Best and safest way to clean up PCB's and Monitors?

[Wyluli]

What is the best and safest way to clean up dust and grime covered PCB's without damaging them? 
How the heck do you guys get them so clean?

Also, what is the best way to clean up all the circuit boards etc..around an arcade monitor?  It's a dusty mess around the back of the monitor and I'd like to clean it up really nice but I want to make sure I'm not going to accidently ruin anything.  (or fry myself)

I know you can blow some stuff off with canned air, but this doesn't remove nearly everything and I'd like to get it as clean as possible.  So, short of giving it a bath in soapy water and scrubbing it off with a sponge, what should I use?   

[tommy]

I take some qtips and go threw the board a few times till clean

[Wyluli]

I take some qtips and go threw the board a few times till clean

Hey man, you followin me around?   
Q-tips huh, so you just basically wipe every thing down with a dry Q-tip?  Doesn't hurt anything.  I've been thinking about this monitor stuff way to long, the other night I had a nightmare about discharging the arcade monitor..... 

[SirPoonga]

Clean the PCB boards with slightly damp non-static cloth and isopropyl alcohol (non-conductive).  That's how I cleaned computers parts while working at IBM.

But not on the electronics of the monitor.  Unless you know how to safely discharge a monitor I wouldn't do it.

[Wyluli]

Clean the PCB boards with slightly damp non-static cloth and isopropyl alcohol (non-conductive).

[Wyluli]

I take some qtips and go threw the board a few times till clean

Damp q-tips or wet?  With water or alcohol?

[fredster]

There's a tutorial on this at mikesarcade.com

[SirPeale]

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.  Then turn it off.  Take the board to the sink.  Spray it down.  Spray the board with degreaser.  Let it sit for a couple minutes, then *gently* scrub with a soft brush.  Rinse well.  Take a blowdryer to it on high air and get as much water off as possible.  Then put the board in the oven.  Come back in a few hours.

[D_Zoot]

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

[SirPeale]

Just the one, and it worked fine.

[tommy]

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

[SirPeale]

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.  Then turn it off.  Take the board to the sink.  Spray it down.  Spray the board with degreaser.  Let it sit for a couple minutes, then *gently* scrub with a soft brush.  Rinse well.  Take a blowdryer to it on high air and get as much water off as possible.  Then put the board in the oven.  Come back in a few hours.

It that how to ruin a board , i wouldnt try that , i had one of my pcbs near a fish tank and alittle water got on it , it was done , just take some qtips wet with your mouth and clean

It's a time tested proceedure.  Even Ken Layton will do it (although I think his proceedure might differ slightly) that way.  Was the PCB on when this happened?  Also fish tank water is very high in minerals, so that would be bad as well.

[D_Zoot]

wet with your mouth and clean

Sprinkle a little tuna juice on it and let the cat lick it clean for you....   


Actually tommy,  I've put many a logic board in the dishwasher, blew them off with compressed ait, and then a warm oven to dry.  The important thing is to dry the board fully ASAP.  Letting water sit on a board, such as in your fish tank incident, probably allowed corrosion to set into something.     There is always a remote danger that water can leech into some component and ruin it,  I've heard of it happening, but never had it happen to myself. 


D

[Xiaou2]

radio shacks  'electronic cleaner'  spray

[scatter]

I know more than a few Ops that clean them in a standard Dish Washer with standard dishwashing detergent. After the cycle take them out and sling the water out then stick them back in and let the drying cycle do it's stuff. I tried it a couple of times on some DOA boards (Just to see) and it brought one back to life, (Must have been a flaky contact somewhere) I make no claims as to the safeness of this practice as far as the board goes but they *do* come out shiny and new.

-b

[Flinkly]

i do this with my keyboard all the time, even though i know that this stuff is a little different.  just stick it through the dishwasher witha  little less soap than usual.  i wouldn't hesitate to do this with pcb's, but do get them dry quickly.

[Wyluli]

Somehow sticking any circuit board in the dishwasher just doesn't sit right with me.  At least now I know how you get your boards so darn shiny.  I think I'll start off blowing air on the board and go from there.  I'd even wipe it with a damp cloth.

[scatter]

And when you want to get serious you'll grab the Cascade 

-b