23 May
2006
23 May
'06
9:17 a.m.
Chuck Guzis wrote:
A very related question--occasionally, I'll see
some dust that's been
"cemented" to PCBs and other surfaces by ambient moisture. An air
compressor is worthless in this case. I've resorted to scrubbing things
out with a soft-long-bristled brush, water and a mild detergent, followed
by rinsing and drying. Obviously, because of the water, not an ideal
situation.
I find the water / detergent approach works fine, providing the boards are
dried well afterwards. Usually I use a hairdryer to get the bulk of the water
out from beneath ICs and then leave to sit in the hot water tank cupboard for
a week or so. Never had a problem with this, but it doubtless depends on the
quality of the water used.
I've ever tried baking boards in the oven afterwards to dry them - I'm wary of
the heat level doing something that it shouldn't. I believe others have done
that with no problems, though.
Downside to the water/detergent approach is that it'll damage any paper labels
on the boards, and can also harm inked IC data on those ceramic ICs with the
square gold covers in the centre.
cheers
Jules