cure equiepement that was in the rain... best practices???

From: Tothwolf <tothwolf_at_concentric.net>
Date: Tue Apr 16 02:02:19 2002

On Mon, 15 Apr 2002, Doc wrote:
> On Mon, 15 Apr 2002, Dave McGuire wrote:
>
> > TLC it performs flawlessly). The water doesn't seem to do any harm at
> > all, even with long-term exposure...it's the crap that the water can
> > carry into the equipment, and sometimes corrosion later on.
>
> So what can you do with accumulated mineal salts around component
> legs? Looks like tin "rust". I tried firm-but-gentle with a stiff
> toothbrush, and didn't get anywhere.
> I have that MV3100-90 board that I think just needs the corrosion,
> which I suspect is conductive, removed.

Try a little baking soda+water paste and a toothbrush. That will remove
any loose corrosion, but won't polish out the tarnished spots. Tarnished
leads on chips won't cause any problems, but make sure the solder joints
are in good condition. Most problems with boards that have been exposed to
the elements for long periods will be due to solder joints that were not
"perfect" to begin with. Basically, moisture finds its way down into the
microscopic cracks in those faulty joints, and expands the tiny crack
further as the temperature of the water drops. Finding those bad solder
joints can take alot of time.

Staying right on topic, I spent 3 hours today pulling apart some gear
(which meets classiccmp age requirements) that has been out in the weather
for about 2-3 years. The boards will get washed, connectors polished, and
everything else cleaned off. The only real damage is to their outer steel
cabinets, which are starting to rust since the layer of paint on them was
thin.

-Toth
Received on Tue Apr 16 2002 - 02:02:19 BST