How to clean motherboards?

[jazzbass]

How to clean motherboards?

When you finish soldering components on a motherboard, there is always dirt in the form of halo or traces of soldering. How do you clean the motherboard so that the finished work is also professional from an aesthetic point of view?

Thank you

Franco

[erwin_ve]

The eco friendly way is isopropyl alcohol with a qtip.
Other ways are usually poisonous.
Some commercial sprays include Servisol deflux.

[xtian]

Isopropyl, yes. But Qtips tend to leave fibers, especially if you're cleaning the "clipped leads" side of the PCB. I use an old (soft) toothbrush.

[bepone]

acetone + cleaning paper, fastest way

[pompeiisneaks]

Isopropyl, yes. But Qtips tend to leave fibers, especially if you're cleaning the "clipped leads" side of the PCB. I use an old (soft) toothbrush.

Agreed, I've also bought a 100 pack of cheap qtip style cleaners that use foam instead of cotton, but I prefer the toothbrush myself most of the time. I just keep it away from the bathroom so I don't ... well you know

~Phil

[erwin_ve]

...but I prefer the toothbrush myself most of the time. I just keep it away from the bathroom so I don't ... well you know

~Phil

I got vision...

[galtjunk]

Years ago I did piecework for a company that made disk controller boards for Radio Shack computers.
When we got the boards back we just scrubbed them with a soft brush and soap and water.
YMMV

[jazzbass]

Thank you all, what do you think if I use a very small toothbrush or a paint brush dipped in Isopropanol or acetone ?.
It is bad to see halos or welding residues.

Franco

[bepone]

toothbrush or paint brush are not ok for local cleaning (spots) because they just spread residual flux all around and instead of 2mm problem you have 5 cm problem i recommend paper towel and acetone, paper sucks all the flux and remain clean surface. i like fast cleaning so i'm using acetone ( very abrasive, 30 sec), but isopropyl alcohol is profi method (less abrasive , and slower mothod -several minutes)

[Chris Brown]

Something that works well is to use the little dry gun cleaning patches with some Iso... I use a plastic bristle brush to scrub them around. They don't leave little bits and hairs like qtips or paper towel.

[ChopSauce]

Well, I know this is not an answer at all, and let's say I am biased for being not a professional builder but: isopropyl alcool, acetone, etc?

All that is really nasty stuff and I avoid using them at all - especially indoor and without a respirator mask!

Standard laboratory security measures recommend that they are being used under special ventilation devices, which I - and most of you also - don't have, so I prefer not taking chances with my health and support these residues.

[bepone]

yes yes correct but isopropyl is for this, and for 1 min of cleaning you will not die need to protect only hands.
acetone is also a good test for pcb because varnish on pcb need to sustain acetone, othervise is not good.

technicaly in production pcbs are washed with water and solution before installation , and then are going to varnishing stage. i was working on big pcb production line in my past, for several years, assembly , testing , mounting and testing again ( VFD drives up to 75kW)

[erwin_ve]

Well, I know this is not an answer at all, and let's say I am biased for being not a professional builder but: isopropyl alcool, acetone, etc?

All that is really nasty stuff and I avoid using them at all - especially indoor and without a respirator mask!

Standard laboratory security measures recommend that they are being used under special ventilation devices, which I - and most of you also - don't have, so I prefer not taking chances with my health and support these residues.

Isopropyl alcohol is potentially hazardous as it can metabolize quickly and can cause severe liver damage. So outside use only, once it is evaporated there is no toxic residue.

[dorrisant]

Toluene will cut the flux faster than alcohol but will leave a residue. I clean the residue with alcohol, and yes, with a toothbrush.

[Phil_S]

How about grain alcohol (ethanol?) Almost fit for human consumption. Available at most liquor stores. No added toxic ingredients. Just remember it will burn your esophagus if you try to drink it straight up. How bad could it be? The only drawback I can see is that the cost is about $18/liter. If you get a whiff/buzz while cleaning a board with it, you might need to take a break from work while you sober up.