Cleaning a PCB

I got myself a jamma PCB (Ninja Gaiden aka Shadow warriors), it works great, but I would like to get rid of the dust which sits all over the board - its quite 'stuck' so its not just a matter of blowing onto it

Is there a way to get the PCB clean and shiny, preferably without having to resort into the 'dishwasher' malarky

One more thing, would it be a good idea to put the game in a nice plastic box or something to save for more dust settling on it in the future?

Thanks in advance.

Everblue.

radio shack electronic contact cleaner, and plenty of qtips

OMG!

Make SURE the contact cleaner has NO lubricant in it. You don't want to oil up the board!

BTW: If you'd do keyword searches and read this topic has been discussed to death.

Everblue said:

Is there a way to get the PCB clean and shiny, preferably without having to resort into the 'dishwasher' malarky

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It's not malarkey if it's true. I've hand washed my PCBs dozens of times.

Xian Xi said:

It's not malarkey if it's true. I've hand washed my PCBs dozens of times.

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It's true. It works. I've done many many many boards back in the day when I worked at a Grey Market Apple repair depot. We warrantied our repairs for 90 days to 1 year depending on the board and *never* had one come back for repairs related to cleaning.

Remove batteries and components that can't withstand water. Use no soap. Use hot water. Do NOT use the heat dry as it may melt some plastics.

Be sure to let the board dry thoroughly before powering up.

RJ

Just want to reiterrate what Xian Xi and channelmaniac have already stated. I am a relative noob to arcade hardware , and read the previous thread on this topic. After painstakingly cleaning several MVS cart pcb's (with q-tips and alcohol)I decided to try the recommended dishwasher method and my PCB's came out sparkling clean. A little compressed air and voila, like new PCB boards. Thanks guys!

loegan43 said:

Just want to reiterrate what Xian Xi and channelmaniac have already stated. I am a relative noob to arcade hardware , and read the previous thread on this topic. After painstakingly cleaning several MVS cart pcb's (with q-tips and alcohol)I decided to try the recommended dishwasher method and my PCB's came out sparkling clean. A little compressed air and voila, like new PCB boards. Thanks guys!

Click to expand...

I would recommend using canned air. Just make sure if you used compressed air, that you dont put the nozzle too close to the surface mount chips, you might accidentally lift one because of the force.

Unless you meant canned air.

The dishwasher thing does work-

I just recently got a CMVS, and I decided to play Garou MOTW. I have had the cart for years, but had not played in a long time. It wouldn't work-there was gunk on the inside of the cart. I cleaned with alcohol and qtips, then went to contact cleaner. It still wouldn't boot properly. I was sad and looking for a new cart, and as a last resort I tried the diswasher trick.

I took the PCB's out of the MVS case and stuck them in the top rack of my dishwasher. I turned it on with no soap, and let it do its thing. After it was dry I reassembled the cart, popped it into the MVS board and it boots right up the first time, and now it works flawlessly again.

However, I would only do it if all other methods of cleaning have failed, and your options are just throw it in the dishwasher or buy a new board.

Are you guys using tap water, or distilled?

On mine I used tap water but I have a PUR water filter attached to the sink. I dont think it really makes a difference as long as you dont let the water sit on the board too long. As soon as I was done rinsing I used canned air to blow it off while standing the board vertically. Then I let it air dry for 2 days.

I just use the garden hose. I turn the nozzle so that the water sprays lightly. Then I gently pat the pcb with a towel and let it dry for 2 days before use.

Ultrasonic bath

Hi.

This guy uses ultrasounds to clean his boards.

http://www.arcadiabay.de/source/item.aspx?id=2210

May be safer on the boards than getting them all wet.

409, q-tips, and paper towels, don't be affraid, use it copiouse, it will not harm the pcb, just let it air dry for at least a good 12 hrs.

-idosk8