Just a quick Deoxit question.

  • Thread starter Thread starter j.harv
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j.harv

j.harv

@#$%
I have decidied to open up my 388 and go over the pots and switches with Deoxit because the first time I did it a couple of years ago,I used some other electrical cleaner and I didnt do a thorough job.
My question is.....Is it ok if deoxit get on the channel cards Im cleaning.Im carefully spraying it in the pots but it is running down the circuit boards quit a bit and seeping around the caps and resistors etc...
Its kinda hard to clean up afterwards.Just wondering if this will cause any issues.

Thanks...
 
well, some tech might come in and correct me but ....... DeOxit pretty much evaporates after you use it unless you're using the DeOxit Gold which leaves behind a lubricant/protector.

I've used DeOxit in rack mount gear and had it actually pool up in corners but given time it all evaporated.

So I really don't think it should be an issue ..... I have seen it used to just spray a board to clean it also.

But hopefully a full time tech will pop in and confirm this.
 
Great thanks Lt.Bob.

I figured if it is gonna be sprayed around all kind of electrical components,then it must be safe.
Just wanted to check though.
 
j.harv said:
.... but it is running down the circuit boards quit a bit and seeping around the caps and resistors etc...
Click to expand...

Ease up with trigger there Mr Clean! ;)

Like LT Bob said, it should not cause any problems, but it sounds like you are overdoing a bit if it's running all over everything.
With pots....you really have to find the right spot to spray it, as many are quite sealed (some totally, so it's a wast of time even trying to spray them). I usually look for the little holes on the sides where they pinch-close the pots when they assemble them.

Also...DeOxit comes in several varieties, and there are some that will spray just a single shot, not a constant spray....or, you can use on of the needle-type injector/dispensers to really get where you want it.

Most of the basic DeOxit contains 5% cleaner with the rest of the solution being solvent that will evap as LT Bob said...but that small amount does remain, and if it is all over the boards it can be a dust trap (though it should not harm anything), so I would get some Q-Tips and or small rags with some isopropyl alcohol, and try and clean it up a bit. You can even put the rag around the pots before you spray, so that when it runs, the rag will absorb it before it gets all over everything.
Neatness counts! :)

Oh..another option that I like to use is to spray the DeOxit into a small plastic cap (like the one the came with the DeOxit)...then I take an artist's brush, a real small one with stiffer bristles, and I dip the brush into the DeOxit, and then work it into the pot...very effective for getting it in there without spraying up a storm.
 
Im trying to be careful:o
Im using a really short burst into the small holes on the pots.It just still seems to seep out and get on the board.It still hasnt evaporated yet.So out with the q-tips!!!
 
Try the brush method...it really works well, and with little mess and waste of DeOxit.
 
Deoxit works well for cleaning jacks, interconnect contacts and things like that, but otherwise I've learned to keep it out of my electronics if I can help it. It leaves a residue that you'd have to clean off everything and it's a mess. For this reason, I also don't like spraying it directly to the item being cleaned, but prefer to spritz it into a clean shotglass (I like this better than the cap) and apply with wood or paper-stick swabs. Toothbrushes, wire brushes and Scotch Brite pot scrubber pads can be handy for scrubbing heavily oxidized/dirty surfaces, depending on the component.

I advise you keep it out of your pots in particular. First, don't clean a pot that doesn't absolutely need it. Exercise any scratchy pots by turning them their full range maybe 20 or 30 times and that should clear things up. If and only if it doesn't you can use a small amount of Caig Fader F5 but once you do this, you'll need to keep doing it periodically for the life of the pot. I also use the Fader F5 for, not surprisingly, cleaner faders--but ONLY the metal guide rails, never the conductive elements, and I apply with a swab rather than directly, as with my suggestion above. For those I just use the same 99% isopropyl I keep around for cleaning heads. I'm not sure what your faders are like inside so YMMV there.

The isopropyl can work fine for lighter-duty metal contact cleaning jobs but keep it away from plastics and especially rubber.

In my experience, the best thing to use inside your equipment and around cards in particular is a non-residue contact cleaner (QD and Blow Off are commonly found but you should be ok with anything that spcifies being a non-residue contact cleaner). The non-res stuff dries quickly and doesn't leave a goopy red mess like Deoxit does.
 
There use to be this contact cleaner some year back, before all the new regs were introduced...can't remember the name...but man, that stuff was IMO better than the DeOxit on many levels. It was clear/clean...left no residue and worked almost 100% of the time on everything.
Of course...it was also depleting the ozone layer. :D :(
I think they were going to come out with a new formulation for it...but I never followed up, and now I use the Caig stuff, though I agree...sparingly.
You can also get some TechSpray Rid-Ox which is similar, but is a lighter cleaner/de-oxidizer, so there's less residue when it dries up.

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/TECHSPRAY-2112-6S-/20-3295


<EDIT>

Oh WOW!
I was just bouncing around the MCM Electronics site and found that contact cleaner I was takling about, it's made by LPS....looks like this is the forumlation after the regs came out. Not sure if it is as good as it was before...but I might get a can. I loved this stuff when I used it in the past.

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/LPS-05416-/20-4775
 

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