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Isoproyl alcohol

JohnnyP

JohnnyP

New Member
hi all,
I'm a noob at the whole "audiophile life", however ive always loved vintage equipment. The problem, growing up i could never afford anything good.

Now i started my collecting and have the itch! I love the look of the pioneer sx line so i started there. As of now i have the sx-737,650, and 780. Id like to start giving them a good cleaning. My question, is it safe/ recommended to use 99% isoproly on the cuicuit boards and componts? (Everything excluding the pots, switches, and tuner) . If so, would applying with a long qtip be the best delivery method? If not what would work best?


Thanks in advance, I've already learned alot from AK
 
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Besides the Deoxit, how clean do the boards need to be? I use an air compressor for ones that are terribly dirty.
 
I've used both 99% IPA and/or Denatured Alcohol with a paintbrush to get off layers of gunk and nicotine with good success. Douse it pretty good and scrub with a paint brush and then blow it dry with compressed air. Depending on what type of components are on the board, I know people that have gone to the extreme of pulling boards and running them through the dishwasher.
 
Isopropyl alcohol is usually inert inside a unit, I don't know materials that could be damaged by it inside an amplifier. It's usually ok to clean potentiometers too. In some pots, it will wash the grease and lubricants inside it, that's why some people prefer a drop of alcohol instead of spray. (I use a spray can)

Don't use it to clean black plastic faceplates. It leaves a white thing hard to clean again.

If the units are very dirty, clean them dry. A liquid will form a mood with the dust, what will deposit in hard to reach places. Once they look "dust free", use the alcohol.
 
faber12 said:
Besides the Deoxit, how clean do the boards need to be? I use an air compressor for ones that are terribly dirty.
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They don't need to look factory brand new. As long as they don't have particles, corrosion or other dirty that could conduct electricity or affect the heat sinking, it's fine.
 
Several of my Tektronix service manuals specify ONLY isopropyl alcohol for cleaning switches, boards, etc. Deoxit can leave a bit of residue behind that is not good for sensitive test equipment. However, I use Deoxit on everything audio related. It has never damaged any components or boards. It is important to let it dry out before powering up (over night is good).
 
I regularly use Isopropyl Alcohol to clean around parts on a dirty circuit board. It does no damage to the top surface and the plastic in the board itself, but It'll melt the green varnish-like coating on the bottom. 91% softens the green stuff too much for me. 70% still softens the material some, but is fine if you don't keep it wet too long. In either case, the green material will harden back up as the alcohol evaporates.
 
Wow thanks for the info, i am waiting on both detoxit cleaning and lube for the switches and rca's . And save compressed air and a qtip on the circuit board. Ill post pics of the process. Thanks again!
 
I agree that IPA works great most of the time, but I have had a couple of Sansui boards become permanently hazy after 91% broke down whatever coating they had, I think it was on a 4000 or somewhere in that era.
 
Air compressor, a paint brush(s) to knock dust loose (artist brushes work well to get down into nooks and crannies).
A little deoxit on the controls.
A check of the amp settings.

We found this in a dumpster and after I put a cord back on....it works.

0NEVnvvAnh5Zhx1oAwvld8zOVNHespRhN3ssMP0Qw-zhILIH3dHw72pljR7fSC4czfXRvjYs6rZmMmicO62o2TTvK9mOkhxNbGJJCsm4mRtYUQDdpc173BYCMkkcaGdwmB7v1zV61grKh-E8iKQXpupCvXlrK-a0rmkqdzQvtRBTkRyF_lo9EmNbrmVuUqMTZ27GC-f8Bi80wPucYSAvGdrI2bffP4LD-Kjdb0tvB-uLMVTzYOZziYcQy3c75Y1zbVMzuOSscyfYrQZUUZ4gKpa5M3XB3CG6IwgZ0AX0goFMnQfsD0geeXevisifqCIJ4TTD6IoHee6xT0RZdjl4PZ75sCsAl29ImA8128iJYrKoWBx-zRcg5FmwgLb6X3whU-zpYCeMQBV8WnaGZvbTQyXrZ2zhlDUjIfPiNuOGRNYQ0cT9OXgmi3FfFhpyl6lU3PTEuNZIs4j8EC3kjeya-MJApRZVft_k24f98W144vmzU5Yb6Ejg6c3-k5eSwq4tYIbDdSWRSjC9PUEs-VMglwvQ572cKkB1EUYsD3DtmDQeOOdONkNiF_0L2UIRLn12_iZrxzkFgevDGBwjhi6Pscl2H90QxVQ=w1600-h1200-no



I checked the amps, put in new lamps, cleaned her face, repaired some actual damage to the connectors and antenna mount and run her.
She sings well.
 
Now I'm not seeing it, but I was this morning. Oh, well. It was a filthy looking Marantz receiver opened up showing lots of dirt. :D
 
I'm going to refrain from using isopropyl alcohol on PCBs. It left a bad residue last time I used it.

That was Sansui power boards.
 
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