Best flux remover yet: brake cleaner

I've used it for over 20 years. I've mentioned it on numerous group, but I was met with skepticism. I was buying it from a dollar store, back then. Sometimes the Ollie's discount stores have it at a good price.

I’m chronically behind the curve, is all. Reasonably well adjusted about it, though ;)

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

I would be wary of using any halogenated solvent to clean boards with eletrolytic capacitors.

Thanks, that’s useful stuff.

I’d need some persuading to believe that 40 seconds’ exposure to non-ionic perchlorocarbons that evaporate rapidly is going to cause a lot of chloride corrosion on the other side of an intact O-ring seal.

The UCC document doesn’t really address chlorinated solvents, other than to say that they’re been replaced. And of course TCE-based vapor degreasers have been used for cleaning circuit boards since forever.

I suppose it’s possible that O-ring elastomers have been reformulated to be less resistant to chlorocarbon solvents, but the document doesn’t say that.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

O-ring elastomers have improved a lot in the last 50 years, but there are still none that are completely impermeable to chlorinated solvents (not counting teflon as an elastomer). The chemical compatibility tables in the Parker O-ring handbook should confirm that, especially for low cost materials. Whatever solvent diffuses into the seal will continue to diffuse in all directions after exposure; some will get inside. No doubt insignificant for protos or consumer gear with normal short cleaning followed by drying, but if long term reliability is important the manufacturers recommendations should probably be followed.

I used a Viton O-ring in a test with 1,1,1-trichloroethane (very similar to TCE) when I was a lab tech for the leading mechanical seal mfgr in the

70's. Worked for a few hours, total failure in less than 24 hours from extreme swelling. Viton is better than most for chemical resistance, probably too expensive for capacitors. Of course if you want high reliability you probably shouldn't be using aluminum electrolytics in the first place.

Glen

I use household ammonia to clean dirty boards, followed by a rinse with distilled water, then let them dry. I spray a fine mist and stand the board nearly vertical so that the dust and other crud is washed away, the the same wit the distilled water.

Anything aqueous is a problem for sensitive high-Z analog stuff. Drugstore IPA is more or less fatal.

Phil Hobbs

Thanks for the hint.

This reminds me of a guy in Kenya who was interviewed because he found out that beer worked well enough (for him) as brake fluid in his car and cost much less than the DOT stuff. The reporter asked him why he used Nigerian beer and not domestic. "It brakes better".

Must have been a 2CV. ;)

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

It was an older model VW Beetle.

I had a 2CV when I was young. 50mpg on regular unleaded with an engine technology from the late 30's. Of course, it would never pass smog these days but it did back then in Germany.

wouldn't pass any safety tests either

as long as you don't use the brakes enough to make it boil any liquid should work

Or beauty contests.

For awhile, anyway.

That depends on who's in it.

Ok, technically that's not a 2CV anymore.

Until someone finds out it's beer and knows where to tap it.