Should you wash your circuit boards in an ultrasonic cleaning tank? If so, what do you put in it? What should you be wary of? Mark gives a little bit of his experience with PCB cleaning.
You should always fill an ultrasonic cleaner to the fill line. It needs liquid to dampen it so that it doesn't vibrate itself apart. You might find that it breaks prematurly if you don't. I fill mine with water up to the fill line. Then I find a container or freezer bag that my components will fit in and put my cleaner in that. It saves cleaner that way as well.
I've been thinking of an ultrasonic cleaner for a looong time. It's just it takes so much space and I'd need a large one for motherboards and similar. I wash my PCBs in Electrolube SWAS, I have a feeling it's the same you showed on video, just RS branded. I love it. It's effective but water based. I then rinse in water, final rinse in distilled water and then compressed air to remove water as much as possible. Finally 48 hours drying time in dry place. I love how "brand new" the PCBs turn out. The SWAS removes that layer of oxidation really well. Thanks for the video!
Good to see you've changed the fluid in your degreaser at last, it was looking like the gravy boat you'd find down your local boozer on a Sunday afternoon carvery.
My method for drying vintage boards is a gentle heat combined with moving air. I built a drying oven using a small ceramic space heater that had a fan. Component temperatures remain around 38C and the forced air tends to get into harder to reach areas and speeds evaporation. Yes, I realize I’m blow drying my boards. Don’t judge me.
Just found your channel. Really fun and informative videos ! Love how you go all the way to even open up components for repairs. Never thought of doing that myself. Always wanted to buy an ultrasonic cleaning for a project I have laying around but never came around to it so this is really helpful. What I am missing thought is: actually how long do you dry the boards in the oven ? And how large is your ("chinese ?") ultrasonic cleaner. Looks like 15L but could even be larger. Like others also mentioned in the comments, I would also love a tour-through-the-lab video. Where you mention all the equipment you have. Your lab is really to be jealous of ! A dream for most of us.
He did make a video showing a tour of his lab and workshop. Fascinating! Mark is an electronics, mechanics and woodworking genius. After using the ultrasonic cleaner, I usually dry the boards at 140 degrees F. for about 8 hours.
Hi Mark, Love your stuff man😊 I just started with some Vintage audio repairs and had to clean some pots and switches. Had good results with contact cleaner, followed by compressed air blow out and than some protective contact spray. But i might go for this sollution too, Seems better in the long run. However, What stuff do you use to get them going again and protect it from going bad again? Just plain old sewing machine oil or something?
if your not in a rush i find a few days in the airing cupboard works ok for drying,also washing machine gel pods work in my homebrew ultrasonic cleaner,73 m3vuv.
Hi Mark thanks for your interesting electronic videos I have only just seen a few of them but I intend to view them all I noticed when you are testing the main power on items you plug it in to the home made volts and amp meter plug on the wall can you please do a video on how that is made also the power resistor thing you have next to it Thanks great job
Hi Mark 👋, I have a circuit board from a digital dash from a Honda xr motorcycle. Most of the solder joints have suffered from water ingress and have become slightly corroded 😢. And now the lcd display only partly functions now and again and some times does not work at all. My question is this...firstly would it be safe to ultrasonic clean the circuit board with the lcd display still attached to the board, and secondly do you think the ultrasonic cleaner would be enough to remove the corrosion and could the corrosion be the thing from preventing the dash to display properly. Cheers in advance and kind regards
Hi Mark, I love your channel, among the best. What's the capacity of your ultrasonic cleaner ? (or tank dimensions). Thanks for your brilliant videos !
So.. if I have a board that is too big to fit in a cleaner, is it OK to put it in edgewise with half (or hopefully just less than half!) of the board sticking out, then rotate it to clean the other half of the board? In otherwords.. No reason (other than fumes perhaps?) to require using the top, right?
Awesome don't really think about this,whats your view on ESD cleaning inside with a vacuum cleaner...I've been cleaning inside tvs,tower PC for years no problem...others say be very careful with static build up...
