Alternative to Compressed Air

[ClarkDV]

To blow out my logic boards after the ultrasonic clean and the alcohol bath, I use this alternative to compressed air, the Metro DataVac ED500 Electric Duster.

http://amzn.to/1Zu6t3N

On its own it’s too powerful for the rather delicate components on a logic board, so I purchased this AC Speed Controller to slow it down a bit.


TruePower Electronic Variable AC Motor Controller

http://amzn.to/1S77xVG

I set mine to VAR and Low and it blows out the alcohol from underneath everything nicely, but not so violently that I worry it might rip off any components.

 

[spakhnyuk]

No Title

I dry logic boards with an air nozzle on the end of a compressor air hose. Haven't had a single issue with damaging components. I like to make sure there is no moisture underrate the BGA chips prior to testing the board after liquid spill cleanup. Drying time is about 1-2 minutes with an air nozzle like this. I don't even bother with an oven to dry the boards after cleaning.


Not sure where this one was purchased, but this EJN 208 Made in Sweden nozzle is extremely precise. Nothing like the cheap $5 Husky nozzles from Home Depot.

 

[spakhnyuk]

To blow out my logic boards after the ultrasonic clean and the alcohol bath, I use this alternative to compressed air, the Metro DataVac ED500 Electric Duster.

http://amzn.to/1Zu6t3N

On its own it’s too powerful for the rather delicate components on a logic board, so I purchased this AC Speed Controller to slow it down a bit.


TruePower Electronic Variable AC Motor Controller

http://amzn.to/1S77xVG

I set mine to VAR and Low and it blows out the alcohol from underneath everything nicely, but not so violently that I worry it might rip off any components.

I'm interested in trying this. Thanks for the info!

 

[mnaty]

I use data vac and compressed air. Compressed air is my top pick for moisture sweep/clean. Datavac more for preclean. Just cant get the same focus or pressure /stream from datavac as compressor. Only use 20-60psi on boards and compressor has air and mosture filter in line and aditional cya filter at gun handle. All just cheapys from harbor freight, so very few cans of air before tgis thing paid for itself. Total cost... 300, but you could by cheaper pankcake compressor and make for under 200.

Next upgrade will be a silent compressor... Cause its definitely noisy.

 

[ClarkDV]

I'm interested in trying this. Thanks for the info!

You're welcome!

Not to mention it's really small so takes up almost no bench space, only noisy when it's being used, no worry of air or oil in the lines like with a compressor, plastic tip so you can get right up close to the logic board and not worry about touching anything.

If you want you can run it without an AC motor controller, it really moves a lot of air. I use the controller because I felt it was too much pressure.

 

[larossmann]

I toss them into a tupperware container of alcohol, then put them by the air filter for ten minutes to blow away the big droplets, then into an oven for an hour or so at 250f. It gets rid of everything.

 

[Crizz]

I toss them into a tupperware container of alcohol, then put them by the air filter for ten minutes to blow away the big droplets, then into an oven for an hour or so at 250f. It gets rid of everything.

Witch alcohol do you use? Which brands? I tried the same way but it left white stains behind.
The board looked worse than before
I used fresh isopropyl alcohol directly of the bottle

 

[mnaty]

If youre not using tech grade ipa then it could be water and/or additives leaving residue. Bot some off ebay before and the seller had cut the pure IPA with water. Buy trusted.

If your using tech grade then the residue is probably dirt the alcohol left behind after evaporation.

Here a good procedural outline pulled from another site answering a similar question. However its not as easy for us to wipe logic boards, so take it for what it is... Just an extra point of reference.

"I work on airframes and when cleaning surfaces for sealant and/or electrical bonds we have to follow a specific process:

Wipe the area clean with 100% IPA (or ketone, in some cases) using a lint free cloth (eg: cheese cloth).
Give it a final cleaning with 100% IPA (or ketone) on a fresh cloth.
Wipe the area dry with a clean, dry cloth before it evaporates.
The last step is important to prevent residue."

 

[mnaty]

Also went to go and check my answer... Like to make sure what im saying has some merot to it... And found this.
http://m.instructables.com/id/How-to-Salt-Out/

Ive seen the residue that i believe you are mentioning and always thought it looled like dried up sea water. Now im wondering if i just comnected some dots.

Anyone else have have some knowledge in regards to this. I looking now for methods to check sodium content of ipa

 

[Crizz]

"dried up sea water" that is exactly how it looked!!!

I made a quick search on eBay and in some auctions of IPA the sellers claim "for technical purpose" or "for cosmetic purpose"
I never thought there were a difference since both of them are 99% pure!

 

[mnaty]

Yep, i think that would be a high sodium trace contamination through sub-standard purification/separation/distillation. Spend the extra and buy your techgrade from a reputable source and not ebay. Ive been down the ebay road for chemicals and i was never happy with the end result. Too many shysters.

Here's another enlightening link on board cleaning that specifically address the pros amd cons of IPA as a cleaner:

http://blog.gotopac.com/2010/11/18/i...sadvantages-2/

 

[mnaty]

Also i looked at a spec sheet for techgrade ipa. The usp min standards are 99‰

Tech grade authority (i forget the acronym and too lazy to look back) require 99.5%

However, this companies msds specifies that their usual quality output clears purity tolerances of 99.96%. Thats pretty damn pure and even list the breakdown of what the other compnents are in their trace amounts.

I still think that if you have the level of sodium build up that u describe then your well below 99% purity. If it looks to be the consistency of dried up sea water, then we can probably assume by comparison that the salinity is somewhat near (+-) that of sea water which is 3.5%.

 

[rany]

I was having bad results. Now the boards I clean look better than factory new. ALL the solder joints are shiny unless they were corroded (then they look dull). All the copper traces are clean and crisp.
This happened after I switched from industrial grade distilled water and IPA to laboratory grade for both. And I am getting impressive results.
After UC, I toss in a tupperware of IPA, and scrub while immersed. Then drip dry then use either the DataVAC or my Hakko 810 at 150C, very high speed (this thing is a turbine) and a small nozzle to create thrust. Go over all the board and under the BGAs and the into the RAM slots. Never had a problem afterwards.
Finally, I don't scrub gently, I scrub to remove corrosion and precarious traces or components. Just yesterday I fixed a board from very old liquid damage that was firing up before cleaning. I still scrubbed it hard and caused a couple of corroded traces to come off. Then I placed a jumper. I guess that one would have returned for warranty if I had not done that. I also hate when some components have corroded pads but still sit there. I want them to budge if they are really fragile.

 

[mnaty]

Oven baking is really the best for drying out after full submersion.

Has anyone on here tried building a Controleo Oven, from kit or purchased an assembled one? Ive heard good things but never made the leap of faith.

 

[Tony Tone]

I have a friend who works in an electronics lab at Qualcomm and they use like carbon monoxide or some shit like that bc there is no moisture.