Removing battery corrosion

[Look165]

The older method is the metallic brush and some elbow oil !
It is efficient.


oldschool@tubes.com a Êcrit :

I got an old AM-FM pocket transistor radio which looked good and clean
till I opened the battery compartment. Very corroded carbon zinc
batteries were in it. After removing them, I cleaned off as much of the
corrosion as possible by scraping with a plastic stick, and scrubbing
with q-tips and rubbing alcohol. That got rid of most of it, and I was
surprised to find the battery clips are not badly damaged, but I had to
use a fingernail file (sandpaper strip) on the ends of the springs.

Better yet, the radio works perfectly.

But there is still a little of that battery corrosion still in there. In
all the years I've worked on electronics, I have never found a perfect
way to clean up leaked batteries. Is there some sort of spray or a
chemical that will dissolve or deactivate that crap?

Of course it has to be safe for the circuit board and components too. I
use the 91% isopropyl alcohol, so it evaporates quickly and leaves
little water residue behind. (Then leave it dry well before use).

 

[John-Del]

On Monday, February 12, 2018 at 5:40:36 AM UTC-5, jurb...@gmail.com wrote:

"Back when projection TVs were plagued with coolant leaks, I used to soak the entire circuit board in an ammonia and soap solution. But *first*, everything that can trap water must be removed. Back then, that meant SMPS transformer, HOT and flyback XFRs, inductors,etc. A lot of work but it fixed stubborn symptoms and no call backs. "

I had a different technique. I washed it in hot water, then alcohol, then acetone with a brush and then blew dried it on hot to evaporate everything.. And then sprayed with spray solvent to make it cold. That squeezes the shit out of the board, which is quite porous. Repeated about 4 times. The last time left the acetone or alcohol on it, heated it up with the blow dryer and waited a while until you could not smell it anymore.

Seems like a lot more work than a one step soak. We received a bulletin from RCA about coolant leaks, and they suggested ammonia based detergents as the most effective way of removing the coolant and it's associated contamination. I had a PTK195 that would do all sorts of very intermittent weird things in the vertical circuit even after a regular cleaning. I found a product called Parson's Sudsy Ammonia and used that diluted in a parts washer. The board were spotless and even glossy after drying.

I remember old AA and AB GE chassis bubbling under the solder on the gripletts which impeded their soldering. And those were about 90 % of the problems with those sets.

My brother (the hero) used to hard wire those GEs through the griplets but I used to just solder the bottom, solder the top, then resolder the bottom again and give it a good spay of Flux-Off (the original stuff). That took less time than it might seem and they never came back.

 

[Mike Coon]

In article <jdq28dtpsnjn7ir8ln79n9t6u1teabjq5a@4ax.com>,
oldschool@tubes.com says...

I did once hear of a guy trying to iron his birthday suit, after
drinking a lot of shine.... Luckily his wife ironed his head with a cast
iron frying pan before he damaged too much of his birthday suit. and she
then sent him to bed.

Nice. Like the story about the streaker in the old-folks home. Poor
vision just made the on-lookers think his clothes needed pressing...

Mike.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 12 Feb 2018 03:00:35 -0800 (PST), tabbypurr@gmail.com wrote:

On Monday, 12 February 2018 10:41:52 UTC, olds...@tubes.com wrote:
On Sun, 11 Feb 2018 17:41:13 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com
wrote:


What were you trying to make? Soldering flux (usually a mix of zinc
chloride and hydrochloric acid)? Don't use it on electronics as it's
conductive.


That's acid plumbing solder for copper pipes.

But you brought up a question. Electrical solder is rosin. What exactly
is roisn and how does it work for a flux? Is it the same thing used for
playing a violin, which as far as I know, is made from pine tree sap?

that's what it is. Just take pine resin & heat to drive off the volatiles.
You can get 25-50kg resin per tonne of wood pulp, but only from pine.
Spruce gives less.
NT

Yep. I've made my own rosin flux. Lots of instructions online for
both paste and liquid flux:
<https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+make+rosin+flux>

However, things went awry when I tried to use my home made flux for
reflow soldering a BGA chip. It was too thick and too difficult to
clean after resoldering. When I dissolved it in some alcohol to thin
out the solution, I had a small fire. It also disappeared long before
the solder melted. I ordered "reflow flux" which is designed for
reflow soldering, which worked much better:
<https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=reflow+flux>
Such fluxes are either active or mildly active. Such rosin fluxes
contain abietic acid
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abietic_acid>
which acts as an oxidation inhibitor. Other additives break down when
heated and produce hydrochloric acid or ammonia for the same effect.
You could mix your own formulation, but I suggest buying the
commercial product when dealing with anything that requires
temperature control (such as BGA chips) or thorough board cleaning.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 12 Feb 2018 08:38:22 -0000, Mike Coon
<gravity@mjcoon.plus.com> wrote:

What do you put in your steam iron? That's where most of my
distilled/de-ionised water goes...
Mike.

