Motherboard washing !

[LCGuy]

I personally wouldn't feel comfortable using a hairdryer on a mobo, I don't know anything about the air they put out, but I can imagine that as far as ESD is concerned, it'd probably be just as bad as that from a vacuum cleaner, not to mention you run the risk of components being damaged by the heat.

 

[Mycatisbigfoot]

I personally wouldn't feel comfortable using a hairdryer on a mobo, I don't know anything about the air they put out, but I can imagine that as far as ESD is concerned, it'd probably be just as bad as that from a vacuum cleaner, not to mention you run the risk of components being damaged by the heat.

just put the disk washer on air dry or engery saver or what ever china calls it today.

 

[Osgeld]

and you can always use the help of a hairdryer to make sure every spot is completely dry.

This could be a bad idea, as forced hot air can actually drive water deeper into wherever it is hiding

On the (sorta) topic of accelerated drying, get a large freezer bag, put your mobo in and cover in dried white rice ... should only take a few days to a week versus 2 weeks of air drying and wondering if there is still a bead of water under a chip shorting something out

This is a common trick for wet cell phones, and works very well (As i found out when my wife sent her phone tru an entire washing machine cycle)

 

[Gil]

I think the drying time is being exaggerated. I've washed plenty of boards, and they were perfectly dry and working within 2-4 days. That's without the help of a hair dryer or other equipment.

 

[Osgeld]

depends, i wouldn't trust a couple days with a board loaded up with bga's ect

 

[techknight]

after washing, I bake them in the oven at a low temperature, yea its probably a bad idea, but hey, it works especially for various amounts of circuit boards that are just plain nasty, or projection TV boards that were victims of fluid leaks, etc....

Only problem i have had with using regular tap water is oxidation/corrosion that sets in during the dry cycle. any way to prevent that?

 

[Bunsen]

Everyone gets that motherboards are both washed and baked at the factory, right?

As long as you don't approach 160C, it's highly unlikely you'll hurt anything.

 

[techknight]

Yea i figured that much, but didnt know if they did with all the components on them. lol.

 

[Osgeld]

Yea they do, baking them to both dry and solder, washing to get rid of the excess flux which is mildly corrosive (if it wasnt it would not do much)

 

[MidnightCommando]

BETTER YET, TAKE EVERYTHING REMOVABLE OUT!

Good advice, but it isn't very useful without this tip: Before you remove ICs such as the ROM chips (depends on your logicboard, some are soldered on) please note down the exact locations of these ICs in their sockets. Placing them back wrong is a big no-no, which I learned the hard way.

Another piece of advice ... Grab a piece of styrofoam, wrap it around the whole way twice with baking foil (aluminium foil), and shove the ICs in that, in order. The foil will ensure there's no risk of potential building up from static and frying your firmware, and the foam will ensure they all stay in the one place. If you place them in spatial order, this also gives you a reference when you replace the ROM chips. Works wonders with four-chip boards like the Classic II.

If you're going to let it dry for 2 weeks, then removing ICs and such doesn't actually help a great deal. Even tight spots should be dry after 2 weeks, and you can always use the help of a hairdryer to make sure every spot is completely dry.

Well, that is a consideration, but I find it's a good idea anyway.

What I do to dry the board quickly is get a phonebook, put it about 5cm from my heater, and sit foil cut to the size of the motherboard underneath it. Turn on the heater, and after twenty minutes flip it over to finish drying the other side, which takes another ten minutes (no components for water to trap under on the secondary side ) After that, I'm confident enough to put it back in the computer it came from.

Note that this goes for /all/ motherboards, not just the sacred ones from Bandley