Folks
I was given a II+ which though very dirty booted up and worked. I have previously stripped and cleaned machines before but I have not seen a motherboard like this. Most of the back 1/2 of the board is covered in a 2mm thick layer of what looks like carpet fibres. I tried an air duster on one area, and it did not move it. I used a Q tip and some ispropyl alcohol on the top of a couple of I/Cs and it removed the dust/fibres. I guess this means that I could carefully clean the board with a lint free cloth and alcohol. Assuming I am careful, do you guys recommend doing this or am I likely to cause issues?
Any tips of what I should do, or not do.
Many thanks.
Actually it could be crud or something else causing it to stick. I have found that "Econoline Flux Remover" from Jameco cleans boards very well. Its not cheap and you may windup using a whole can to soak the board and then a tooth brush to remove everything, but all the crud and everything else that would make stuff stick is gone not just flux. I got this tip from guys in the Altair forum for cleaning boards.
Good luck,
Corey
If you have a motherboard that's really filthy I recommend rather than wasting time with wiping, just remove all ICs from the board, take it outside, and spray it with your garden hose. Sometimes that level of water pressure is necessary to get all the caked-on grime off, especially under components. Then rinse the board off with distilled water to get hard water salts & chlorine off, and swing the excess water off with both hands, taking turns holding it from all 4 sides. Then inspect it for any obvious leftover moisture which you can spot-dry with a paper towel, and IMPORTANTLY set it somewhere warm and dry to fully dry for 2 days before reinstalling all the socketed components. That last drying step is very important...don't rush it!
I did this with my motherboard below, and the board works great and got MUCH cleaner that I ever could do simply by wiping it...not to mention NO harsh chemicals like alcohol was involved...just clean water.
Howie
The only thing I can add to the mix is if you remove all the chips to clean the board, check all the chip pins too. If you have a small jar lid, or another small container that you can place some electrical contact cleaner into, you can use a toothbrush and the contact cleaner to clean all the chips and let them dry while the board is drying out.
It has worked for me.
Yep. Washing boards this way is the way to go. On the nasties I use a little diluted Dawn dishwashing detergent and soak the boards in the bathtub for a few minutes and then brush the board a paintbrush. This works fantastic.
It is important to rinse well, get all the mineral deposits off. Shake and swing is the order of the day.
I always take the chips out prior to doing this, to help prevent waterpockets and facilitate drying, mostly. You can brush on some contact lubricant. Just a little. A squirt in a rag should be good for the entire motherboard. I like to be sure both sides of the pins are coated.
Sometimes I'll oven-dry the boards if I'm in a hurry.
Been doing this for years, and the reliability of the stuff I got my hands on has just gone up and up.
I've been washing PCBs for decades. Mostly analog-based boards, but also many purely digital.
I use softened water and Simple Green, a biodegradable, non-toxic water-based degreaser.
Afterward, I usually use an air compressor to remove extra water, then air-dry.
The only caveat I should mention (at least regarding digital boards) is that you should probably remove any ceramic ICs prior to a "bath."
These chips may be porous or have small openings where water can intrude.