PCB Cleaning - What to use?

[Simmy]

I see some really clean soldering jobs on laptops and I wonder how they get them like that? It's difficult if there's resin on the board before hand. What solvents/cleaning materials can be used to give it that shiney new look? Does anyone have any recommendations?

Also - why do americans say "Sauder" instead of "Solder"

 

[iptech]

Isopropyl alcohol is probably your best bet, you'll also find it can be used for loads of jobs in the workshop from cleaning of glue residue from stickers, permanent marker ink, scuff marks from cases etc.

 

[Skyhooker]

Also - why do americans say "Sauder" instead of "Solder"

From Dictionary.com (several etymological entries below):

Origin:
1325–75; (n.) ME soudour < OF soudure, soldure, deriv. of solder to solder < L solidāre to make solid, equiv. to solid(us) solid + -āre inf. suffix; (v.) late ME, deriv. of the n.

Middle English soudur, from Old French soudure, soldure, from souder, soulder, to solder, from Latin solidāre, to make solid, from solidus, solid; see solid

c.1350, sawd, from O.Fr. soldure, from solder "to join with solder," from L. solidare "to make solid," from solidus "solid" (see solid). Modern form is from c.1420. The -l- is still pronounced in Great Britain. The noun is first attested 1374.

So, apparently, in GB you use the more original, ancient pronunciation of the word (behind the times?).



OK, my turn - why do Brits say "drawring" instead of "drawing??"



Regarding cleanup: I'd like to know the same thing - my first soldering ("soddering") jobs were functional, but far from pretty.

 

[Simmy]

But the american way of saying it sounds rude and lazy - I know which way I would rather say it

I say Drawing I think - Never heard anyone say "drawring". I bet you lot omit the w and say "Draing"

 

[Skyhooker]

Yeah, we're just a bunch o' lazy sods here... or do you say "solds?"

 

[abe]

hi guys, I was born (bawn) in London (actually in Hackney) moved to Manchester and then to brooklyn NY, they all have there crazy pronounciations but nothing beats the COCKNY english I'm used to, oh and while were at it I haven't seen anyone on Technibble from Manchester UK intresting!!!!

Abe

 

[14049752]

Isopropyl alcohol is probably your best bet, you'll also find it can be used for loads of jobs in the workshop from cleaning of glue residue from stickers, permanent marker ink, scuff marks from cases etc.

Be careful what you use isopropyl alcohol on....it damages several types of plastics.
There are various chemicals that you can buy to remove the resin from the boards, but it varies based on what they use on the board. Generally I just scrape away the resin then use a small, firm toothbrush if needed.

 

[Simmy]

Yeah, I had heard of and tried the toothbrush method without any great success really.

 

[NYJimbo]

I had a Dell Inspiron 6000 come in for a jack job and we found some kind of sticky stuff on the pins. I thought it was rosin but it looked more like some kind of glue. Iso alcohol wouldnt take it off, we ended up using "Goof Off The Ultimate Remover" which is a really powerful glue, paint, label remover. I applied it with q-tips just to the immediate areas. Didn't damage the board (but I was very careful with this stuff) and left the pins shiny.

If you dont clean the pins when they are covered in crap it will be very difficult to desolder due to the vaporization of the contaminants creating a barrier from the soldering iron.

 

[purple_minion]

Are you talking about cleaning off the shalac that protects the PCB traces or the actual solder flux residue? For the PCB coating nothing beats a good Lenline pen, I have a 70-450. As for the left over flux I use a Q-tip and as pure Isopropyl as you can get. Works just beautifully.

 

[stevenamills]

I see some really clean soldering jobs on laptops and I wonder how they get them like that? It's difficult if there's resin on the board before hand. What solvents/cleaning materials can be used to give it that shiney new look? Does anyone have any recommendations?

Also - why do americans say "Sauder" instead of "Solder"

1. An old toothbrush (I'll avoid the low hanging British jokes) and alcohol is the cleaning method generally used, I believe.

2. Because we talk good.

 

[thor999]

I wanna try some CNC electronics cleaner, its gentle enough to clean the mass air flow sensor in my truck. I also wonder about the polymer safe gun cleaners, wow do those work great!!!