Cleaning Off Corrosion

[Philip Powell]

Hey Forum, there is corrosion on my circuit board and I was wondering what the best methods to remove it are. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Admin]

That's not good. Those are gold plated fingers and gold doesn't corrode, so it looks like something got inside the connector. Looks like a battery leaked. Use a contact cleaner such as DeOxit with a Q-Tip to scrub. Do not use anything more abrasive than a pencil eraser on those contacts. If what you're seeing is the corrosion of the underlying copper of the finger, the board may not be salvageable. You also need to clean the connector this board mates with.

[Innocentti]

Boiling water - hold the board with the contacts down. Pour boiling water from a kettle directly onto the contacts. The water will not damage any of the adjacent components.
For more obstinate contacts you can stand the board in a dish with hot water for longer periods to dissolve the salts, scrubbing with Q tips.
Obviously dry thoroughly afterwards and treat with DeOxit.

[Philip Powell]

Thanks, I will try the boiling water.

[Philip Powell]

Unfortunately, the boiling water method did not work at all. I will still like your post though and I appreciate your help. I'll try the second option.

[myorgan]

Philip,

If the board turns out to be unsalvageable, let us know what type of board it is, and perhaps we can help you find a replacement. As Admin says, it doesn't look good.:'(

Michael

[Philip Powell]

I am so glad the affected area isn't used!

[toodles]

If this is the DM double memory combination action board (which is likely) P84 is unused--this is where the 4th division would be connected if there where a 4th division--which there is not (i.e. for the choir manual on a 3 manual organ). As there is no circuitry connected, its probably OK to ignore the corrosion without causing future problems, but a general cleaning is a good idea to avoid spreading the corrosion. Try a paste of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and water, rubbing it on gently with your fingertip. Afterwards, wash off any baking soda residue.

The DM board was used for 2 and 3 manual organs, with some components left off when used explicitly for 2 manual organs.

[Philip Powell]

Toodles,

I realized that it was unused since there wasn't a connector for it. I will try the baking soda solution though just because the corrosion really grosses me out!

PP