrong for electronics (you can tell usually when you have a ton of brown goo after soldering something).
 
rosin-core solder is wrong for electronics (you can tell usually when you have a ton of brown goo after soldering something).

I use Kester rosin-core on everything. Not sure where you got the idea that it's wrong for electronics. If you keep your tip clean and clean the area before and after you solder, you should not have a ton of brown goo.
 
Lastly you may want to look into the type of solder your using - I forget the rules but rosin-core solder is wrong for electronics (you can tell usually when you have a ton of brown goo after soldering something).

I thought it was acid core solder that was bad for electronics.
 
I don't have an answer, but I'd sure like someone to provide one :)

I tried isopropyl alcohol to clean off a monitor board (cinematronics), but it just made it "sticky". I have no idea what they used on it, but it was hard to clean off.

The best results I've gotten is from the dishwasher -- even then there's lots of crud on the solder side.

anyone else?

So the dishwasher method is true? I thought people were playing when they said to pop it in the washer to give it a good cleaning.

Maybe a combination of isopropyl, q-tips and putting in the wash might help? I'm lost too, I am a bit scared of the washer method though o_0.

I got some pretty dirty neo geo 4 slots on ebay and gave them a good cleaning with just iso and tips. I used vinegar for the battery corrosion and a pink eraser for the jamma connections, turned out great!

Let us know what works best
 
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Thanks for the responses.

My soldering skills are fine, so that's not the messiness I'm referring to.

Rosin core solder is fine for electronics. Acid core should not be used for electronics.

The best i could figure out was after the boards were soldered at the factory they were coated with lacquer. I was sick as a dog last night but i took a few minutes to try some lacquer thinner on the back side of the board and it removed any left over rosin and browned areas where the coating was burned through. I don't think i would go nuts with the lacquer thinner though as I'm sure the front side is probably sprayed too and you might get some corrosion/oxidation if its removed.

I found a website discussion where people were etching their own boards. They were pretty split on what to coat the boards with. Some coated the back with either clear or transparent candy green enamel. Some coated them with clear lacquer. I think i'll clean the brown spots with lacquer thinner, then hit it with clear lacquer.
 
I used to work with wave soldering machines, it's too bad those are impractical for home use because they'd be prefect for instantly redoing all the solder joints on a PCB at once.
 
Acetone and a lint-free wipe like Kimwipes for electronics.

Kimwipes are awesome! And once in a while they will give away freebies so keep an eye on their website. I got 3 boxes of wipes and a little cardboard station for cleaning eye glasses last year. :)
 
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