Is there anything out there that works better the acetone to clean circuit boards?
I tryed acetone on the board where the fets blew and it didnt touch the stuff.
I just wanna make the board look new again.
I tryed acetone on the board where the fets blew and it didnt touch the stuff.
I just wanna make the board look new again.
acetone is somewhat risky - many plastics craze or swell with ketones - isopropyl alcohol is more often recommended
also good is just plain detergent and water - at least where you don't have open case switches or pots
follow up with deionized water then alcohol
also good is just plain detergent and water - at least where you don't have open case switches or pots
follow up with deionized water then alcohol
If acetone didn't remove it, the solder mask was likely burned and the discoloration is permanent. I've used acetone for 25+ years and it's probably the best for cleaning soot from the board. It, however, will not remove residue from sugary drinks (coffee, soft drinks, etc...).
Check out the MG Chemicals site for info - Electronic Cleaners
I generally use the 404 Contact Cleaner on everything.
I generally use the 404 Contact Cleaner on everything.
you've been lucky - polycarbonate dies instantly on exposure to ketones, polystyrene dosn't like them either - don't use ketone solvents on any board with uncased clear plastic caps
Yep, plain ole water works very good and a little bit of dishwashing detergent if needed. I've water washed all sorts of electrical and electronics, not moving parts of course, but circuit boards, even PC motherboards. Years ago I worked on electronics for the tomato industry and some of it was for farm/field use. If something went wrong, the whole unit would fill up with field dirt! Yes, I'd have to disassemble the entire unit and water wash everything.
If something has moving parts, like a keyboard or mouse, I'll disassemble it first. The real trick though is getting everything dry and I have a compressor for that. Anywhere water can get in, so can air. As long as you can dry whatever you get wet, you'll be OK. Like today I disassembled and washed a VCR remote control. The batteries leaked and messed up the battery compartment. I soaked the battery compartment in household vinegar to neutralize the "alkaline" from the batteries and then I water washed and compressed air dried the whole thing, piece by piece. I put it all back together, installed fresh batteries and it's as good as new.
In 25 years, I have never seen any damage to any circuit board when acetone was used to clean soot from them. Unless I'm mistaken, he's trying to remove the damage/soot left by failed FETs. It's true that acetone is not safe for many plastics but the plastics used for most components in most car amps aren't harmed by it. The plastics most commonly damaged by acetone are those used for cosmetic components (display lenses, display panels, knobs, some powder coatings. etc).
Water does nothing to clean the soot left by failed FETs and it can take days to dry if compressed air isn't used to force it from under large caps and other large components.
Water does work well to clean dirty boards. Many people put the boards in a dishwasher. I've used a pressure washer many times. Removing the potentiometers is best.
Water does nothing to clean the soot left by failed FETs and it can take days to dry if compressed air isn't used to force it from under large caps and other large components.
Water does work well to clean dirty boards. Many people put the boards in a dishwasher. I've used a pressure washer many times. Removing the potentiometers is best.
auto carb cleaner
Use the cheapest spray carb cleaner you can purchase. Works great and it is pressurized.
A friend of mine who was on the design team on the Orion HCCA series of amplifiers in Phoenix uses autozone carb cleaner.
It always works and is cheap.
Use the cheapest spray carb cleaner you can purchase. Works great and it is pressurized.
A friend of mine who was on the design team on the Orion HCCA series of amplifiers in Phoenix uses autozone carb cleaner.
It always works and is cheap.
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Only thing with using solvents on circuit boards and their components, anything as strong as acetone will remove all the inks and paint markings and sometimes even the silk screen on the PCB.
The only markings that I've seen it remove easily are the printed markings on film capacitors potted in rectangular plastic cases. It can remove color bands from resistors and the silkscreen from the board but it generally takes a bit of scrubbing.
Carb and brake cleaners (I've heard of some people using this) often contain chlorinated solvents. If they do, they're significantly more dangerous than acetone.
To clarify, I don't recommend flooding the board with acetone or soaking the board in a vat of acetone. I use cotton swabs for cleaning around resistors and transformer windings when the FETs fail. For larger areas, I use a toothbrush but I'm careful not to let it get on any sensitive components.
Acetone is safe and effective when used with a bit of common sense.
