Thoroughly cleaning PCB's, delicate electronics, monitors

vicemikey

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Thoroughly cleaning PCB's, delicate electronics, monitors

Just wondering what you guys use to clean your electronics with - I took my DK monitor apart tonight for a cap kit, and it is freaking filthy. You know that gross filthy where the dirt has been sitting on stuff for so long that humidity and such has turned it all into a gross almost grease like mess.

Also, looking to deep cleanse a Ghosts N' Goblins and DK Jr. boardset. The Gn'G lived in a cab with mousie, so I want that thing clean to a point where I can touch it, then eat a turkey sandwich and not wonder if I'm munching mouse turd particles.

I've just wiped stuff off with like windex damp cloths before, but that doesn't really CLEAN in my opinion. Scorched earth clean is what I'm going for.
 
as long as there are no batteries connected you can run 'em through a dishwasher (without the regular load of dishes!) you can also hose down complete monitors with a pressure washer to get 'em sparkling again.

of course, either option may damage or remove paper labels.

and make sure that they are thoroughly dry afterward before powering back up. chassis should be allowed to sit for some time (a week maybe) to ensure that water has dried out from tight spaces such as under the flyback. or if you can't wait you can bake them in a low-temp oven (150-170 or so) for a half hour to an hour. or you can take a hair drier to 'em. i wouldn't recommend a heat gun though as most will get hot enough to cause damage to electronics.
 
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Wait - dishwasher - like regular water? Wouldn't that promote corrosion? You just totally blew my mind. Dishwashers get hot too! That won't damage caps or transistors? Did my brain just implode? Have you done this? Do you at least remove socketed chips? I don't even know what to say right now.

as long as there are no batteries connected you can run 'em through a dishwasher (without the regular load of dishes!) you can also hose down complete monitors with a pressure washer to get 'em sparkling again.

of course, either option may damage or remove paper labels.

and make sure that they are thoroughly dry afterward before powering back up. chassis should be allowed to dry for some time (a week maybe) to insure that water has dried out from tight spaces such as under the flyback. or if you can't wait you can bake them in a low-temp oven (150-170 or so) for a half hour to an hour. or you can take a hair drier to 'em. i wouldn't recommend a heat gun though as most will get hot enough to cause damage to electronics.
 
I tried to wash a crap/test pcb once...and it came out pretty dull...yet I've seen monitor chassis cleaned up nice. What's the secret??
 
I wash mine in the sink with the sprayer. Have not tried dishwasher but I know it has worked for many.
 
i've run a bunch of chassis through the dishwasher and they've all come out fine (if short a few labels) as long as i went through the necessary drying procedures. the one time i wasn't careful enough i shorted out a working flyback (fortunately an old GO-7 which probably would have been replaced anyway,) which taught me the hard way to be a bit more careful.

you can pull socketed chips if you want to and some people recommend it, especially with PCBs, though i think if you're careful about drying you may not need to.

regular water, if done quickly, doesn't promote corrosion. i've even added some dishwashing soap and found that it helps get the boards even more clean. and while the dishwasher does get hot it's not enough to damage the electronics since it's not anywhere near boiling and only the temperature you have your hot water heater set at, usually under 140 degrees F.
 
I'm sayin'

Those are all valid questions I wonder myself when this topic comes up. But evidently a bunch of folks here do use the dishwasher method. Search and you'll find tons of it. Doesn't sit well with me personally, but yeah, people do this.

Wait - dishwasher - like regular water? Wouldn't that promote corrosion? You just totally blew my mind. Dishwashers get hot too! That won't damage caps or transistors? Did my brain just implode? Have you done this? Do you at least remove socketed chips? I don't even know what to say right now.
 
Dishwasher rules:

NO soap
Hot water wash
NO heat dry
And NO batteries

If your dishwasher has the sanitize option you can try it just beware of some plastics that may go soft with the heat.

An example of plastics that go soft with heat are the plastic guides used on the top of the card slot on the Neo Geo 2 slot motherboards.
 
I tried to wash a crap/test pcb once...and it came out pretty dull...yet I've seen monitor chassis cleaned up nice. What's the secret??

For my monitor chassis, I hose them down on the carport. Spray then down with Krud-Kutter (I think that's how it's spelled... never paid attention to the bottle)... it's used for cleaning ovens and built up funk. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes, wipe the wires, then I just hose it off again. Sometimes I'll hit it with a little compressed air (under the flyback and places like that), sometimes not. Either way, I let the sun/breeze work their magic for the rest of the day. When I get it back inside, I spray down the pots with a little contact cleaner, give them a few spins and call her done.

They come out looking brand new, no build up, very minty and shiny.

For boards (that are generally less dirty than the chassis), I just hose them off in the sink. Take a toothbush as needed and then hose them off again. If I have enough sunlight left... they just go outside for the rest of the day. If not, they go in the oven. Make SURE you get your DIPs dried out (or just replace them) and remove anything with a sticker on it (EPROMs, etc etc)... works fine for me. Just don't let the oven get too hot, and don't leave the door open thinking it'll keep the oven cooler... it actually makes it hotter in there.
 
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This would definitely take care of the mouse shit worries on the G n G but man - if that messes up that board - that's like 100+ to replace. lol I'm going to have to think about that one.

Dk Jr. and Sanyo chassis will probably get the wrath.
 
Personally if the board is just dusty, I usually pick up a cheapo paintbrush set at harbor freight and use em as dust brushes to clean them off. Only thing to be concerned with is static though, although I don't think I've ever had a problem.
 
I personally just brush the dust off, or blow it off with an air compressor... while I know it's possible to clean it really well with water and/or in the dishwasher, I don't see any need to take the chance with something that's perfectly working. I mean... the stuff is going to go back in the cabinet and get dirty again... not like it's going into a showroom.

Also, definitely be careful with monitor tubes and water... I've read about the aquadag on some monitors being water soluble and coming off when cleaning (Nintendo monitors especially).

DogP
 
I have never done it. Oh wait.. That's what I would tell the girlfriend. It's great for washing car parts, and tools too.

Besides I use paper plates.

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When I was a Co-op at IBM they had a dishwasher installed in the corner of the lab to clean the flux off the boards after re-work. It had a distilled water source however.

I usually hit mine with distilled water and use a stuff plastic bristled brush.
 
I've never tried the dishwasher method. I'd be concerned about getting the paper insulation inside a flyback transformer wet. Also I'm not sure how well dip switches dry out.
 
I've never tried the dishwasher method. I'd be concerned about getting the paper insulation inside a flyback transformer wet. Also I'm not sure how well dip switches dry out.

I just use a toothbrush and dish soap in the sink to clean the boards. Rinse well and dry in the gas oven at 170 degrees. The heat helps get the water out of every nook and cranny.

If the board has mouse droppings on it I'll nail it with the dish soap and the hose in the back yard first.

It's no big deal here since we have good water with few minerals.

RJ
 
Now that I think about it...maybe its the fact that I used simple green that caused the board I tested to haze up?

My brother works for a electronics manufacturing company and the idea of washing boards makes his head hurt, but he says its not uncommon for the guys to take a board that needs something corrected into the bathroom and wash it in the sink lol.

I have a crapload of junk boards I can experiment with.
 
i washed my Killer Instinct 2 pcb in the sink with dish soap and a toothbrush and it looks like new again!
 
I wash my PCB's and monitor chassis with a outside hose and Super Clean,i clean them only when they need to be repaired, cleaned they look new.
 
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