I have a function generator that burned up a tantalum capacitor (which shorted) and a 2-watt resistor. Fixing it electrically was no problem, but there is a scorched place on the circuit board and a terrible smell.
Today I made some progress against the smell. I had been airing the generator out, covers off, in my attic (which is not hot at this time of year), for about 3 days with little progress. Today I figured out that the bulk of the smell was actually in a large calibration-instructions chart that was glued to the inside of the case. I Xeroxed it and peeled off and discarded the original; much better. I've also given the whole circuit board a spraying with contact cleaner and then with isopropyl alcohol.
Any other ideas? The smell was so strong that even with all the covers on the function generator, it was quite noticeable throughout the workshop.