I use tap water and let the lime accumulate until I can see it. Then,
a rinse the iron with 75% water and 25% white vinegar. Let the iron
get hot, and push some steam through the plumbing. Also, I empty the
old water from the iron between uses.
<https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+clean+a+steam+iron>

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Terry Schwartz]

It's *almost* not worth it. More than once, when the iron starts spitting out precipitate, we've thrown it away and bought a new one. I've cleaned them too, but it doesn't work 100% and pretty quickly builds up again.

We've bought new irons for as little as $12.

And you get to salvage a nice heavy duty cord for another project.

Distilled water does work really well of course, if you are religious about using it... at 89 cents a gallon I can't see where it adds to the cost of anything. A gallon goes a long way, in an iron or in cleaning electronics.

De-ionized water is a very different animal.

 

On Monday, 12 February 2018 20:54:14 UTC, Terry Schwartz wrote:

It's *almost* not worth it. More than once, when the iron starts spitting out precipitate, we've thrown it away and bought a new one. I've cleaned them too, but it doesn't work 100% and pretty quickly builds up again.

We've bought new irons for as little as $12.

And you get to salvage a nice heavy duty cord for another project.

Distilled water does work really well of course, if you are religious about using it... at 89 cents a gallon I can't see where it adds to the cost of anything. A gallon goes a long way, in an iron or in cleaning electronics.

De-ionized water is a very different animal.

water from a/c is free


NT

 

[Tim R]

On Monday, February 12, 2018 at 5:37:06 PM UTC-5, tabb...@gmail.com wrote:

On Monday, 12 February 2018 20:54:14 UTC, Terry Schwartz wrote:
It's *almost* not worth it. More than once, when the iron starts spitting out precipitate, we've thrown it away and bought a new one. I've cleaned them too, but it doesn't work 100% and pretty quickly builds up again.

We've bought new irons for as little as $12.

And you get to salvage a nice heavy duty cord for another project.

Distilled water does work really well of course, if you are religious about using it... at 89 cents a gallon I can't see where it adds to the cost of anything. A gallon goes a long way, in an iron or in cleaning electronics.

De-ionized water is a very different animal.

water from a/c is free


NT

And FULL of nasty biologicals. No thanks.

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

On Monday, February 12, 2018 at 5:37:06 PM UTC-5, tabb...@gmail.com wrote:

water from a/c is free

If you are writing of condensate water - that is, perhaps, some of the least 'healthy' water on the planet.

a) It condenses on (mostly) aluminum that is exposed to (typically) 90% return/10% fresh air. The return air is freighted with whatever is in the house/building/whatever that passes through typically very coarse filters. So, dander, dust, bacteria, grease, and whatever virus is in circulation. The fresh air could have very nearly anything in it.

b) Whatever corrosion exists on the fins becomes part of it.

c) And it drains via channels and/or tubes that could be 'growing' in their own right. Even if anti-mold tablets are utilized, *THAt* chemical is no fun either.

Perhaps over-use of condensate water might explain a great deal in your case?

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

On Tuesday, 13 February 2018 15:41:37 UTC, pf...@aol.com wrote:

On Monday, February 12, 2018 at 5:37:06 PM UTC-5, tabby wrote:


water from a/c is free

If you are writing of condensate water - that is, perhaps, some of the least 'healthy' water on the planet.

a) It condenses on (mostly) aluminum that is exposed to (typically) 90% return/10% fresh air. The return air is freighted with whatever is in the house/building/whatever that passes through typically very coarse filters. So, dander, dust, bacteria, grease, and whatever virus is in circulation. The fresh air could have very nearly anything in it.

b) Whatever corrosion exists on the fins becomes part of it.

c) And it drains via channels and/or tubes that could be 'growing' in their own right. Even if anti-mold tablets are utilized, *THAt* chemical is no fun either.

so in summary an ideal water source for irons that boil it in use.


