Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

[Topcat]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

I've tried something a bit different with Toshiba 24x CD-ROM drive (1997). This type of drives is known to stop working sometimes - spins up the CD and then stops and LED remains on to indicate a failure. Cleaning the lens usually helps. But this time, it did not help. The drive acted as if there was no CD inside. So I removed the laser head and sprayed isopropyl alcohol through all holes into it. Then put in front of a fan to dry. After assembling, it worked fine again

Thanks for that tip.... I have a box full of 24x Toshiba cdrom drives that do that exact thing....

[kc8adu]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

simple green is the least damaging option.
mean green is an alkaline based cleaner liks castrol super clean.
if you make 100% sure you rinse ALL traces of this stuff off it is safe.
hell i put the chassis of a zenith trans oceanic through the dishwasher.this thing was nasty when it arrived.
customer thought i shipped back a nos replacement if they hadnt seen orange drop caps .
i did a notebook mobo too.
coffee with extra cream&sugar is hard to clean after it dries.

[NDJeff]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

My roommate and I have both recently quit smoking, so I am learning by experience how to clean tobacco residue off EVERYTHING. The best product I have found so far for taking off nicotine is Castrol Super clean. I have been using it to clean heatsinks and fans, wasn't sure about cleaning boards. I have a spray bottle that I mix it with water in, about 5:1 or so. I am never going to scrub a heatsink again, this stuff works way too good.

[CaysE]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

I've never done anything like this, and I'm no expert, but I read that it was necessary to do a final rinse with distilled water or something like Chem-wash to prevent any contacts from gradually corroding. True or not?

The final rinse should be done with distilled water or similar, because any spots where tap water will sit and air dry will leave mineral deposits on the board, some of which are electrically conductive and/or corrosive to exposed leads (iron being the most common, as it will cause the contacts to rust).

[CaysE]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

I just now realized two things. Why not take the BIOS chip out, and does the fan still work?

[kc8adu]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

i wash hsf in water all the time.hot water and dawn detergent with a paintbrush.blow out with shop air and put on the monitor for heat to finish the job.

[kc8adu]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

wanna see a horrified look on someones face?
put a $15000 fanuc motor drive unit in the safetykleen partswasher!
the unit was so full of "black death"as we call the buildup of coolants,cutting oil,and machining debris that the fan blades and heatsinks were completely packed full.
looked like the sludge found in an engine that had never seen an oil change.
stopped up the filter in the partswasher.
the worst one was a tie with a ford/rotunda anylyser unit and 50 pounds of brakedust/crap or a siemens sitop 40 psu that when the cover was removed the crap dropped out like a black brick!

[Lance Thornton]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

I've actually had very good luck with simple green on cases, not boards. I've also found that my dishwasher does a good job on boards. Just make sure that the cmos battery is out and the memory, processor and fans are all taken off. I live in West Florida and it usually takes about 2 days after the wash job to have the board completely air dry. Good luck to all!

[Zorro]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

I've actually had very good luck with simple green on cases, not boards. I've also found that my dishwasher does a good job on boards. Just make sure that the cmos battery is out and the memory, processor and fans are all taken off.

Washing your processor is perfectly fine as well. I've done it numerous times to my CPUs when I need to remove excess AS3. Use a soft toothbrush, and non-abrasive dishwashing soap, and no damage will be done. Air dry for sufficient time, of course.

[gonzo0815]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

I have a Samsung centrino notebook wit dried cooffee cream and shugar over the board. I washed it thoroughly with some greasremover. working fine, but was hard to rinse away. As i don`t know if it is corosive. But i am not shure, if the coffee buildup under those variouse chips and the cpu soket is celan enough. I will build it togheter tomorrow. hopefully it will work again, coz it has a decent gfx in there (mobility radeon 9700, still ok for most games).

Do you mean, that sutch an board will survive a dishwasher program with 75°c and the steam heating? I am not shure, may be i try it, before i trash it.

[Maxxarcade]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

This is excellent information... I work in the amusement business repairing the games that have been in bars/pubs etc for years running 24/7, and I've always wanted a good method for cleaning the nicotine off everything. I have a parts washer tub, but I was never sure of what to use in it. I'll try some Simple Green. How much should it be diluted for cleaning boards?

