RE: Omega Race board repair...anyone?

Hi John,

>It depends on the type of corrosion. You want to neutralize any of the
>damage by bringing its pH level back to a neutral state.
>
>If it's caused by a lead-acid battery, then you have an acid-based
>corrosion. In that case, you want to neutralize it with a base. Use a
>light mixture of baking soda with water and brush it on.
>
>If it's from a NiCd battery, that's a base-type corrosion and you must use
>an acid to neutralize it. The best thing to use here is white vinegar.

Sounds logical indeed, but if you overdo the amount acid or base, then you'll
just change the corrosion type isn't it? Or isn't it very important how much
of the base/acid you use to wash the damaged parts?

>In both cases, scrub a little with a soft toothbrush, taking care not to
>damage the traces.
>
>Wash away with distilled water and let it dry. Distilled water is free of
>impurities and is available at most pharmacies. If you can't use or get
>distilled water, then run water through a good (ie Brita) filtering system
>to remove the impurities. Spring water is generally higher in metals than
>tap water (of course, unless your tap water is rusty!)
>
>Putting the boards in a dishwasher works, from what I've heard. I've never
>done this myself. The only recommendation I have is to not turn the heater
>on! You don't want a hot dry cycle, either -- just air.

Well, normal dishes come out very clean, I assume this goes for PCB's as well.
>From what I've heard, they use special industry washers in PCB manufactoring
plants as well. BTW, should or shouldn't you use detergent?

>The hardest part is where the corrosion has occurred on the sockets. If the
>leads look damaged, it's best to replace all the sockets in the area because
>the contacts inside the IC sockets are most likely damaged. This isn't a
>job for a novice, as it's very easy to damage the traces when the sockets
>are being pulled.

Luckily they have a professional solder sucker at where I work, so desoldering
multiple layer boards is no problem.

>Hope this helps!

It sure does, thanks for the information!

Cya !

Mendel

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Received on Thu Jul 20 06:17:26 2000