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Why the Circuit Board Cleaner is Important

Clear circuit boards, particularly those found in personal electronics like

laptops and smartphones, are frequently subjected to dirt as well as

additional impurities. Electronics are subject to liquid spills from hands of

users in addition to collecting dust and grime that enters via open gaps in

casings. As a result, consumers of electronic products have an increased

demand for circuit board cleaning as well as repair services.

Circuit board cleaning is a sensitive procedure which you should carry out

with extreme caution in order to get back your electronics’ effectiveness.

You could tamper with the connections, loosen a few pieces, or perhaps

lose a few parts. You must choose cleaning detergents carefully while

creating PCBs in order to prevent committing these errors.

Table of Contents

How could Circuit Boards Become Dirty?

Electronic devices’ PCBs are fixed by the manufacturers, however they

aren’t entirely safeguarded from dust as well as other impurities. Dust

may readily penetrate ventilation and ports slots on casings and collect on

the circuit boards. Additionally, the whirling motions of fans, particularly in

large machines, might blast polluted air onto the board.

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Remaining Products from Manufacturing

PCB circuit board cleaner

In the past, producers of circuit boards used rosin-based fluxes that are

activated. However, because these materials contain halogens like

chlorine, leftovers left behind after soldering led to corrosion. As a result,

manufacturers created several pcb board cleaner liquid techniques to

take the place of the halides.

The majority of circuit board makers use no-clean fluxes, which contain

organic acids like citric and adipic acids. Such organic acids are

immediately broken down by that soldering heat and securely adhere to

the solder, leaving a little corrosive.

This applied solder frequently covers some of the flux, preventing the heat

required for breakdown. Following manufacture, a remnant of the

partially degraded change is left on these soldered pieces. It might be

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preferable if you removed the debris to guarantee the PCB’s optimal

performance for the duration of its lifespan.

The effect of work environment

The main source of flux residues is carelessness after construction. Even

after removing the debris from the PCB, you need still take environmental

pollutants into account. For instance, it is very possible that particulates of

dust will infiltrate your products as well as collect on PCBs if you operate

in an excessively dusty environment.

The electronics appear to deteriorate more quickly in damp and dusty

settings than in hot and dry ones. Even if you believe in the IP certification

of your electronics, it’s essential to frequently inspect the PCBs to remove

dirt before it builds up.

Inappropriate Use

Printed circuit board require a great deal of attention while operating

because they are sensitive devices. Even while you might not be able to

completely control the environment in which your equipment is used,

ignoring simple handling and fabrication procedures might put the entire

board at danger of contamination.

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For instance, to facilitate heat dissipation, a PCB containing active

components has to be enclosed in a well-ventilated case. If you’ve lined

the air passages of the container with fins, you may prevent the dust from

traveling directly to the printed circuit board. In comparison to a board in

finned-type containers, one housed within an openly vented shell acquires

pollutants more quickly.

Circuit Board Cleaner Types

Baking Soda

Baking soda may be used to remove corrosion from a PCB. Such

corrosions are caused by acidic leaks and exposure to water that is salty.

The soda’s moderate abrasiveness eliminates the corrosions while having

no negative consequences.

Isopropyl alcohol

Since it is affordable and quickly evaporates, isopropyl alcohol remains a

great instrument for cleaning electrical circuits. In addition, the beverage

has less chemicals than traditional PCB cleansers. Always use gloves when

working with isopropyl alcohol since it contains a high concentration (over

90%) that might harm your skin.

Deionized or Distilled Water

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Since hard water contains ions that transmit electric current, numerous

individuals choose deionized or distilled water since it won’t harm the

circuit board. When not in use, make sure your water container is closed

to prevent contamination from dust and dirt particles.

Compressed Air

Use brief bursts of compressed air to blast air into your gadget’s open

spaces to remove dust that has gathered on surfaces including within

circuitry without causing any disruption. You may open the equipment

and use compressed air to properly clean the board when these openings

are tiny.

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Cleaning Equipment for Printed Circuit Boards

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You’ll want an additional tool in addition to a circuit board cleaner to assist

wipe down or brush off contaminants.

Microfiber clothes or lint-free towels

Towels can be useful for quickly wiping away cleaning solution. To reduce

the possibility of leaving particles behind in your gadget, they must’ve

been lint-free or made of microfiber.

A little paintbrush and brush with soft bristles also works nicely

For squeezing into tiny spaces in microwave pcb, little brushes are

effective. However, to avoid the possibility of damaging the circuits, always

ensure the bristles remain weak.

A desk lamp, an oven, or a blow dryer:

While the aforementioned cleaning agents can assist remove dirt, some

might also leave liquids behind. Use a heat source to quickly dry it off to

avoid damaging your board. When following instructions regarding how to

wipe electrical circuit boards, this method is crucial.

Gas-Phase Cleaners

Boiling any chemical solvent that create steam is necessary for gas phase

cleaning in order to dissolve impurities that have built up on PCBs.

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As most solvents could be recycled once the contaminants are filtered out,

the procedure is effective and environmentally benign. The pollutants you

wish to remove, the solvent’s flammability, and its environmental

friendliness should all be taken into consideration while choosing it. As

this vapor can access the board’s difficult areas, the technique is more

successful for the dense PCBs.

An Instructional Tutorial for Cleaning the Circuit Board

Step 1: Take apart your apparatus

To reach the Board, you must first disassemble the device using a

screwdriver. Cables may need to be cut loose from the Board as well. Take

images to help you with the entire reassembling procedure if you are

unfamiliar with how the gadget is put together.

