Cleaning a circuit board

[DaOld Man]

I have a Lucky 8 Lines board that has a lot of dust and grime on it. Whats the best way to clean it without hurting the components or the traces?

[yotsuya]

Soft bristle toothbrush combined with alcohol is one option I've used

[HaRuMaN]

Dishwasher *









* Note I have never tried this myself, but I have heard of it being done.  I do wash my bowling balls in the dishwasher. 

[DaOld Man]

Washing your balls in the dishwasher sounds dangerous. 

I don't have a dishwasher, so thats out anyway. What sort of alcohol do you use? regular over the counter rubbing?

[yotsuya]

Washing your balls in the dishwasher sounds dangerous. 

I don't have a dishwasher, so thats out anyway. What sort of alcohol do you use? regular over the counter rubbing?

I've used that hardcore stuff specifically for cleaning electronics. But rubbing has worked,  too.

[DaOld Man]

Ok thanks, will let you know how it turns out.

[Slippyblade]

90% rubbing alcohol is great, only slightly more expensive than the regular stuff, and is available at most grocery stores.  Stings your eye pretty good though - watch the fumes. 

[dmckean]

Dishwasher *



* Note I have never tried this myself, but I have heard of it being done.  I do wash my bowling balls in the dishwasher.

One of the first places I worked did a lot of hardware repair and cleaned everything in a dishwasher before they started repair work. It wasn't a regular dishwasher though, it was one of those giant ones like in a high school cafeteria. After it went through the dishwasher, the parts would hang out in a dehumidifier cabinet for about three days.

[Slippyblade]

I've run keyboards through my dishwasher before.  I live in Phoenix, so putting it outside for a day is pretty much the same thing as a de-humidifier for 3.  Worked like a charm.

[DaOld Man]

Just a quick bump to say the rubbing alcohol worked. Instead of soft toothbrush I used q-tip cotton swabs. They worked pretty good, but did leave a few strands behind.
I let it dry for a couple of days then ran a vacuum over it to suck up the q-tip strands.
Hooked it up yesterday to test, and it works, so Im breathing a lot better now.
Thanks for everyones help.

[jennifer]

      Rumor has it, A vacuum and compressed air creates a static charge that could be harmful to some chips. I have always used caned air with good results, However my R/shack is gone now and need a new source.

[DaOld Man]

I had never heard that, but see where it could be possible. Wouldnt canned air do it too though?

[jennifer]

   I suppose its at a lower pressure, and moves slow maybe? , A vacuum kinda sounds like a cesspool of agitated atoms though...But again that's just old wives tale, and either way wouldn't have affected your board. Jenn will do a study on it when I get a min. to see if theres any cause for mythbusting.

[jennifer]

      **Disclaimer** I am not a scientist, merely a tinker... After considerable thought, It came to me, Lightning is a static charge, same concept. Canned air apparently is not any "safer" just more pure (and expensive). Water IMO should at the very least be filtered from compressed air. My workbench does not support the tech to watch electrons in motion (*Hint to someone with access to a lab) so any further on my part would be theoretical.
      http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/39220/cleaning-circuits-with-compressed-air

[DaOld Man]

I wonder if canned air MIGHT be safer because you are holding the metal can? Probably not because I guess the static is generated when the air passes across the surfaces of the board, after the air has already left the "grounded" can.

[jennifer]

   I have never had any trouble with cans, Although now I have looked into it, I am really a bit concerned. And see where your going with that, Two things would come to mind, One, spray more down at the board and not across it to minimize static, and two, would be work on a antistatic mat, wrist strap and all. possibly even grounding the can.... Overkill some may say, But Jennifer always seems to choose that road. 

[jennifer]

     Depending on the board one would assume, Your board for example, Scrub it with Qtips /alcohol, washing it in the sink after doing dishes, throwing it in the dishwasher, All would work and be effective. And most likely wouldn't hurt it.