Carb and brake cleaners (I've heard of some people using this) often contain chlorinated solvents. If they do, they're significantly more dangerous than acetone.
To clarify, I don't recommend flooding the board with acetone or soaking the board in a vat of acetone. I use cotton swabs for cleaning around resistors and transformer windings when the FETs fail. For larger areas, I use a toothbrush but I'm careful not to let it get on any sensitive components.
Acetone is safe and effective when used with a bit of common sense.
Ive Used acetone on over 100 amp repairs and never had a problem with any of them .
I was just wondering about this amp and i think the board is gonna have to stay that way its just burned to much in my opinion for anything to take it off.
I was just wondering about this amp and i think the board is gonna have to stay that way its just burned to much in my opinion for anything to take it off.
Bog standard service technicians trick - warm water and dishwashing detergent clean, compressed air dry and then final dry with a warm not hot hair dryer.
Clean the pcb and keypad contacts with isopropyl/turps/metho with a cotton bud and clean off with dry cotton bud.
An otherwise dead remote becomes like new, sometimes even better.
I have lost count of the number of drowned remotes I have fixed by this method.
Same deal with populated pcb's - the trick is to blow out every last droplet of water and final warm dry thoroughly - on top of an electric hot water system and covered by a towel or newspaper for 24 hours is ideal.
Eric.
Acetone, alcohol, contact cleaner by puretronics, de-oxidIT Dp5 for RCAs, and Cotton tipped swabs by the bag fulls, and Kim-wipes clean wipes, Stiff bristle brushes , and even 1 inch wide paint brushes, along with a few special brushes I found along the way..Oh, and dental tools by the dozen. if it scrapes plaque it will scrap PC Boards clean.
Never had much use for TSP or any phosphate based detergent. All though I hear it does great on walls and floors🙂 I am sure of the fact that it leaves soapy films on just about anything it touches unless you have tons of Deionized ultra pure water to rinse the soap films off with, and then a temp controlled oven to dry the electronics out with, your gonna have a filmy coated board that will do all sorts of strange things with age. Also high PH detergents can cause copper to etch and corrode, not immediately but later on after the amp goes home to its owner IF its not removed properly and thoroughly. Acetone can also leave a film but alcohol will remove this film and disperse any water left over < this is standard clean room procedures used by vacuum equipment tech's and engineers to clean anything used inside of semiconductor tools prior to burn-in and release to production for production.
I worked on etchers early on in the valley and the only thing manufacturers use is Ultra Pure water after processing steps and lots of Super clean hot air to dry the bare boards, and same on Silicon chips also. nowadays on high end boards and flex its all Plasma desmear and etch back in a vacuum chamber with Rf induced plasma using Oxygen, nitrogen, and CF-4 or R-12 as some of you know it. R-12 being what they use to use in your car AC unit till it was banned. Well they use it as a etch gas on PC Boards and Silicon semiconductor devices also.
On Loaded boards I have seen TCE 1,1,1 or Freon R-11. which degrease cleanse. and evaporate at around room temperature and also disperse water. Just about anything you use can and will damage some part of the electronics somehow and anything you use must be used with caution of its final results if not handled properly.
I guess you could use Zest they say it doesn't leave a soap film 😀
Never had much use for TSP or any phosphate based detergent. All though I hear it does great on walls and floors🙂 I am sure of the fact that it leaves soapy films on just about anything it touches unless you have tons of Deionized ultra pure water to rinse the soap films off with, and then a temp controlled oven to dry the electronics out with, your gonna have a filmy coated board that will do all sorts of strange things with age. Also high PH detergents can cause copper to etch and corrode, not immediately but later on after the amp goes home to its owner IF its not removed properly and thoroughly. Acetone can also leave a film but alcohol will remove this film and disperse any water left over < this is standard clean room procedures used by vacuum equipment tech's and engineers to clean anything used inside of semiconductor tools prior to burn-in and release to production for production.
I worked on etchers early on in the valley and the only thing manufacturers use is Ultra Pure water after processing steps and lots of Super clean hot air to dry the bare boards, and same on Silicon chips also. nowadays on high end boards and flex its all Plasma desmear and etch back in a vacuum chamber with Rf induced plasma using Oxygen, nitrogen, and CF-4 or R-12 as some of you know it. R-12 being what they use to use in your car AC unit till it was banned. Well they use it as a etch gas on PC Boards and Silicon semiconductor devices also.
