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Motherboard/Socket cleaning

Hi
After cleaning get some Dowe Corning #4 silicon grease and
put it on the fingers.
It will make better contact and the grease will keep oxides
from degrading the contacts over time.
I've used tubes of automotive silicon grease with good results
but the pros us DC#4.
Dwight
 
Dwight Elvey said:
Hi
After cleaning get some Dowe Corning #4 silicon grease and
put it on the fingers.
It will make better contact and the grease will keep oxides
from degrading the contacts over time.
I've used tubes of automotive silicon grease with good results
but the pros us DC#4.
Dwight
Click to expand...

I like DuPont 111 Compound, or even Engine Buildup Lube (available at any automotive store).

--T
 
Yzzerdd said:
Seriously? This thread was just getting juicy and WHAM! End of it. What ever happened to that board? Did it live to see another day outside of the local dump? By the way, if you don't have a dishwasher, you could fill the sink with hot water and some dishsoap(out dishsoap in while filling, make it all bubbly) and fill the sink up to the top with really hot water. Then, while holding the board with a nice grip, put the top portion in the water. Shake vigorously for 5 minutes, getting as little as possible water on the top. Take it out, drain the water, procede with draining.

I just HAD to bring the thread back before it died.

--Ryan
Click to expand...

Sorry, havent checked on this thread in a while, after a good washing and extended drying time. I was able to populate the ram chips, and spend a few hours picking out the bad ones by following the memory error codes. The current state of my 5150 is 100% fully operational =)
 
Well, the SEARCH function is a useful device in forum software as it bought to light this thread which almost answers all my questions.

This crate of old apples certainly needs some cleaning. I've worked on IIe platinum and Europlus with compressed air, a brush , electronics solvent and elbow grease. They look sparkling now but it was hard yakka.

I now have a load of mouse dropping and pee-littered, dusty and (and in many cases rusty) unbranded and Rx-8800 (apple clone) cases and circuitboards. Although manual cleaning gives you a kind of loving, tactile bond with your vintage micro, :) the task in this case is daunting!

So the dishwasher it will be, and perhaps not just the apple clones. However, I'll blow the loose dust off, shake out the mouse dropping and check to see if any work first (estimated probablility 1000:1)

A question though. Druid mentions 10 mins or so in the dishwasher. My automatic one only has a minimum cycle of 45 minutes. Does extra washing do any harm? The state of some of these boards, they look as if they will need the full 85 minutes on super-heavy-duty cycle!

Actually two questions? How about the keyboards? Can these be dumped in the diswasher too? I suspect it probably depends on the type, as I successfully washed a PC keyboard in the dishwasher a few years ago, and also successfully wrecked one later (a different type) by doing the same thing! :eek:

Ok, a third question now I think of it. How about these old clone PSUs in the dishwasher? None have fans or moving parts? Somehow the thought of ANY moisture remaining in something that will be wacked with 240v has me a little concerned. I suspect this is a no-no? Any experience with this?

Tez
 
The extra time shouldn't hurt anything as long as you don't use Heat Dry. Thing is, you want the board to be sitting on-edge in the dishwasher so the water washes over them, not sits on them.

Keyboards, same thing, but, it you can tip them a little so that the keycaps point a little upwards, it will wash the keycaps better without filling the underneath of the caps. If on-edge = 90 degrees, you want 105 degrees.

As for the power supplies, yes, I've don those too and most Apple and clone supplies have ventalation slots. If they are all on one surface, you want that surface down so water drains out. It they are on opposite sides, then one of those suraces down.

Remember, dish-WASHING soap, NOT dish-WASHER soap and not too much at that or you will be cleaning up suds for a couple of hours LOL

AND, remember the rotating drying thing. This will ensure that any water trapped on an edge will eventually run off.
 
ok, a couple of apple clone motherboard and cases have been through the wash.

The motherboards. No problem. The cases? Well.....Even though these cases had heavy duty dirt maybe it wasn't a good idea to use the heavy duty cycle. Here is what happened to one of the pop top lids

08-09-08-too much heat in the wash.jpg


Yes, distorted out of shape completely. Opps...

Funny thing is, the other clone case (and top) that went through in the same wash was perfect! No sign of distortion at all. It was from a different manufacturer though.

Obviously due to the differences in the type of plastic.

Tez
 
The whole idea that you're attempting to clean these is commendable....good luck. If you're going to use a dishwasher, do one system at the time starting with the worst (nothing to lose) machine. I would disassemble as much as you can so that you get a complete dry fastest. I have washed plastic chassis in the dishwasher with no apparent harm.
bd
 
Yeah, I can't say that I've ever experienced that problem, even using 55C water temperature.

It COULD be that it just bent around a stress fracture if it softened a little or they didn't put enough hardener in the plastic when it was made.

I have Apple ][ clone cases where one part of it has yellowed completely and the other part is still white.
 
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