[PDP8-Lovers] Re: how to clean a PDP8/A, dishwasher?

From: Johnny Billquist <bqt_at_update.uu.se>
Date: Mon Dec 17 02:30:17 2001

On Sun, 16 Dec 2001, Pete Turnbull wrote:

>
> On Dec 16, 9:51, Johnny Billquist wrote:
> > On Fri, 14 Dec 2001, Mark Crispin wrote:
>
> > > I am appalled that anyone would seriously consider putting any
> electronic
> > > equipment, much less antiques, in a dishwasher.
> >
> > I'll have to agree.
>
> As has been said before, what do you think manufacturers do at the end of a
> production line?

They wash them yes. They *don't* put them in a dishwasher. There is a
hughe difference.

> Yes, a certain amount of care is required, and certain
> things can't tolerate being soaked or being too hot or given too much
> mechanical agitation (stress).

Which all are things I suspect a normal dishwasher might do.

> But how would you deal with a piece of
> equipment that was smoke damaged or had been left in the rain or had fallen
> in a river or had been infested with vermin or had a can of Coke spilled in
> it? I've had to deal with all of those and more over the last two decades,
> and washing is the only way.

Grab a bottle of isopropanol, some swabs, and start working.

> I don't advocate unneccessary cleaning, but sometimes it's required.

I'd still never use a dishwasher.

> > > It may be alright to (gently!) vaccuum away dust and deteriorated foam
> > > rubber, although a feather duster may be more appropriate. I would not
> > > risk anything else, and certainly not insert anything (including water
> or
> > > alcohol) under the plexiglass shield protecting the core.
> >
> > Vacuum cleaning (gently!) is about the only thing I'd recommend.
>
> Be careful about that. Allison's warning about ESD is quite real. Don't
> even think about a feather duster; at least, not if it's a synthetic one.

ESD should never be ignored, but in the case of computer from the 60s and
70s, ESD is really not an issue. We don't have CMOS, we have old style MSI
TTL here... It is not ESD sensitive. You can literally zap those
circuits, and they will work just fine.

        Johnny

Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus
                                  || on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt_at_update.uu.se || Reading murder books
pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol
Received on Mon Dec 17 2001 - 02:30:17 GMT