On Loaded boards I have seen TCE 1,1,1 or Freon R-11. which degrease cleanse. and evaporate at around room temperature and also disperse water. Just about anything you use can and will damage some part of the electronics somehow and anything you use must be used with caution of its final results if not handled properly.
I guess you could use Zest they say it doesn't leave a soap film 😀
Time to scare you guys. 😀
I use lacquer thinner in cleaning boards. I did erase part prints on some box caps but no damage in any board I washed and I've been using it for several years now. Just remember to be careful with plastic components.
We use IPA at work and it works OK but still leaves more flux behind although it isn't as strong or harmful to plastics.
Worst case I did I had to submerge the board in thinner for about an hour or so with agitation. It wasn't working due to flux under the small SMD parts and it worked after the long bath (after drying ofcourse!). Not recommended for the faint of heart. 😉
I use lacquer thinner in cleaning boards. I did erase part prints on some box caps but no damage in any board I washed and I've been using it for several years now. Just remember to be careful with plastic components.
We use IPA at work and it works OK but still leaves more flux behind although it isn't as strong or harmful to plastics.
Worst case I did I had to submerge the board in thinner for about an hour or so with agitation. It wasn't working due to flux under the small SMD parts and it worked after the long bath (after drying ofcourse!). Not recommended for the faint of heart. 😉
I do too. I use a small amount on a toothbrush on the copper side only (I don't do surface mount) - cuts through flux.
As far as I know, it isn't more dangerous than acetone. It's not any more flammable, that's for sure.
I've used brake cleaner too, in an aerosol can. It can really clean up the component side on an old board.
I just feel compelled to say that the ratio of constructive argument vs. destructive argument on this forum is comparable to none. This thread is a great example.
I do SMD often. I haven't damaged an SMD part. Yet. 😀 I like thinner because it cleans through the parts really well. Although I do limit exposure of the parts to the thinner if possible. Like solder side only. Plastic IC and transistor cases are usually unharmed in thinner even in prolonged immersion. The housing of PCB mount RCA connectors and PCB mount DC barrel jacks start to soften with enough exposure to the thinner.
If possible, I mount those sensitive plastic parts last after cleaning the entire board. After soldering the plastic jacks, I clean again but only the jack pins with a small amount and a toothbrush. A blast of compressed air and then the boards are 100% clean with no residues. 😎
What do you guys think about Simple Green? I found out today that it does a pretty good job at cleaning black burn marks from an exploded FET.
I had never tried lacquer thinner or Simple Green so I purchased both to try.
The lacquer thinner works about as well as acetone but dries more slowly and has a significantly stronger odor.
The Simple Green wasn't nearly as effective as the solvents for removing soot or heatsink compound. For removing the soot and heatsink compound, solvents seem to work the best.
When a board is dirty from years of use (especially amps with fans), I use 409 (Simple Green would probably work as well), and a pressure washer (car wash generally). I saturate the boards with the cleaner, let them soak for at least 5 minutes and then wash them with the pressure washer. Compressed air is then used to force the air from under the components. The amps are then left to dry in the sun for most of the day (in the summer). In the winter, I'll put them in front of a fan or put them in an oven at ~100°F (don't try this unless you know what you're doing). Solvents would be almost useless for this type of cleaning.
The lacquer thinner works about as well as acetone but dries more slowly and has a significantly stronger odor.
The Simple Green wasn't nearly as effective as the solvents for removing soot or heatsink compound. For removing the soot and heatsink compound, solvents seem to work the best.
When a board is dirty from years of use (especially amps with fans), I use 409 (Simple Green would probably work as well), and a pressure washer (car wash generally). I saturate the boards with the cleaner, let them soak for at least 5 minutes and then wash them with the pressure washer. Compressed air is then used to force the air from under the components. The amps are then left to dry in the sun for most of the day (in the summer). In the winter, I'll put them in front of a fan or put them in an oven at ~100°F (don't try this unless you know what you're doing). Solvents would be almost useless for this type of cleaning.
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