how to clean PCBs?

[rchadd]

what is best way to clean PCBs?

should some sort of solvent be used?

[MonitorGuru]

Best way is to buy 99% Isopropal alcohol. Not the cheaper 70% stuff (because 30% of that bottle is water). Ensuring no water helps ensure no rusting.  99% is usally $1-$2 a bottle at Osco/Walgreens while 70% is usually 40 - 90 cents.

Then attach a spray trigger to the bottle from one of your empty windex-type bottles.  Over the sink hold the board vertically and spray the board thoroughly with the alcohol. (ensure you don't inhale the alcohol mist from the spray)

Take an old and cleaned (dishwashed) toothbrush, preferably long soft bristles not short hard bristles and then scour the board carefully while it's still wet with the alcohol.

Rotate the board 90 degrees and respray and rebrush getting the rest of the grime off.  Keep spraying until you get no more dirt off in the drips.

Then hold the board carefully and shake it vigoursly but safely to get the alcohol out of under the chips/etc..   Finish off with a blow dryer on COOL (hold down the heater override button) until you're sure that you have most of the alcohol off. You don't want to trigger a flame!

That's all it takes.  By brushing with it wet with alcohol you will ensure you wont add static electricity to zap anything.


If you don't have access to 99% alcohol, then you CAN use 70% (the cheap stuff) but it is more likely to leave tiny bits of water if you don't dry it off completely, so take more care in getting it dry as soon as possible.


Finally, if the board doesn't mean too much to you or you want to take the risk, you can just run it under hot water and brush it that way, or even throw it in the dishwasher.   You must however immediately get it as hot and dry as possible to prevent any rusting action from taking place.   The 99% alcohol cleaning is a lot safer to prevent this but it depends on what your goals are.

[rchadd]

i'm in the uk

where you you buy 99% Isopropal alcohol?

[rchadd]

ok i see maplins sell it in aerosol can

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=28994&TabID=1&C=SEO&U=StaticPages&doy=search&MenuName=Isopropyl%20Alcohol

[tristan]

In the US you can get a bottle (not a spray can) at any drug store for less than $1.

[SirPoonga]

You might see it labelled as denatured alcohol.  You can find it at drug stores because it is used to clean medical equipment too.

[Navmaxlp]

Beat me to the punch SirPoonga. In the military, we used denatured alcohol. The stuff worked great though. Only thing was, you couldn't leave the bottle open or the whole thing would evaporate in a heartbeat.

[Stingray]

Then, of course, there's the old "stick it in the dishwasher" method. Never tried it myself, but there are those here who swear by it.

-S

[monkeybomb]

MG - great job on the explanation, I've searched this topic on a few boards and no one has put things so clearly.  I'll pick up some denatured alchohol today.  I simply don't have the guts to put a 100 dollar board in the dishwasher.

Would you suggest the alchohol and toothbrush clean the slot on a neo geo board.  I have a board with a video problem similar to what people describe when carts are dirty.  I think the slot itself might need the cleaning.

[tristan]

I used to use an eraser to clean the contacts on the old Nintendo systems and computer parts. Worked pretty well.

[SirPoonga]

Would you suggest the alchohol and toothbrush clean the slot on a neo geo board.  I have a board with a video problem similar to what people describe when carts are dirty.  I think the slot itself might need the cleaning.

Alcohol and a qtip works too.  Actually, remeber the old NES cart cleaners.  Those were just alcohol and a cotton swap for the most part

[scatter]

Dishwasher.

I get probably 20 boards a week, they go in the dishwasher with some liquid cascade and when they come out I sling excess water out and stick them back in for the drying cycle.

Clean and shiny.

Even fixes the occasional dead board.

-scat

[Wade]

I use the dishwasher method for most boards and a lot of other parts too, like harnesses, coin doors, etc.

For things too large for the dishwasher like monitors, or when I'm in a hurry (dishwasher does take time... and sometimes it is full of dishes), I spray Bleche-Wite all over them, then hose them off.  For the really dirty ones monitors, sometimes I use a soft paintbrush to "scrub" the boards.

