What is the best method for cleaning up leaked electrolyte? This PCB has some corrosion on IC leads and vias.
Is there a corrosion neutralizer that would be effective? Since the potential for corrosion in places that aren't accessible (deep in the vias), a liquid that can neutralize corrosion is called for.
Would something like DeOxit work in such an application?
This is on a Tek scope acquisition board.
Thanks.
litmus test first to see of acidic or alkaline and go for the opposite as cleaner ?
-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
If you can beg or borrow an ultrasonic cleaner, ordinary water with a dash of washing up liquid will do fine,
Any crystals or ceramic resonaters should be removed before ultrasonic cleaning.
If the construction of any components mean they trap water, a second dip without detergent will be needed, and you may have to bake the board to dry everything - the pre-heat phase on a SMD oven should do it.
I scrub with white vinegar and a toothbrush, then rinse with alcohol. If the corrosion is more severe, mechanical methods may be needed, Scotchbrite type cleaning pads work well but you have to be careful not to damage fine traces. In some cases it's best to neutralize and then clean off as much residue as possible and then leave the remaining corrosion alone.
Dishwasher.
John
You must be single.
The electrolyte is mostly a weak organic acid. Neutralizing it with any manner of mild base will prevent further corrosion. I use household cleaner, such as 409. You can tell that it's working if the liquid foams slightly on contact.
409 will also break up the copper sulfate. However, you'll have to wash off the residue.The trick is not neutralizing the electrolyte. It's cleaning up the mess afterwards. I smear the residue and "suds" around with a paint brush, wash with water and/or alcohol, and then use compressed air to blow as much of the liquid away (so it will dry quicker). Canned air doesn't work well. An air compressor and nozzle work just fine.
No. It will leave an oily residue that will eventually turn into a big mess when the dust lands on the oil. It's also kinda expensive for washing boards.
Obviously, there's no need to supply a Tek model number. Many such pieces of test equipment are very sensitive to leakage caused by board contamination. For such boards, you may need to give it an alcohol bath, possibly several times.
You can always do it while the wife is out, it's not gonna damage anything.
When I was a teenager I occasionally washed engine parts in the dishwasher, not something I'd recommend, but my mom never found out.
Just be sure to do a 60 C bake for about a half hour afterward.
Hmm, you bought a TDS5xx? There is a lot about cleaning these board on the Tektronix user forum on their website.
Excellent advice. A household dishwasher (with the normal powder detergent) is an extremely cheap and powerful cleaning device for almost anything. It took me a while to convince my ex-lab to use one for cleaning larger UHV parts rather than an appropriately-sized ultrasonic tank which would have cost the equivalent of 100 dishwashers. There are things that a dishwasher isn't good enough for, but they are few.
robert
It was a different story the one time I put a pan of trichloroethane on the gas ring!
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