Also, regarding the CDROM lasers- I have a big box of Jukebox CD players that are made by Philips and cost about $300 each that no longer work because of nicotine. They only last about a year when being used in a bar. I've thought about trying to clean the laser with alcohol spray, but have not tried it yet. Your experience with the CDROM laser is encouraging

[cods69]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

I'll post back when I find it in the shops/hardware, so others (Aussies) can find it.

I decided to chase this up - emailed Aus distributor (CIPL Pty Ltd) and they replied....

You will be able to purchase Simple Green from Bunnings in the cleaning aisle.

I have actually checked Bunnings before (huge hardware store chain for those not in Aus), but I'll go there again and double check then report back.

[cods69]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

Yep - Bunnings have a pretty reasonable range of Simple Green.
Got myself a 2L bottle of all purpose with a bonus foaming bottle for $20AU. Not too bad.
Gunna test it out on an old Memorex Universal Remote (from May '90 ) which got cola or coffee on the board making it flaky.
Very happy I could 'find' it, eventually.

[gonzo0815]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

I ordered some Crystal Green, it just arrived today. Is that the right thing? i tested it on a the cooking damp extractor hood. Well ok on that thick greasey surface it did not work without some mechanicall support. But any way, the result was promising.

[cods69]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

I had to post this. The Memorex remote I tested Simple Green on, is now working perfectly.
It's a clunky old CP8 Turbo manufactured May '90, but I love its scheduling features. Very handy and reliable for A/V automation.

It has not worked properly since about '92 when it had several instances of crap spilled over it. Ever since, it chewed batteries like nothing I've seen and operation was completely frustrating as it seemed like it hung often. The buttons never worked that well after the spills, either.

After a good twice over squirt with 1:1 mix Simple Green, sat it for about 5 minutes, then a good scrub with a toothbrush. Dried with compressed air, then air dried overnight.
It now works perfectly in every way. It has been operating flat out for a week without a hitch on the same batteries. Even all the buttons work fine now - there must have been a film of dried crap over the button tracks on the pcb.

A few pix of pre Simple Greening. Sorry, no post cleaning pictures.
BTW - yes, I removed that onboard battery before the job.

Note the very hard dried crud near the Sanyo chip. Not all was removed, but it appears it was enough to fix it.




IMHO, Simple Green is incredible stuff. Thanks Topcat.

EDIT - I should have mentioned I did not completely submerge the LCD unit. I only carefully rinsed around it.

[Elitist]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

You've been reading up on my old threads, again,TC!!!
Quite a lot of my stuff goes through the dishwasher. Otherwise, I fitted one of those American sprayers to my sink ten years ago, when they were still illegal over here (no double check valve!). ALL PSU s get this treatment before opening them - that's where the gunge accumulates worst. I prefer to dry stuff by shaking and leaving in the sun (remember?!). TV chassis come up like new, too. Wickes has a sink tap-set with a pull-out sprayer, now.
Incidentally, anyone still using crt monitors/TVs, eg on the test bench, spare room, would do well to pick off the 12v line (often silk-screened) and bring out a pair of [screened!!!!] leads to an old 8 or 10cm PSU fan held onto the top with a single self-tapper through one of the grill holes. Don't forget to fit a couple of ferrite lead-throughs. Best is to draw air up from the inside the case. This will double the lifetime of the unit (unless the screw-end is too close to the UHT!).

[Elitist]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

Addendum: It's an urban myth to remove batteries and other active components. Look up the conductivity of tap water.....

[gonzo0815]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

After adding some cleaning detergents, i suppose the conductivity of tap water will rise. Same for salts (alkaline cleaners) and acids. May be you are right, but as long as it din`t hurt to remove batteries etc. why risk anything?

[Elitist]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

If you've got one of those American sprayer gadgets it may not be necessary to add anything! The pressure is sufficient to shift centuries of grime. Acids and alkalis should never be need - asking for trouble. However, if you get a really bad case of tar deposit, rub a little non-ionic surfacant in with the dishwasher brush before spraying! Where there's a Will, ther's a Willawake.....

[dood]

Re: Cleaning Motherboards - ATTN SMOKERS!!

We use a salt additive system here at the house, for controlling our iron content. Conductivity of our water is higher than normal, and it will leave salt deposits on circuit boards...