The clear coating is called conformal coating. I guess you've found out that there are different kinds of conformal coatings, silicone and urathanes. I have used Zip-Strip, a paint stripper, and it 'does not' remove any markings from the IC's. The conformal coating bubbles up. Use running water to wash the board off.
aurgathor wrote:
> > I took apart a UPS, and the PCB, including a significant portion
> > of the components on it are coated with some kind of clear and
> > shiny lacquer. This is nice for some things, but now I can't read
> > the markings on the chips. What kind of cleaner is best to clean
> > the coating from the chips?
> >
> > TIA,
> > aur
> >
> >
> i'm sure this will work
>
>
formatting link
>
>
> but i'm also sure it'll be toxic as hell
> so be sure to use it in a well ventelated area or outdoors
>