exxos's Atari, Amiga & retro forum

This may be an old hat for the more experienced, but was a good lesson for me.
I am using a ChipQuick "Tacky No Clean Flux" for most stuff. Its ok for soldering but leaves a sticky goo
behind. The good thing is, it is non-conductive. But that can also be a bad thing...

What happened to me is that after I soldered the IDE port, I cleaned it with a non-static brush
that I'm using quite often. Because I use it so often, the brush itself got a bit sticky and flux
residue accumulated on it. Apparently what happened is that the 'cleaning' actually left an
invisible flux coating on the IDE header pins.
I started to wonder why I'm getting so flakey results with the IDE port and had to switch through
a few different cables before it worked....

Eventually, I put the whole TF board, the brush and the cable into a bath of IPA for some minutes.
That did the trick! Nice side effect is that the black board now also looks shiny, wheres with topical
use of qtips and IPA, it often shows smudges.

Happy soldering!

I find that a good soak in IPA usually removes most of the flux residue.
I also sometimes give a light brush with a cheap soft toothbrush,
which I just simply throw away after the clean. (way too lazy to clean it ;) )

I just have a ground point on my workbench which I routinely touch as anti-static measure. Never really bother with anti-static measures other than that. To my knowledge I do not think I have fried a chip with static discharge, and I have been handling various electronic components and equipment for around 40 years. Not saying anything other than this has worked for myself. Everyone usually has there own method, If you like it and it works why change it :)

I use the same flux. After soldering, I spray generously with IPA and wipe with a Kimwipe. Yes, you need to wait a few minutes before then testing the device as you can get iffy conductivity if the IPA/Flux mix hasn't quite evaporated. And yes, IPA bath for the finished board. One day an ultrasonic cleaner!

Working on modem prototypes years ago I was taught to solder by a guy who learned as an apprentice (something related to UK Navy I think). After soldering, paintbrush and isopropyl to move the flux. Then squirt green Palmolive detergent on it and clean with another paintbrush under running water before drying with a low-setting hot air gun! Perfectly clean and never a problem, not even under the 68356 BGA packages - of course this is without the switches and other water-vulnerable parts in place.

Aeberbach wrote: 30 May 2020 01:43 and clean with another paintbrush under running water

It would be much better to use demineralized water for the last clean, the minerals in normal tap water have a high chance of corroding metal parts over time, if you didn't dry the parts it would happen a lot quicker.

Maximilian wrote: 30 May 2020 10:30

Aeberbach wrote: 30 May 2020 01:43 and clean with another paintbrush under running water

It would be much better to use demineralized water for the last clean, the minerals in normal tap water have a high chance of corroding metal parts over time, if you didn't dry the parts it would happen a lot quicker.

It very much depends upon where you are. If you're in a "hard water" area then the water is mildly alkaline and reasonably harmless with regards to metals, unless chlorine has been added to clean the pipes. In areas with "soft water", where the water has come from highlands or granite areas, then the water is actually acidic and will eventually eat any metal. Even when "dry", the moisture in the atmosphere is enough to continue the corrosion.