I don't think ESD is such a problem for complete PCB assemblies, where sensitive parts will usually be loaded by pull-up / pull-down resistors and other EMC 'what-not' that would provide a safer leakage path. I'd be more worried loose components vanishing up the tube.
dry the boards in vacuum chamber to boil off the water at low temperature. I use an old redundant vac packer from a butchers shop and heat the board inside with an IR lamp my granny had for warming her bad leg, pointed through the clear lid.
Cleaning pcb's with an ultrasonic bath is ok, but how do you follow traces of leakage to solve the problem to find the culprit? I know guys who do this procedure directly after they know what is the culprit and not before.
I wonder why Potter and Brumfield like to jacket their relays in a see-through casing?!? Is it for quality assurance? Or maybe as functional example to educate? However it is, whenever I spot a see-through relay, it’s a difficult thing to avoid the desire to wire the thing up and demonstrate it’s functionality.
I have been using a ultrasonic cleaner for water damaged boards but never thought about using it to clean pots. Do you think it would help with joycon stick drift, and if so, what would you use?
Can't you just rinse the circuit board with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol after the water bath? Just thought that would displace any water without the need to heat the board.
Certainly. I’d use compressed air first to blow out the water (which should be distilled/deionized water) and then isopropyl to displace any residual water, then blow that out with compressed air, too.
If you can find one, I suspect it would be up for sale around £2000. I've heard that the amplifier alone sells for £1000, and not necessarily in working condition! Unfortunatly, it has the attention of the Audiophile market - so sensible pricing goes out of the window...
i just use a small amount of washing up liquid. if something is greasy i'll spray it with ipa first to get the worst of the grease off. to wash it off after i spray with deionised water from a sprayer bottle. I just let it try at room temp.
Safeways isn’t degreaser, it’s flux remover. It will remove grease, too, but flux is what it’s designed for, and many degreasers won’t remove flux well. And you need it to be electronics-safe, which all-purpose degreasers aren’t guaranteed to be.
Mark, LOVE your channel. If you're paying through the nose on detergent for your ultrasonic cleaner, glass cleaner is cheap and effective. Brand names like Windex cost more, so use an off brand from an industrial supply--and dilute it 50% with water. Far less costly and it works just as well as the purpose-made stuff.
Circuit boards are sensitive to certain types of contamination, so using something not made for electronics is risky. This is flux remover, mind you, not degreaser.
No it’s not. Safewash is a flux remover, so it contains added ingredients (saponifiers; lye, basically) and corrosion inhibitors not present in cleaners for non-electronics use.
I wish I could afford one of these. Even the cheap Chinese ones are a little outside my price range. For now I’m stuck with the poor man’s version, which for me involves hosing everything down with carbon tetrachloride and drying with compressed air.
You should always fill an ultrasonic cleaner to the fill line. It needs liquid to dampen it so that it doesn't vibrate itself apart. You might find that it breaks prematurly if you don't. I fill mine with water up to the fill line. Then I find a container or freezer bag that my components will fit in and put my cleaner in that. It saves cleaner that way as well.
Hey thanks for your comment but why did you put em in a container instead of in the water?
Excellent solution disposal advice! 😂 Thanks for an informative video!
You made me burst out laughing when you showed dumping the solvent at a “chemical disposal area”.
"the guy, whose smile never stops" - lovely ;-)
I've been thinking of an ultrasonic cleaner for a looong time. It's just it takes so much space and I'd need a large one for motherboards and similar. I wash my PCBs in Electrolube SWAS, I have a feeling it's the same you showed on video, just RS branded. I love it. It's effective but water based. I then rinse in water, final rinse in distilled water and then compressed air to remove water as much as possible. Finally 48 hours drying time in dry place. I love how "brand new" the PCBs turn out. The SWAS removes that layer of oxidation really well. Thanks for the video!
The bricks at the bottom of the oven, what a good idea ! It also provides thermal mass.
Your show always brings me a smile.
Good to see you've changed the fluid in your degreaser at last, it was looking like the gravy boat you'd find down your local boozer on a Sunday afternoon carvery.