Step 2: Prepare the cleaning solution through combining distilled water

and baking soda

You will need two teaspoons of this baking soda and a quarter of a cup of

water. Mix both, until a very thick paste results.

Step 3: Using a Circuit board cleaning brush and the solution which you

created in Step 2, begin cleaning the board.

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Use the mixture sparingly to every corroded component and allow it to

dry for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Thoroughly rinse the cleaning reagent using distilled water when it

has dried.

Step 5: Spray your PCB with a phosphate-free home cleanser and let it sit

for around 15 minutes. Using the cleanser and a Circuit board brush,

eliminate any last corrosion.

Step 6: Wipe away any leftover dirt, dampness, and water using a lint-free

cloth. Avoid wiping it downwards to avoid scratching it.

Step 7: To dry the leftover moisture, preheat the oven to about 1700, turn

it off, then set the Circuit board inside for approximately three hours.

Step 8: Rebuild or reassemble the PCB and check to make sure it is

operating correctly.

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Why Clean the Printed Circuit boards?

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When any user requires the circuit boards to function for a longer period

of time, it is essential to preserve or clean the boards in a few years. The

user must clean the circuit board on a regular basis to prevent

overheating, which will increase power consumption, and corrosion.

Due to their increased susceptibility to external impurities and

vulnerability, overheating has grown to be a serious problem in

small-form integrated circuits. The printed circuit board’s dependability is

prolonged when it operates in a clean environment free of dust and dirt.

Increase the Circuit Boards’ Reliability

As was previously said, the hardware must be properly shielded from

impurities to maximize the dependability of every PCB.

Three things cause PCBs to become dirty and degrade performance: they

are assembled or soldered in unclean conditions; flux residues were

always left on boards even after the assembly; or the completed PCB is

insufficiently protected from your environment while it is in use.

The user must completely remove all flux residues out from the PCB with

no leftovers in order to maintain the integrated circuits’ long-term

dependability and durability.

Avoid Corrosion of PCB Components

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External impurities that come into contact with the pcb may function

as insulation for the components thus obstruct airflow. Moreover, they

can induce corrosion on circuit traces and solder joints when exposed to

aerosolized liquids or liquids.

The printed circuit board’s corrosive components may result in impedance

problems and open circuits. Just covering any exposed copper portions

with the conformal coating may stop pcb deterioration. Commonly

employed and reliable defenses against corrosion and oxidation include

epoxy coating, solder masks, as well as aerosol spray coatings.

Use Conformal Coating to Prevent Adhesion Problems

The coating on your PCB will come off whenever you leave any flux on the

board prior to coating. In evenly spaced spaces inside this solder junctions,

adhesion is much more frequent. Layers are also semi-permeable, which

makes it simple for moisture to block flux deposits as well as eventually

lead to corrosion.

Corrosion on a circuit board

Metal is typically used for the connections between every onboard

component on PCBs. Metal components are vulnerable to corrosion.

Similar to this, daily use can cause corrosion to harm any onboard metal

utilized inside the PCBs.

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The PCB may become even more damaged due to this corrosion, which

will affect how well your hardware device functions.

Corrosion may be defined as the oxidation procedure resulting in rust

when oxygen binds with metal, leading the loss of the metal’s chemical

characteristics. Circuit boards ultimately experience corrosion and require

treatment to prolong their lifespan.

Metals like gold, graphite, silver, as well as copper-nickel alloy have strong

corrosion resistance.

What is the Cause of Circuit Board Corrosion?

Circuit boards may corrode for a number of causes, including ambient,

galvanic, fretting, and electrolytic. The most frequent reason for metals

within circuit boards to deteriorate is atmospheric corrosion.

In a process, metal ions join with the oxygen atoms in order to create the

oxide when it is subjected to moisture, like oxygen. Galvanic corrosion,

that occurs when various metal types are subjected to the electrolyte’s

presence, comes in second.

In fact, the stronger metal will corrode more quickly when in touch with

the weaker metal. Whenever ionic-contaminated moisture affects that

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electrical voltage between both traces, electrolytic corrosion results. This

causes the neighboring traces to undergo dendrite development.

The final one is fretting corrosion, which occurs when solder-plated

switches are closed in a way that wipes away the oxide coating upon that

surface.

With time, considerable rust accumulates and renders

the switch inoperable.

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Solder flux removal from the circuit board

A heated metal that fuses two connections altogether is used in the

process of soldering. The optimum method would be to use flux during

soldering to avoid junctions from oxidizing by converting oxides into water

and salt, then sealing in the change, once hardening is completed.

If soldering has occurred, solder flux could accumulate on chip pins.

Whenever a manufacturer treats a PCB improperly, this problem is

common, but it may be fixed. You’ll need a lint-free cloth, a Circuit board

brush with soft bristles, and 90 percent isopropyl alcohol.

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Use a bristles brush as well as isopropyl alcohol to gently clean your Board

until this solder flux disappears. After you are happy with how your PCB

looks, blot it using lint-free cloth.

You can quickly remove flux using anhydrous alcohol and perhaps a

specialist flux ultrasonic pcb cleaner. The most economical approach,

however, is to use very concentrated cleaning alcohol in place of these

instruments and chemicals.

Conclusion

Contrary to popular belief, cleaning the circuit board using a circuit board

cleaner or pcb board cleaner isn’t an exhausting task. The instructions and

advice for cleaning the PCB have been covered in this piece of writing.

Following these recommendations will guarantee that you use the proper

PCB cleaning liquid process.

Related Posts:

1. Is the Integrated Circuit Diagram Important?

2. Why is the Constant Current Circuit Important?

3. Why an Electronic Choke Circuit Diagram is Important

4. How to Clean a Circuit Board ?

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