Cleaning Tips for Your Printed Circuit Board

Can you remember ever reaching to turn up the volume on your old stereo and instead of louder music, you just hear a booming crackling noise coming from your speakers? If this has happened to you, then this means your stereo is not clean. This interference is created when dust settles onto the printed circuit board which effects the ability for the volume to increase.

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It doesn’t matter what kind of electronics you have, whether RC car or stereo, dirt negatively impacts performance. It’s just a simple fact that dust and dirt don’t pair well with printed circuit boards. Once the PCB and it’s components become covered in this dust, the components can be damaged and productivity is also damaged as a result. In some cases this can even be a fire hazard. Some of the most common types built up dirt include:

- Dust
- Grime
- Solder flux
- Paint
- Corrosion

The performance of all electronic devices will be compromised by any of the above items. The bad news is that you can’t keep this from happening but the good news is that you can clean your printed circuit boards once the buildup takes place.

How to Clean the PCB
Remember If you neglect to do this, an electric shock may be in your future. Secondly, static discharge is always a concern, even after you have turned off and unplugged the equipment. You can ground yourself to prevent this by putting your hand on an unpainted metallic area of the equipment. You will want to continue doing this throughout the whole cleaning process so you can prevent a static arc discharge. If you would prefer, a grounding strip can be attached to your workbench.

Now you are ready for the actual cleaning:

1. You will need to directly access the area of the circuit board you want to clean so you will need to open it up.

2. Compressed air should then be used. Use the supplied hose attachment to concentrate the air in the small areas of the PCB. Using the hose that comes with the can, direct the air to the tiny areas of the PCB which have collected dirt, dust and grime.

3. In order to clean completely around the components, you will need to use a small battery controlled vacuum.

4. If you still see dust or dirt, you will need a fine, small paintbrush that you can dip in denatured alcohol and then you simply swab it across the circuit board. Be sure to not let the alcohol pool around components or holes.

If there is battery corrosion, this can be removed with a mixture of water and baking soda. Create a thin paste and scrub with a soft toothbrush. You will want to allow the paste to soak the corroded sections for about 20 or 30 minutes before you wipe it off with a dry cloth.

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If you find that your cleaning needs are far more complex than this, you should consult a professional electronics repair shop. If there is just too much dirt and grime, you should consider replacing the entire PCB. In this case, replacing it will likely be cheaper than having it cleaned professionally.