*Glad to see Phil Collins has found a second career*
I love pottering with very little knowledge I feel is the next step to my hobby , cheers for all the info . top channel
Hello Mark, would you be as kind as to make a workshop tour for us ?
He has! Yeah it’s a great video. Well worth a watch
very helpful ,thanks alot tina
My method for drying vintage boards is a gentle heat combined with moving air. I built a drying oven using a small ceramic space heater that had a fan. Component temperatures remain around 38C and the forced air tends to get into harder to reach areas and speeds evaporation.
Yes, I realize I’m blow drying my boards. Don’t judge me.
Just found your channel. Really fun and informative videos ! Love how you go all the way to even open up components for repairs. Never thought of doing that myself.
Always wanted to buy an ultrasonic cleaning for a project I have laying around but never came around to it so this is really helpful.
What I am missing thought is: actually how long do you dry the boards in the oven ?
And how large is your ("chinese ?") ultrasonic cleaner. Looks like 15L but could even be larger.
Like others also mentioned in the comments, I would also love a tour-through-the-lab video. Where you mention all the equipment you have.
Your lab is really to be jealous of ! A dream for most of us.
He did make a video showing a tour of his lab and workshop. Fascinating! Mark is an electronics, mechanics and woodworking genius. After using the ultrasonic cleaner, I usually dry the boards at 140 degrees F. for about 8 hours.
I use it for prep a car and deferent surfaces before painting, pretty clean job
Thank's Mark!
🙂 As always, nice to watch, oh, and yes, your US Bath looked worse than mine, and I use mine for motorcycle parts !! 🙂
Hi Mark, Love your stuff man😊 I just started with some Vintage audio repairs and had to clean some pots and switches. Had good results with contact cleaner, followed by compressed air blow out and than some protective contact spray. But i might go for this sollution too, Seems better in the long run. However, What stuff do you use to get them going again and protect it from going bad again? Just plain old sewing machine oil or something?
if your not in a rush i find a few days in the airing cupboard works ok for drying,also washing machine gel pods work in my homebrew ultrasonic cleaner,73 m3vuv.
Branson EC is simply amazing stuff for electronics.
Hi Mark thanks for your interesting electronic videos I have only just seen a few of them but I intend to view them all I noticed when you are testing the main power on items you plug it in to the home made volts and amp meter plug on the wall can you please do a video on how that is made also the power resistor thing you have next to it
Thanks great job
I certainly could! Keep watching - It will appear in the comming weeks!
Hi Mark 👋, I have a circuit board from a digital dash from a Honda xr motorcycle. Most of the solder joints have suffered from water ingress and have become slightly corroded 😢. And now the lcd display only partly functions now and again and some times does not work at all. My question is this...firstly would it be safe to ultrasonic clean the circuit board with the lcd display still attached to the board, and secondly do you think the ultrasonic cleaner would be enough to remove the corrosion and could the corrosion be the thing from preventing the dash to display properly. Cheers in advance and kind regards
Hi Mark, I love your channel, among the best.
What's the capacity of your ultrasonic cleaner ? (or tank dimensions).
Thanks for your brilliant videos !
The PS‑60A is 15L. Water tank size is 330 x 300 x 150mm.
@@gribbler1695 Thank you !
What model and/or capacity ultrasonic cleaner do you have?
Pretty sure we used Methylated Spirit in our uSonic cleaner. That was back in the 90's though so probably better options these days.
So.. if I have a board that is too big to fit in a cleaner, is it OK to put it in edgewise with half (or hopefully just less than half!) of the board sticking out, then rotate it to clean the other half of the board? In otherwords.. No reason (other than fumes perhaps?) to require using the top, right?
Switches and potentiometers might have to be relubricated after washing. Some types can trap water inside.
Like with potentiometers from controllers?
Awesome don't really think about this,whats your view on ESD cleaning inside with a vacuum cleaner...I've been cleaning inside tvs,tower PC for years no problem...others say be very careful with static build up...
I don't think ESD is such a problem for complete PCB assemblies, where sensitive parts will usually be loaded by pull-up / pull-down resistors and other EMC 'what-not' that would provide a safer leakage path. I'd be more worried loose components vanishing up the tube.
