[QuadList] Washing out the electronics (was Re: Restoring 2000's)

[Ted Langdell]

Cool cleaning methods, George.

Does anyone on the list remember seeing a Broadcast Engineering  
magazine (or Broadcast Management/Engineering) from around 1963 or so  
that had a cover story on NBC NY's use of soap, water and a firehose  
dryer as part of the regular Preventative Maint. cycle on equipment?

The article took the reader through the steps—with pictures—and  
apparently made a lasting impression on an 11 or 12 year old.  I'd  
spotted the issue in a stack of old magazines in a closet at KMYC,  
Marysville.

IIRC... the item being used in the illustration was part of a TK-11  
camera chain.  Rack mount stuff, not the camera head.

They'd pull all the tubes, give the piece of gear a good washdown with  
soap and water, and then pop it into a modified fire hose dryer to dry  
out.  Then onto the bench for a test, and back into service.

I've mentioned before how that article came in handy when the cup of  
coffee w/C&S got knocked sideways into a partially pulled out  
Crosspoint Latch 6112 switcher chassis.

Immediately Turn off. Disconnect. Wash. Dry overnight. Blow out under  
the IC sockets and such with contact cleaner. Allow to evap and  
restuff the chassis with clean boards.

Worked just fine... and saved my tush.

Ted

Ted Langdell
Secretary

On Feb 3, 2010, at 10:49 AM, georgenann at aol.com wrote:

> One interesting thing they did, was the first thing that happened to  
> the machines was all of the boards were removed and cleaned.  The  
> way they cleaned them was hot water and "Cascade".  They  scrubbed  
> them all down and put them in the oven at 120 degrees for a couple  
> days.  After that they looked like they just came out of Ampex. The  
> boards all worked just fine, unless they had some bad components on  
> them to start with. I wonder if they could have just put them in a  
> dishwasher.
>
> I noticed a Tektronix 453A in one of his trucks all covered with  
> dirt and I asked him if he would let me have the scope instead of  
> paying me for a couple days, but I would have to put it thru his  
> cleaning system.  He agreed.  All I did was pull the CRT out and the  
> HV P.S. out pulled the fan and scrubbed it with Cascade and dried it  
> out.  When I put it all back together it worked fine, I just put  
> some lube on the switches that needed it did a small alignment by  
> the book.  I guess you know what those scopes looked like, all those  
> parts, wired in, no PCB's etc.
>
> I still use that method for anything I am cleaning up, if it is  
> greasy I use the cheapest dish liquid I can find and dry it in the  
> wife's oven.  When we put the house in here in Port Jervis I made  
> sure we got a stove with a "Standing Pilot" in the oven as when you  
> close the oven door it stays around 120 degrees in there and does a  
> great job.  I suppose a 100 watt light bulb might do the same in a  
> non pilot equipped stove.
>

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