Getting rid of smoke on old games

[Kangum]

Over the past few weeks I have been buying old n64 carts off of ebay. anyway a couple of different times I got the carts and they reeked like cig smoke. you could smell the stench like 10 feet away. is there any way to get rid of the smell.

[northerngames]

rubbing alcohol but dont use it on the sticker

[ChadTower]

Unless it's a rare game, usually I'll just pass it on to someone else and get another.  Getting smoke odor out of plastic is nearly impossible.

[danny_galaga]

ive been lucky then! i must have bought over 50 second hand carts (various) now and i dont think any have reeked of cig smoke. just think, once upon a time no one would have thought twice about it. id go with the alcohol thing, remembering that the inside part where the connector is will be harbouring stink as well. also, i'm sure it will fade in time. maybe keep the worse ones out in your garage/basement what have you when not in use...

[ChadTower]

It really doesn't fade, it's not like wood.  Plastic is a "living material".  It evolves and that odor will be there long after you don't want the thing anymore.

[missioncontrol]

Just start smoking... then you won't notice the smell

[ChadTower]

He'll lose the label if he does that.

[SavannahLion]

 

[Kangum]

rubbing alcohol is kinda working. better then nothing i guess. its faded alot since I first opened it.

[northerngames]

you can use the rubbing alcohol on the pcb itself also it wont hurt anything on there it would just clean it up good but make sure you let it dry for an hour before powering it on again.

use a q-tip to get by small components if needed but go slow becuase they get caught sometime's from fraying and could yank a small component off the board but I have never had them pull anything up before.

[ChadTower]

If the PCB stinks just put it in the dishwasher.  It'll be fine.

[northerngames]

that would corrode and rust most the legs and some components lol.

[ChadTower]

that would corrode and rust most the legs and some components lol.

No, it won't.  We throw arcade PCBs in the dishwasher all the time.  Just be sure to let it fully dry, like you said.  The amount of components on an N64 cart pcb is very very low.

[ChadTower]

It's an old argument.  I generally consider that a lot of manufacturers use them to clean boards and figure that they know pretty much all there is to know about the risks.  Use the gentle cycle, let it air dry, and you'll be fine. 

[danny_galaga]

It really doesn't fade, it's not like wood.  Plastic is a "living material".  It evolves and that odor will be there long after you don't want the thing anymore.

well, anytime you smell the smoke, there are less 'stink' atoms left. the plastic may last forever, but the very fact you smell smoke means theres less of it left 

[ChadTower]

It really doesn't fade, it's not like wood.  Plastic is a "living material".  It evolves and that odor will be there long after you don't want the thing anymore.

well, anytime you smell the smoke, there are less 'stink' atoms left. the plastic may last forever, but the very fact you smell smoke means theres less of it left 

While true, does he really want to wait 12 years when he can just get another one?

[2600]

I've had a lot of success with using dryer sheets to get rid of smoke smell.  Put a couple games and a couple dryer sheets in a zip lock bag and leave it in for a week.  I'm guesstimating the time.

I've never tried games so you luck may vary, but with magazines, books, and some toys it has worked very well.

[danny_galaga]

It really doesn't fade, it's not like wood.  Plastic is a "living material".  It evolves and that odor will be there long after you don't want the thing anymore.

well, anytime you smell the smoke, there are less 'stink' atoms left. the plastic may last forever, but the very fact you smell smoke means theres less of it left 

While true, does he really want to wait 12 years when he can just get another one?

that time will fly in no time 

[missioncontrol]

I've had a lot of success with using dryer sheets to get rid of smoke smell.  Put a couple games and a couple dryer sheets in a zip lock bag and leave it in for a week.  I'm guesstimating the time.

I've never tried games so you luck may vary, but with magazines, books, and some toys it has worked very well.

Did you sell me a Sega Game Gear on E-Bay?

I just got one a few weeks back and I'm still trying to get the dryer sheet smell out of it...

[ahofle]

 

[DaveMMR]

I've had a lot of success with using dryer sheets to get rid of smoke smell.  Put a couple games and a couple dryer sheets in a zip lock bag and leave it in for a week.  I'm guesstimating the time.

I've never tried games so you luck may vary, but with magazines, books, and some toys it has worked very well.

I just got one a few weeks back and I'm still trying to get the dryer sheet smell out of it...

   I found that smoking around it helps get rid of that dryer sheet smell. 

[SavannahLion]

I've had a lot of success with using dryer sheets to get rid of smoke smell.  Put a couple games and a couple dryer sheets in a zip lock bag and leave it in for a week.  I'm guesstimating the time.

I've never tried games so you luck may vary, but with magazines, books, and some toys it has worked very well.

I just got one a few weeks back and I'm still trying to get the dryer sheet smell out of it...

   I found that smoking around it helps get rid of that dryer sheet smell. 

Hey, got anything to get rid of that chicken ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, cat ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, goat ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, and dog ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- smell?*

* All these smells and err... items were discovered on PCBs during my forays.

[HairyDVD]

Anyone know how to get rid of a nicotine patch stuck on a cartridge ........   

[brpadington]

I find that animal urine can be effective in removing just about any scent from a cartridge. 

[SavannahLion]

Anyone know how to get rid of a nicotine patch stuck on a cartridge ........   

Go to step 2?

[HairyDVD]

I find that animal urine can be effective in removing just about any scent from a cartridge. 

