So I have a really dirty NES

I bought an NES on ebay. Case looks great, flawless outside. I open it up and it is very dusty. What's the best way to clean the board? I have encountered dirty shells outside and inside, but the board inside is always in great condition. I imagine canned air would be a good start. I have seen electrical contact cleaner in stores and it looks like it would work, but I don't know. Isopropyl alcohol and a soft bristle toothbrush? I know some of you guys have seen the worst of it. I saw that thread where the guy found the roach eggs and cleaned it in that industrial cleaning tank. Would an ultrasonic cleaner do the same?

 

I always start with canned air. When I finish that, I just use a microfibre cloth to clean the board. Although I haven't had any extreme situation where there are bugs inside.

 

Ultrasonic cleaners are fairly safe - although it's possible for the high-powered industrial ones to damage crystals.

 

I was the guy who washed the NES in the industrial cleaner. I would only recommend that for a console in really terrible shape, otherwise just take it all apart and wash it in the sink with warm water and dish soap. Be careful not to scrub logos and stickers because they can rub off--clean them gently in these areas. Remove the motherboard and clean it by spraying it with some aerosol contact cleaner and let it air dry. Always works for me.

 

And I was the guy who did the SMS in a bowl with Fairy Liquid! lol

http://bacman.co.uk/cleaning-a-dirty-motherboard/

Make sure if you wash a board that if if has a battery, you remove it first (not applicable for NES or SMS for that matter).

 

I have a PC Engine Super CD-ROM² (the grey one with orange logos) that has crackly audio (I have re-capped it) and I have read that this is down to leaked electrolytic fluid in vias. I don't have a dishwasher or ultrasonic cleaner so I am tempted to was it as you (Bacteria) have done using washing up liquid.
I am reluctant to try this though as the console is a lot rarer and more valuable than a Master System.

 

You don't want to wash PCBs with detergent. Tap water isn't a good idea, either. If you have to clean something that's adhered to a PCB, use the correct fluids, obtainable from your local electronics / radio ham store. Isopropyl alcohol is fine, but you will find proper PCB cleaner.

Soap and water is fine for plastics... although something dirty enough to require washing really wants something that will kill germs, which isn't washing up liquid. Milton fluid (baby sterilizer) is the way to go. For sterilizing baby toys etc. that they might put in their mouths, that is... not for sterilizing babies!

 

I have used isopropyl alcohol on my Super CD-ROM² PCB, but only on areas where I could see any residue. It seems that this wasn't enough.

 

Canned air and a dry toothbrush should get all the dust off the board. If there's some stubborn grime, you can always add some isopropyal alcohol to the toothbrush.

 

One of these with a bristle end and a solid rubber end with 97% alcohol and ANYTHING will come off with some effort and it wont damage anything as long as your not plowing your components. I use this for everything from dust to flux buildup and havent had anything i cant clean with it yet. They are just a few bucks on amazon.

 

This is what I do to. Simple and effective. I find it seldom necessary to do more than local cleaning with isopropyl. It is not like you will lick the PCB or eat on it. It does not need to be like new.

 

The canned air got some stuff off, but there is a thin coating of dust on in some areas. Will clean with alcohol today.

 

I usually prefer not to use alcohol on boards at all. I cleaned a MVS board with alcohol and the lacquer on the board became really sticky and tacky.

 

Likely not lacker but rather a generous flux residue, some boards have that.

 

actually IPA is pretty bad at removing dirt..

 

Depends what kind of ''dirt''. It is great for flux residue, Good enough for baked on dust. Not so good for dried out snot.
But what is really nice about it is how cheap it is, and how it will evaporate with no redidue in a matter of minutes.
This makes it a good choice for everyday PCB scrubbing.

 

true

 

Is that the same thing as electrical contact cleaner? I saw a QD brand, but thought it may not serve the same function.

 

Also, I will just ask in this thread instead of creating a new thread since it's a simple question. Are all dreamcast shells built the same? I have a Rev.2 and a USB GDROM and apparently they will not work together and need a Rev. 1. However my Rev.2 case is flawless, so I wanna do a board swap if it will work for aesthetic reasons. I wanna sell my Rev.2, but I think there is little demand for them, so I will probably just keep it to play backups.