Cleaning PCB board

[jase]

Hi there,

Has anyone got any tips on cleaning PCB boards?

I recently got a new PCB and its very dusty/dirty. Im very careful when I handle my PCB's using a grounding lead and antistatic gloves.

I've heard of people washing their PCB's, is this a good practice? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Jase

[Pete]

Always used to wash mine with fairly liquid under the tap with a brush, just let them dry out for a few days afterwards.

Crazy, but true.

[driph]

As long as the board is in good shape, you can wash it in the dish washer. DON'T use soap, and let it air dry. At this stage I'll give the board a once over with some compressed air.

Once it's gone through the wash, don't plug it in until it's completely dry, natch.

[goatboy]

As long as the board is in good shape, you can wash it in the dish washer.

Are you serious? Sounds somewhat ridiculous.

[driph]

As long as the board is in good shape, you can wash it in the dish washer.

Are you serious? Sounds somewhat ridiculous.

Yep! Some people remove socketed roms (if you do, label em so you dont forget what goes where) before doing it, and like I said, don't use soap (or jetdry). You don't want to wash any batteries, either. As long as you aren't powering the board up while it's wet, you're good to go.

btw, it's also a good way to clean a keyboard you've spilled coffee into.. just make sure you give it several warm days of drying time.

[Drakon]

and old t-shirt or cloth and a little patience make all the difference

[jonny5]

and old t-shirt or cloth and a little patience make all the difference

bad idea...textiles build and carry static charge.....ZAP!!!

[cools]

http://www.arcadeotaku.com/forum/viewto ... 576#p41576

[pcb_revival]

Brush is natural bristle so does not create static.



Ten minutes or so later its improved - still could do with a few more passes though.

[Bean_Bandit]

Sweet Jesus man! Where can I get a container of isopropyl that large?

[pcb_revival]

eBay UK.

The picture is of a 5 litre container.

[Bean_Bandit]

I somehow doubt that US customs agents would enjoy having one of those shipped to me internationally.

However, there appears to be a US seller with large containers as well. I don't know why I never considered checking eBay before. I guess I figured there was some sort of policy about selling/shipping potentially hazardous materials.

Thanks for the info!

[Shady994]

Nothing wrong with the tap water or alcohol treatment! If using water dab it off with a tea towel so you don't get too many mineral deposits when the water evaporates.

I use an antistatic foam cleaner on grubby boards (I like buying and repairing faulty Neo Geos. Mostly they are disgusting when i get them).
Something like this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Foam-Cleaner-...

[blubbis]

I don't know if you have the same range of products in your respective countries, but in Sweden Shell K-skydd (anti-freeze for your carburator) is 100% isopropanol and dirt cheap for a 1 litre or 500ml bottle.

[trmatthe]

I believe it's called rubbing alcohol in the states and seems to be very easy to get hold of. If you use a dishwasher make sure the rinse aid salt has been removed and a few washes have been run to flush it out, otherwise you'll get lovely hard to remove salt stains baked into the board. Plus use the top shelf or remove it before the drying cycle.

I personally use isopropyl alcohol with a natural bristle brush, then rinse in deionised water to avoid mineral stains. You can buy this in 10l containers from any motor suppliers; it's used to top up non-sealed batteries. I've been trying to modify an ultrasonic cleaner to provide a larger receptacle but not got it finished yet...

[skykid]

I use tap water and a toothbrush - is this bad?

[VectorGlow]

No, not bad - opinions differ wildly as to which is the 'best' method of cleaning PCBs, the key thing is to ensure that they are 100% dry before re-applying power to the board.

Personally speaking I only wash boards that are really filthy - any slight coating of dust gets a damn good clean with some dry cotton buds. I'll use other applications for stubborn 'stains' (have cleaned many boards which have had all kinds of liquids poured on them while in storage). Of course, cotton buds aren't going to get rid of every speck of dust, but it's good enough for fussy old me.

Incidentally, there is one line of thinking which I've read about in various places, saying that washing with water can, in some cases on old chips, cause moisture to creep inside the chips where the legs exit the plastic or ceramic package - the chip then corrodes (possibly even shorts) from within even though the board and components on it are 100% dry. Again, there is much speculation about this, an electronics expert that I trust swears it's true. I mention it just in case it is indeed true.

[pcb_revival]

I use tap water and a toothbrush - is this bad?

Possiblity of flash rusting and static charge - is that bad

[VectorGlow]

I should have mentioned in my post that, over the years, I've tried all of the various methods of PCB cleaning and never had a problem with any of them. However, due to the cautionary notes here (there, and everywhere) on some of the methods, by far the 'safest' is probably the dry clean method using cotton buds.

[skykid]

I use tap water and a toothbrush - is this bad?

Possiblity of flash rusting and static charge - is that bad

**** hell man - is there any one single good (and simple) way of cleaning the boards then? Every suggestion on here has a 'but' after it.