[Gllug] OT(ish) Circuit board cleaner and the blu-tak stuff for heatsinks

[Chris Bell]

On Mon 30 Dec, Dylan wrote:
> 
> Hi
> 
> OK, so you get the idea I'm a little into the deep water here. My m8 (yes, 
> it's a m8, not me!) has tipped a drink in his laptop. So far as I can see 
> (the unit is fully functional) it needs a clean, and since the heatsink is 
> now removed (well, dropped off when case prised open) and the putty stuff is 
> like powder (maybe this explains his long running hanging problem, me thinks) 
> I figure we'll need some of that too...
> 
> So, what should I use for cleaning the sticky residue off the board? Is there 
> an aerosol (or similar) spray stuff for getting in all thos crannies, or 
> should I be looking at iso-alcohol, or what?
> 
> And the putty stuff - where can I find that? The guy at Maplin looked blank 
> (but then he was the guy who almost had an orgasm over a reverse cut screw 
> [of the nut and bolt variety!] once)
> 
> Well, happy seasonals and all (bah humbug)
> 
> Cheers
> Dylan

   Circuit boards are etched in some pretty nasty solutions, so a wash in
very well diluted washing-up liquid followed by a rinse in pure clean water
will do them no harm, as long as they are given PLENTY of time to dry
because water can collect under chips and inside wound components.
   Keyboards can sometimes be washed and dried, but membrane keyboards may
only have a thin conducting coating which is easily damaged.
   Some electrolytic capacitors can be harmed by even "safe" solvents, which
can penetrate the seals and damage the contents.
   Disc drives and other moving parts are difficult to clean and dry, but a
careful clean with water or iso-propyl alcohol may be neccessary. Beware
that alcohol will dissolve all the oils from skin, and deposit them on to
the clean surfaces. Both methylated and surgical spirits contain other
chemicals which can be harder to remove than the original contamination.
   If you really want to cause havoc, cola is about the best drink for
gumming things up, with a mix of sugar and rust remover (phosphoric acid).
   Heat sink compounds are usually based on silicone grease, which is
resistant to heat and solvents. They can dry after a long time, leaving a
residue which should still conduct heat. Maplin should be able to supply
some compound; you only need enough to eliminate air gaps.

-- 
Chris Bell


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