I'm pretty sure his degrees are in Celsius rather than Fahrenheit.
dry the boards in vacuum chamber to boil off the water at low temperature. I use an old redundant vac packer from a butchers shop and heat the board inside with an IR lamp my granny had for warming her bad leg, pointed through the clear lid.
Cleaning pcb's with an ultrasonic bath is ok, but how do you follow traces of leakage to solve the problem to find the culprit? I know guys who do this procedure directly after they know what is the culprit and not before.
What about components on the PCB with a MSL 3 rating?
I wonder why Potter and Brumfield like to jacket their relays in a see-through casing?!? Is it for quality assurance? Or maybe as functional example to educate? However it is, whenever I spot a see-through relay, it’s a difficult thing to avoid the desire to wire the thing up and demonstrate it’s functionality.
4:53 take it in the garden and go WEEE 😂👍
I have been using a ultrasonic cleaner for water damaged boards but never thought about using it to clean pots. Do you think it would help with joycon stick drift, and if so, what would you use?
Piss on it, girlfriend.
CrackerJack presentation!
Where to you get safewash?
Can't you just rinse the circuit board with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol after the water bath? Just thought that would displace any water without the need to heat the board.
Certainly. I’d use compressed air first to blow out the water (which should be distilled/deionized water) and then isopropyl to displace any residual water, then blow that out with compressed air, too.
"What to do with old liquid ? Take it to recycling centre ". Proceeds to throw it over grass- PMSL
lol, Local chemical disposal.
Bet the wife liked that lol
Melt it Mark ♨
Can you advise me….. how much would a fully restored RGD 1046 radiogram cost to buy ?
If you can find one, I suspect it would be up for sale around £2000. I've heard that the amplifier alone sells for £1000, and not necessarily in working condition! Unfortunatly, it has the attention of the Audiophile market - so sensible pricing goes out of the window...
@@MendItMark ….ok and thanks. Your estimate is higher than others I’ve asked but thanks for replying 🙂
@@MendItMark …….. oh one other question and sorry if it’s a daft one, but we’re they always a steel needle for the 1046 ?
i just use a small amount of washing up liquid. if something is greasy i'll spray it with ipa first to get the worst of the grease off. to wash it off after i spray with deionised water from a sprayer bottle. I just let it try at room temp.
Safeways isn’t degreaser, it’s flux remover. It will remove grease, too, but flux is what it’s designed for, and many degreasers won’t remove flux well. And you need it to be electronics-safe, which all-purpose degreasers aren’t guaranteed to be.
Mark, LOVE your channel. If you're paying through the nose on detergent for your ultrasonic cleaner, glass cleaner is cheap and effective. Brand names like Windex cost more, so use an off brand from an industrial supply--and dilute it 50% with water. Far less costly and it works just as well as the purpose-made stuff.
Circuit boards are sensitive to certain types of contamination, so using something not made for electronics is risky. This is flux remover, mind you, not degreaser.
Wow! Soooo useful. Your 'melty' mistakes will save hundreds of people engineer tears... Cheers!
that fluid is basically car windscreen wash. dilute with distilled water - bingo same stuff
ah thats a nice tip...i try that in my cleaner...windowwash is reallly cheap
How much to dilute?
No it’s not. Safewash is a flux remover, so it contains added ingredients (saponifiers; lye, basically) and corrosion inhibitors not present in cleaners for non-electronics use.
I wish I could afford one of these. Even the cheap Chinese ones are a little outside my price range. For now I’m stuck with the poor man’s version, which for me involves hosing everything down with carbon tetrachloride and drying with compressed air.
Carbon tet?? Where can you buy it? No doubt about it, carbon tet works great, but I thought that stuff was banned long ago.
May I know what brand and model of degreaser you are using. Thanks
First of all, it’s not degreaser. It’s electronics flux remover. Second, he shows the container in the video.
lol
Hello salam
Wa aleikum assalam bro ...
Only things you should remove are things that pass current, LCDs....all the obvious stuff