Tips to Prolong PCB Life?

noisuf · Post by **noisuf** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 1:29 pm

Hi Everyone,

I've just put in some serious $$$ in getting back in touch with my shmup life many years ago.

I know all good things come to an end but are there some tips that I should follow to prolong my PCBs' lifespan?

1) I've already been told to store my pcbs in non-moist areas and vertically.

2) Ensure that it's 5V coming to jamma connection.

3) I'm always dreading custom chip and surface mount chip failures as these are basically irreplaceable?

4) My Raiden DX already has some track rot.

Cheers.

Post by **Dave_K.** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 3:07 pm

Outside of proper storage conditions (which you listed), constant handling is what eventually causes boards to fail in the long run. Taking it in and out of packaging you have risk of static shock. Plugging it into a cabinet you have possibility of static shock again, putting the jamma harness on backwards, as well as flexing of the board when connecting the harness. Securing the PCB to a wooden board before putting it in the cab is best. Connecting the PCB and leaving it in packaging like bubble wrap or cardboard box inside the cab is bad and leads to overheating and shortening of lifespan. Leaving the PCB hooked up inside the cab without being screwed to a board (free floating) can lead to a grounding short (very bad).

PCBs are not a consumer product, and were not ment to be touched or installed/uninstalled as frequently as a nintendo cartridge. Take your time, don't get lazy and avoid the bad habbits above and your PCB will last many many years.

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 5:36 pm

The tips that Dave K. mentions regarding arcade PCBs, he's right about that. ^_~

Of course, arcade PCBs are designed to run 24/7 365 days a year without minimal fuss (unless there's a power outage or rolling blackouts) or if the arcade power supply decides to bite the dust. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Ex-Cyber · Post by **Ex-Cyber** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 5:40 pm

Ideally, they should be stored at a stable temperature. Putting them in an uninsulated garage or similar structure that cycles from hot to cold every day will accelerate certain kinds of failures.

emphatic · Post by **emphatic** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 5:55 pm

Also, exposure to sunlight is bad for some circuits.

neorichieb1971 · Post by **neorichieb1971** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 6:25 pm

I've seen some pretty bad shape PCB's in my time. Some of them worked perfectly. I don't keep mine like minted coins but I do take care handling them. Bad handling is about as accellerated failure as you can get.

twalden · Post by **twalden** » Sun Jun 07, 2009 10:41 pm

Replace leaky batteries ASAP.
Clean up any corrosion you see on the PCB.
Cover any EPROM window without a sticker.

noisuf · Post by **noisuf** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 1:34 am

Thanks for all the advice!!!

I was going to mount the boards between two plywood boards with spacers with just the jamma connector being accessible.

Twalden mentions cleaning up corrosion on the board. I was wondering how you can clean this up? Is the pic below an example of corrosion?

By s9607796g, shot with DSC-T1 at 2009-06-07

dpful · Post by **dpful** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 2:17 am

I think that mounting the boards and checking the voltage are paramount. I would mount mine to a peice of masonite-- or put it in a box like you described.

Ka0tiK · Post by **Ka0tiK** » Mon Jun 08, 2009 3:21 am

Good questions noisuf.

I'm curious to know too: How do you properly clean a PCB? I've found a couple of suggestions, but it seems like everybody has their own method of cleaning them.

kebrank · Post by **kebrank** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 2:55 am

Any reason why is better to store PCBs vertically? I mean, this probably only matters if you are going to stack one of top of another. Any idea?

dpful · Post by **dpful** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 5:18 am

it's because the chips and stuff on a pcb is heavy and the pcb itself will begin to sag if it's laid horizontal for too long (depends on the board of course).

noisuf · Post by **noisuf** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:22 am

Just wondering how I can clean the corrosion off my board? Please confirm if pic above is example of corrosion?

neorichieb1971 · Post by **neorichieb1971** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:27 am

noisuf wrote:Just wondering how I can clean the corrosion off my board? Please confirm if pic above is example of corrosion?

What exactly in that picture do you think is corrosion? Can you circle it?

It looks fine to me, it just looks like its lost a bit of its shine.

Ka0tiK · Post by **Ka0tiK** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:34 am

neorichieb1971 wrote:
noisuf wrote:Just wondering how I can clean the corrosion off my board? Please confirm if pic above is example of corrosion?
What exactly in that picture do you think is corrosion? Can you circle it?

It looks fine to me, it just looks like its lost a bit of its shine.

I think what he's referring too are the light specks that are on the traces.

noisuf · Post by **noisuf** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 4:12 am

Yep, I was wondering about the dots on the parallel lines:

By s9607796g at 2009-06-09

Ka0tiK · Post by **Ka0tiK** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:02 am

Yup, looks like it's corrosion. I'm not too sure, but it'll have to be removed before it continues eating the traces and then apply silicon coating spray for PCBs to protect it from resurfacing.

Rubbing alcohol is best. Use in a ventilated area with an acid brush and snip the hairs to make the bristle firmer if needed. If the trace is damaged, I've seen conductive pens that apparently allows you apply a put a trace on the PCB (kinda like adding solder to bridge the gap).

..and use a multimeter to check for continuity!

Again, these are my $.02. I've never repair PCBs before, but it is what I've gathered from asking around here at Intel.

noisuf · Post by **noisuf** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 9:32 am

Thanks for the info.

If I was to skip the acid step and just used silicon...that would at least be of benefit where the corrosion is staved of oxygen?