Be sure to let it dry for several days before powering any of it up though!

Wade

[ChadTower]

Beware of putting filthy arcade parts into the dishwasher... the sticks and buttons I put in came out clean, but my wife nearly broke a foot off in ---my bottom--- for putting such dirty things in there.   

[SirPoonga]

Beware of putting filthy arcade parts into the dishwasher... the sticks and buttons I put in came out clean, but my wife nearly broke a foot off in ---auto-censored--- for putting such dirty things in there.   

* SirPoonga is trying to guess the censored word.  For some reason I can figure out what it would have been...

[ChadTower]

I understand why it would censor the location, but it censored the word "my" as well... odd.

[SirPoonga]

Ahhhhh, then that would make more sense now that I know it is more than one word

BTW, shame on you 

[Karetaker]

I just use Windex & a paintbrush then hose it off. Then the old air compressor to blown the water off and dry them.

[ChadTower]

Hey, had you been there, you'd know how appropriate my phrasing is.

Ahhhhh, then that would make more sense now that I know it is more than one word

BTW, shame on you

[MameMaster!]

Not to sound dumb....but the idea of toss an electronic board (solid state or no) into a dishwasher astounds me.

Don't all of the exposed metal contact rust?

I have a couple of PCBs....(including a neo 1 slot) that I can't imagine tossing into the dishwasher.

Do you use gentle cycle or something? 
MameMaster!

[RayB]

Saliva works pretty well... Takes forever though. And I can't talk for days afterward.

[AlanS17]

Saliva works pretty well... Takes forever though. And I can't talk for days afterward.

I just got this mental image of you licking a PCB.

[Brunnen-G]

[quote author=MameMaster

[rchadd]

I clean my boards in the dishwasher on the lightest cycle, no detergent (or a tiny amount of regular dish soap if they're really filthy), and then place them in an oven at the lowest temperature to dry.

[ChadTower]

Yeah, I put a couple of lamp boards from Twilight Zone in the sink under the faucet the other day, and was all nervous doing it... though tremendously simple boards and there was no damage done.

[88mph]

The dishwasher method is great, and you don't have to worry about rust.  There aren't many ferrous components on circuit boards--a bunch of lead, tin, aluminum and copper, but not much in the way of iron or steel. 

There is one thing I would like to stress about this technique though.. Dry your boards thorougly before using them!  Even a board that looks dry may have water puddled up under the ICs, which can in turn short ground to 5V, which can burn chips and/or damage power supplies.  If you can leave a board out to dry on a nice sunny day, that is a good way to go.  Whenever I wash a board I usually give it at least a day to dry off before I use it. 

I once did the dishwasher trick on a nasty looking GO7 board, and it came out looking brand new.  Still works great. 

-88mph

[SirPeale]

A great way to speed up the drying time on your boards is to turn on your oven to 200 degrees, and when it's nearly there, turn it off.

Take out the shelves in your oven, all except the bottom.  Place the board on it.  If there are dangling parts, make sure they're NOT touching the element!

Now walk away.  Come back in five hours or so, or when you need to use the oven to make food.  In fact, put a sticky on the oven so no one turns it on with the parts inside, that can be bad!   

[babydickonboard]

i use windex, along with some q-tips and soft paint brushes for all of my pcbs.  i dont have to worry about rusting because anybody whos used it knows it evaporates quickly.  to be safe tho, i still let them sit for about a day before powering on.

[SirPeale]

Windex isn't a good idea, because it leaves stuff behind.  Plain water, OTOH, doesn't.  Well...it could leave trace minerals, which is why you should rinse with distilled water after you wash it.

[Witchboard]

After I wash my boards, I blow them off with compressed air and just put them outside in the Oklahoma sun for an hour.  They are dry... and hot.

[babydickonboard]

i didnt know windex leaves behind residue.....thanks for the info! i was told from some people that it was fine to use....ill probaly start using alchol