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buildafriend

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Jun 30, 2009
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Hi,

What methods do you consider best for cleaning flux off of PCBs? There are some very expensive looking commercial wash's but are they necessary for DIY? There must be something consumer grade that works better than just a small tank of 99% isopropyl alcohol.. is that all you use if anything at all? I'm curious to hear about how you PCB people go about this.

Thanks regardless,
-JP
 
buildafriend said:
Hi,

What methods do you consider best for cleaning flux off of PCBs? There are some very expensive looking commercial wash's but are they necessary for DIY? There must be something consumer grade that works better than just a small tank of 99% isopropyl alcohol.. is that all you use if anything at all? I'm curious to hear about how you PCB people go about this.

I'm with John12ax7 on the no-clean solder.

At work, we use a low-foaming no-phosphate cleaner called Detergent 8. A gallon costs about $100, but you dilute it something like 50:1 (one gallon makes 50 gallons of usable solution). Squirt it on the board, scrub with a toothbrush or a 1"-wide chip (paint) brush with the bristles cut short, and then rinse with de-ionized or distilled water. (Tap water leaves that white powdery residue.) Works better than alcohol, too. Dry the board with compressed shop air.

NB: ensure that your parts can be washed! Don't try to clean a board that has un-sealed pots or switches installed.
 
Andy Peters said:
I'm with John12ax7 on the no-clean solder.

At work, we use a low-foaming no-phosphate cleaner called Detergent 8. A gallon costs about $100, but you dilute it something like 50:1 (one gallon makes 50 gallons of usable solution). Squirt it on the board, scrub with a toothbrush or a 1"-wide chip (paint) brush with the bristles cut short, and then rinse with de-ionized or distilled water. (Tap water leaves that white powdery residue.) Works better than alcohol, too. Dry the board with compressed shop air.

NB: ensure that your parts can be washed! Don't try to clean a board that has un-sealed pots or switches installed.
I would like to repeat, make sure the parts can tolerate the cleaning process. 

Back in the  80s I had a business partner who liked to dry off PCBs with a high pressure air hose.  Unfortunately he blew water inside some of my polystyrene caps that I used back then (polystyrene caps are kind of wimpy).

JR
 
what does it mean "kind of wimply" ? I did not found this word " wimply" on dictionary

EDIT: I guess it should be "wimpy"
 
ppa said:
what does it mean "kind of wimply" ? I did not found this word " wimply" on dictionary

EDIT: I guess it should be "wimpy"
Yes I meant to write wimpy.... (fixed it)

latest

picture of the original "wimpy".

Polystyrene caps have a really nice dielectric and electrical performance, but cannot tolerate high temperature, and high pressure water/air cleaning.

JR
 
Detergent 8 is ion free and is used to clean nuclear reactors as well as PCBs. 100 bucks for 50 gallons really is not that bad if you think about it.. but you would need a lot of boards to clean. It would be nice if they sold it in smaller amounts than 1 gallon of concentrate.

https://www.alconox.com/Resources/StandardDocuments/TB/techbull_detergent8.pdf

 
I use this :
http://www.kontaktspray.hu/en/?Products:Cleaners_and_contact_maintainers:Kontakt_PCC_printed_circuit_board_cleaner

you achieve the same results with a toothbrush and iso- Alcohol
 
Whoops said:
I use this :
http://www.kontaktspray.hu/en/?Products:Cleaners_and_contact_maintainers:Kontakt_PCC_printed_circuit_board_cleaner

you achieve the same results with a toothbrush and iso- Alcohol

Second that: isopropyl with a toothbrush to clear all the gunge, and then finish off with a soft broad paintbrush. Make sure you have plenty of ventilation

Mike
 
  I self etch most of my boards, usually when I need them I need one or two right now... 1 month is typical wait here.

  I make the board, right after brush with flux to protect in the meanwhile, components and solder, isopropyl, coat with insulating spray, ready to get the rust and moisture of every day industrial abuse  ;D

JS
 

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