Keep the advice coming...I want my pcbs to last the distance!!!

Ka0tiK · Post by **Ka0tiK** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 10:18 am

I haven't used the spray myself, but I have seen them. I've been told there are sprays for cleaning the PCBs as well (but I think both sprays are actually one and the same).

I wouldn't use acid though. PCBs have a special coating and the acid will eat through the coating. Oddly enough, I have heard some people use deluted acid - specifically the acid you use in photography (???). However, IPA is fine. Do not use water as it promotes corrosion. IPA evaporates quickly so it doesn't need to be heat-dried.

I'm not sure if this is available commercially, but I do know there is a solution that evaporates quicker than typical IPA. I heard it works so fast that they can actually submerge PCBs into the solution. Not sure if it's true.

Oh, and aerosol dusters are a good place to start. Just make sure you give some space from the nozzle and keep upright so none of the propellant spills out onto your board. Always good to test-shoot first.

pcb_revival · Post by **pcb_revival** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:14 pm

Isopropyl Alcohol is used for cleaning pcbs, certainly cheaper than ultra sonic bath cleansing which is the premium service.

Or you could throw your dirty pcb in the domestic dishwasher - like some people do - threads available.

IronGiant · Post by **IronGiant** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:17 pm

pcb_revival wrote: Or you could throw your dirty pcb in the domestic dishwasher - like some people do - threads available.

But make sure you don't put in any soap or salt.

Post by **system11** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:24 pm

Leave it alone, that's looks more like the solder mask is degrading or wasn't perfect to begin with, you'll probably find the tracks underneath are perfectly ok.

The corrosion to look out for is from battery leaks - that stuff will spread and kill a board, and be mindful of corrosion on chip legs, which is one reason I've never subscribed to the 'wash it' theory. I've teen a tiny amount of moisture trapped under a resistor eat through the track underneath the resistor - which led to a lot of fun fault finding.

When people say store them vertically - it is definitely worth while on some boards. If you have a board stored flat with NO pcb feet wrapped in antistatic bubblewrap, it'll be fine though. I tend to stack mine in shallow boxes invididually wrapped (1-3 depending on size), then store the box on its side.

Ka0tiK · Post by **Ka0tiK** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:34 pm

R-Typer wrote:
pcb_revival wrote: Or you could throw your dirty pcb in the domestic dishwasher - like some people do - threads available.
But make sure you don't put in any soap or salt.

That's crazy. Heat would kill the board.

I've heard people doing this, but I have tested the theory of washing a keyboard in the washer machine and it killed it.

IronGiant · Post by **IronGiant** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:37 pm

Ka0tiK wrote: That's crazy. Heat would kill the board.

I've heard people doing this, but I have tested the theory of washing a keyboard in the washer machine and it killed it.

I've tried dishwashing some worthless (but working) bootlegs in the past, just as an experiment, and no problems at all. It cleaned them very nicely though. Not sure if I'd want to risk it on a valuable board though ......

PC Engine Fan X! · Post by **PC Engine Fan X!** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:45 pm

R-Typer wrote:
Ka0tiK wrote: That's crazy. Heat would kill the board.

I've heard people doing this, but I have tested the theory of washing a keyboard in the washer machine and it killed it.
I've tried dishwashing some worthless (but working) bootlegs in the past, just as an experiment, and no problems at all. It cleaned them very nicely though. Not sure if I'd want to risk it on a valuable board though ......

The potential risk of washing a Ketsui PCB in your dishwasher...will it still work after the wash? ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

cools · Post by **cools** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:53 pm

Yes. The labels will be gone though

Washing is a last resort to get rid of corrosive liquids (Coke). Don't do it as a matter of course.

IronGiant · Post by **IronGiant** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:53 pm

PC Engine Fan X! wrote: The potential risk of washing a Ketsui PCB in your dishwasher...will it still work after the wash? ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Quite! Certainly not worth the risk.

noisuf · Post by **noisuf** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 1:22 am

What a read since I posted last.

Regarding battery leaks, what types of batteries should I be mindful of?

Ni-Cd? As is DOJ?
Lithium?
How about the flat batteries button like batteries? Bigger versions of watch batteries?

Ka0tiK · Post by **Ka0tiK** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:43 am

I was taking a look around and found some interesting information concerning cleaning PCBs:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=27521
A PCB cleaner. There are a couple of Q&A's down below the product information. One product I've seen discussed about frequently is CRC's Contact Cleaners: http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/4Runner/t ... leaner.jpg

http://www.tradekey.com/product_view/id/8382.htm
This PCB cleaner can clean "Live Circuits". Pretty cool.

Note how the container says "Online Contact Cleaner".

And lastly...

http://forum.gsmhosting.com/vbb/archive ... 80093.html
Some people discussing about cleaning PCBs. Quite a few recommend CRC's product.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:49 am

Lithium just beats the living snot outta NiCad, should hold a charge longer. Just make sure it's the right type of battery.

@Ka0tiK: the people on that cellphone board are all equally intelligible, but the writing isn't giving me too much confidence in one thing or another.

Good thing I have lots of isopropyl available (good for almost everything).

Hooray for isopropyl!

You can clean off camera lenses with it (and microtackfiber cloth).
It cuts through the brownish-grey humanoid gunk that collects on control surfaces (joysticks, keyboards, monitor glass) with ease.
And now it does PCBs!

Is there anything this amazing substance can't clean?