Been looking for a use for that skunk living down the bottom of the garden 

[fjl]

Just in case someone besides ChadTower thinks that was a great idea:

Do not put arcade PCBs in the dishwasher.


The components are not water tight and you will shorten their lives.  If you -must- wash a PCB, use everclear or pure rubbing alcohol.  You really shouldn't wash them, though.

Worthless N64 carts, though?  Who cares.

They are water tight. They make them water tight. If they weren't then dust and anything else that gets in would have ruined them already. Most electronic components are sealed in plastic and the only exposure are the metal leads. And they're not even made of metal. And most of them are covered in lead. Water doesn't do anything to lead. Lead doesn't rust nor corrode. They should be perfectly fine if they get wet as long as the board is not turned on while its wet.

[SavannahLion]

They should be perfectly fine if they get wet as long as the board is turned on while its wet.

Don't forget to keep the board in your hands while it's powered on.

[fjl]

Misprint, should be "as long as its NOT turned on while its wet."

[danny_galaga]

Just in case someone besides ChadTower thinks that was a great idea:

Do not put arcade PCBs in the dishwasher.


The components are not water tight and you will shorten their lives.  If you -must- wash a PCB, use everclear or pure rubbing alcohol.  You really shouldn't wash them, though.

Worthless N64 carts, though?  Who cares.

They are water tight. They make them water tight. If they weren't then dust and anything else that gets in would have ruined them already. Most electronic components are sealed in plastic and the only exposure are the metal leads. And they're not even made of metal. And most of them are covered in lead. Water doesn't do anything to lead. Lead doesn't rust nor corrode. They should be perfectly fine if they get wet as long as the board is not turned on while its wet.

hate to be pedantic, but lead DOES corrode. wont have any bearing on whether you can wash pcbs or not...

[ChadTower]

hate to be pedantic, but lead DOES corrode. wont have any bearing on whether you can wash pcbs or not...

Somehow I doubt he's going to keep it in the dishwasher for 22 years.   

[SavannahLion]

hate to be pedantic, but lead DOES corrode. wont have any bearing on whether you can wash pcbs or not...

If I recall, Lead is rather stable. After my father's death, I discovered some lead bars that were exposed to the elements for at least twenty years (likely far longer). Lead bullets from the Civil War are still found found on battle fields.

It takes some pretty specific circumstances to cause lead to corrode to where it might cause any concern.

[danny_galaga]

hate to be pedantic, but lead DOES corrode. wont have any bearing on whether you can wash pcbs or not...

If I recall, Lead is rather stable. After my father's death, I discovered some lead bars that were exposed to the elements for at least twenty years (likely far longer). Lead bullets from the Civil War are still found found on battle fields.

It takes some pretty specific circumstances to cause lead to corrode to where it might cause any concern.

like i say, i was being pedantic. do this. take a lead sinker, tyre weight etc. what colour is it? scrape the surface with a knife. what colour is it now? how long before it's the old colour again? that is corrosion, and pretty fast too. although it doesnt seem to go any further once its tarnished. sort of self-sealing i suppose. none the less, lead corrodes...

[fjl]

Everything corrodes little by little. But back to my point, sticking a circuit board in the dishwasher/wetting it will hardly cause any sort of damage as long as it's dry before powering it up again.

[SavannahLion]

hate to be pedantic, but lead DOES corrode. wont have any bearing on whether you can wash pcbs or not...

If I recall, Lead is rather stable. After my father's death, I discovered some lead bars that were exposed to the elements for at least twenty years (likely far longer). Lead bullets from the Civil War are still found found on battle fields.

It takes some pretty specific circumstances to cause lead to corrode to where it might cause any concern.

like i say, i was being pedantic. do this. take a lead sinker, tyre weight etc. what colour is it? scrape the surface with a knife. what colour is it now? how long before it's the old colour again? that is corrosion, and pretty fast too. although it doesnt seem to go any further once its tarnished. sort of self-sealing i suppose. none the less, lead corrodes...

My point is, your statement:

hate to be pedantic, but lead DOES corrode. wont have any bearing on whether you can wash pcbs or not...

makes it seem like that a person should be concerned about corrosion of the lead on their PCB's. Yeah, I know you did qualify your statement by saying that it won't have any bearing on whether you can wash your PCBs, but seems to leave the reader wondering what environment would destroy their lead based components when in fact that kind of concern would be too far down the list of things to worry about. Probably right below worrying when your plastic and ceramic components would start to crumble due to age. 

IIRC from rather sucky highschool science courses, the very thin film of lead corrosion is chemically bonded with the lead below preventing further corrosion from occurring. This has made lead exceptionally desirable for some really nasty applications, like lining toxic waste tanks. I never actually thought of it as "self sealing" though. I guess that's a kind of modern way of looking at it.

[danny_galaga]

well, thats what YOU say (and i agree). however, i was replying to this statement:

Lead doesn't rust nor corrode.

[ChadTower]

OTOH, I hear it makes a great toothpaste additive.

[SavannahLion]

OTOH, I hear it makes a great toothpaste additive.

Used as a sweetener. No wonder my American made toothpaste tastes so bitter.

[danny_galaga]

OTOH, I hear it makes a great toothpaste additive.

Used as a sweetener. No wonder my American made toothpaste tastes so bitter.

"Lead acetate is no longer used as a sweetener in most of the world because of its recognized toxicity."

 

[fjl]

Should I have added, "enough to cause concern"

well, thats what YOU say (and i agree). however, i was replying to this statement:

Lead doesn't rust nor corrode.