Filthy monitor

jonathan1138

Active member
Joined
Jul 20, 2010
Messages
1,648
Reaction score
7
Location
Whitestone, New York
Hi. Got a crystal castles today and tore it down - going to clean her up. I am a monitor newbie, so have a question. In the past, cleaning the monitor with a steam cleaner (the SHARK!) worked well. On this one, it will need more - its an original monitor and pretty caked on with Bar skank.

Can i just remove the monitor from the cab (the metal chasis, with boards and tube intact) and hose it down? If it would fit in the dishwasher can i do that too? I run everything in the dishwasher for years without ever a problem - what about the monitor?

What do you guys do to clean em up? Thanks.
 
Use it with no soap and you can run it thru the dishwasher. Just make sure it dries 150% before firing it up.

I tried the dishwasher once, and it came out coated in a white film. Worked going in, but squealed loud after drying for two weeks. Had to replace the flyback.

Some people just cover it in Simple Green, let it soak, hose it off, then let it dry for a while with no problems.

Hey, I've gotten this one to work just fine:

RatMonFull.jpg

RatMonLeft.jpg

RatMonRight.jpg
 
That looks almost like this one minus the pink panther fiberglass filler or whatever confetti that is. I will try the Simple green / hose down tomorrow (and it will rain up here to, so i get free water in addition).

Now i need to figure out how to remove the monitor...... four bolts, remove from back i would guess (Crystal castles)? i will look it up in the manual while i wait for everything else to get dishwashed. Thanks.
 
That looks almost like this one minus the pink panther fiberglass filler or whatever confetti that is. I will try the Simple green / hose down tomorrow (and it will rain up here to, so i get free water in addition).

Now i need to figure out how to remove the monitor...... four bolts, remove from back i would guess (Crystal castles)? i will look it up in the manual while i wait for everything else to get dishwashed. Thanks.

Make sure you discharge your monitor before hitting it with any Liquid...
 
20 rolls of paper towels and lots of Simple Green or Windex work just as well as hoses and dishwashers (both concepts should be the antithesis for electronics) but take longer time and more work.

Ask yourself how much custom chips, board repair, new flyback or neckboard might cost if you don't wait long enough to power up after drying...

The wash works can be successful, but I place my faith in careful hand cleaning. Now get off m'lawn!:rolleyes:
 
20 rolls of paper towels and lots of Simple Green or Windex work just as well as hoses and dishwashers (both concepts should be the antithesis for electronics) but take longer time and more work.

Ask yourself how much custom chips, board repair, new flyback or neckboard might cost if you don't wait long enough to power up after drying...

The wash works can be successful, but I place my faith in careful hand cleaning. Now get off m'lawn!:rolleyes:

Hand cleaning is nowhere near as good as a hose down!! It's impossible to get under all those pots and chips with a rag...

I usually cover them with 409, Bleche-Wite, engine degreaser, or some other heavy cleaner. Let it soak a while, take a really soft paintbrush to the boards and stuff if you really want to get every speck of dirt... Then hose the sucker down for a few minutes! I've done this a dozen times and they come out looking LIKE NEW. I have plenty of pictures, it amazes me every time. Never had a problem (or with PCB's in the dishwasher).

Wade
 
I usually cover them with 409, Bleche-Wite, engine degreaser, or some other heavy cleaner. Let it soak a while, take a really soft paintbrush to the boards and stuff if you really want to get every speck of dirt... Then hose the sucker down for a few minutes!

Yep, I use the same method and 100% successful

Before:
IMG_7305.jpg

After:
IMG_7310.jpg
 
Yep, I use the same method and 100% successful

Before:
IMG_7305.jpg

After:
IMG_7310.jpg

You did take the chassis off before cleaning right? :)

Make sure to discharge the tube and remove the chassis. Clean that separately. I use Simple Green sprayed on both parts and then I wash it off after sitting for 15 minutes. I sit the chassis in front of a fan to evaporate any water that might be caught under an IC.
 
I always thought it bad to let pots get wet. That is why I never get the kind of results cleaning monitor boards as some do. I'm too lazy to desolder the pots, clean the pcbs super-thoroughly, then re-solder the pots.

While we are on the subject...what about flyback transformers...okay to get them wet?
 
I take the chassis off on mine, so I can wash them in the sink. I Spray em down again with 409, and use a paintbrush to scrub everything. Spray it off, and set it in the over for 30 mins at 170. Then I do a cap kit. I hate handling those dirty old chassis'

Galaga%20031.jpg
 
I assume you guys are also plugging the anode hole in the tube? Water in there wouldn't seem to ever evaporate.?.

I have to agree that this sure seems risky to me ... but the results are so awesome that I might have to give it a shot.

What is the minimum drying time recommened? Spyridon says a couple weeks, we have 170 degrees for 30 minutes ... any other thoughts?
 
What is the minimum drying time recommened? Spyridon says a couple weeks, we have 170 degrees for 30 minutes ... any other thoughts?

All depends are your drying conditions.....the quicker and more thorough the better.

On a nice hot sunny day, I leave them out for a day and it's done.
During the winter I'll throw a chassis over a heater vent with a box or something over it, for about an hour or two.
If I have the opportunity I may take it over to my air compressor and blow off any excess water, especially out from under things like chips and the flyback.
If you think a board or chassis is dry enough, try blowing out from under stuff and see if any moisture comes out, if it does, then it's not dry enough.

Water + Electronics.....only damaging if let to set too long to cause corrosion or if powered up while still wet.

And as for CRT tubes, the only are to watch out for is the anode hole, I usually use a piece of tape over the hole...... and the aqua-dag, the black painted looking area on the back of the tube, too harsh a chemical or too much water MIGHT wash some of that off, I usually brush the area off with a dry brush and then give it a very quick rinse.
 
Take your favorite cereal bowl... put about 1/4" of dishwashing soap in the bottom and fill it 3/4 the way with water. Mix well with a paint brush.

Wet the chassis/board/yoke/everything with a garden hose... clean everything well with the paint brush... hose off all the soap.

The Texas sun is great for drying off everything quickly. If you don't have that, I'd set up a small heater near the monitor and use a fan to blow the hot air over to the monitor. This will keep the radiant heat from the heater from damaging plastics.
 
I just use wet paper towels for the tube for the chassis I use an air compressor if needed and Q-tips and rubbing Alcohol. I honestly have this thing against stressing out old components more than they have to be so I do everything I can to be careful with this stuff.
 
Nope, left it on. Any reason not to? Tube was discharged and everything was sprayed with Simple Green. Left out in the hot sun to dry and was not powered up for a few weeks while the cab was being restored.

Only reason I can think of is you can't properly dry the monitor chassis that way. Are you just letting it sit there in the sun? I guess if its super hot and not humid that would work.

I forgot to mention I do blow all the water away I can with my air compressor before sitting the chassis in front of the fan. I also put a piece of masking tape over the anode hole on the CRT to keep water out.
 
Back
Top Bottom