> Perhaps over-use of condensate water might explain a great deal in your case?

I'm not the one engaging in gratiutous insults.


NT

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

On Tuesday, February 13, 2018 at 10:56:03 AM UTC-5, tabb...@gmail.com wrote:

so in summary an ideal water source for irons that boil it in use.


Perhaps over-use of condensate water might explain a great deal in your case?

I'm not the one engaging in gratiutous insults.

No, but that was a question, not an insult - and the need for an answer is clearly demonstrated by your summary. Broadcasting fungicides, concentrated allergens and other nasty stuff not deterred by boiling, much less embedding same in one's clothing seems to me to be a poor practice.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[Ralph Mowery]

In article <4c8c7cb0-1dd8-4125-abee-35ccbd8791e5@googlegroups.com>,
pfjw@aol.com says...

On Monday, February 12, 2018 at 5:37:06 PM UTC-5, tabb...@gmail.com wrote:


water from a/c is free

If you are writing of condensate water - that is, perhaps, some of the least 'healthy' water on the planet.

a) It condenses on (mostly) aluminum that is exposed to (typically) 90% return/10% fresh air. The return air is freighted with whatever is in the house/building/whatever that passes through typically very coarse filters. So, dander, dust, bacteria, grease, and whatever virus is in circulation. The fresh air could have very nearly
anything in it.

b) Whatever corrosion exists on the fins becomes part of it.

c) And it drains via channels and/or tubes that could be 'growing' in their own right. Even if anti-mold tablets are utilized, *THAt* chemical is no fun either.

It was the Legionnaires disease that was traced to the AC water.

 

[John-Del]

On Tuesday, February 13, 2018 at 6:22:43 PM UTC-5, Ralph Mowery wrote:

In article <4c8c7cb0-1dd8-4125-abee-35ccbd8791e5@googlegroups.com>,
pfjw@aol.com says...

On Monday, February 12, 2018 at 5:37:06 PM UTC-5, tabb...@gmail.com wrote:


water from a/c is free

If you are writing of condensate water - that is, perhaps, some of the least 'healthy' water on the planet.

a) It condenses on (mostly) aluminum that is exposed to (typically) 90% return/10% fresh air. The return air is freighted with whatever is in the house/building/whatever that passes through typically very coarse filters. So, dander, dust, bacteria, grease, and whatever virus is in circulation. The fresh air could have very nearly
anything in it.

b) Whatever corrosion exists on the fins becomes part of it.

c) And it drains via channels and/or tubes that could be 'growing' in their own right. Even if anti-mold tablets are utilized, *THAt* chemical is no fun either.


It was the Legionnaires disease that was traced to the AC water.

Yeah, but what are the odds a Legionnaire will be using a steam iron? But in all seriousness, wasn't it the AC duct work that was thought to be the breeding ground for the bacterium?

 

[John Robertson]

On 2018/02/11 4:51 AM, pfjw@aol.com wrote:

On Sunday, February 11, 2018 at 5:53:57 AM UTC-5, olds...@tubes.com wrote:
I got an old AM-FM pocket transistor radio which looked good and clean
till I opened the battery compartment. Very corroded carbon zinc
batteries were in it. After removing them, I cleaned off as much of the
corrosion as possible by scraping with a plastic stick, and scrubbing
with q-tips and rubbing alcohol. That got rid of most of it, and I was
surprised to find the battery clips are not badly damaged, but I had to
use a fingernail file (sandpaper strip) on the ends of the springs.

Better yet, the radio works perfectly.

But there is still a little of that battery corrosion still in there. In
all the years I've worked on electronics, I have never found a perfect
way to clean up leaked batteries. Is there some sort of spray or a
chemical that will dissolve or deactivate that crap?

Of course it has to be safe for the circuit board and components too. I
use the 91% isopropyl alcohol, so it evaporates quickly and leaves
little water residue behind. (Then leave it dry well before use).

My sovereign cleaning method for this is to use a very strong concentration of baking soda mixed into distilled water. About a tablespoon of soda into a teaspoon of water to make a paste. This will neutralize any corrosives from the batteries - but the material is highly conductive in its own right. So, after application with a small toothbrush or spiral brush, rinse again as yo have with distilled water, then alcohol to displace the water.

No, no, NO! Sorry Peter, you missed this one. And your advice is
normally spot-on!

Batteries use an AKALAINE (a base not an acid) so using another alkaline
product (baking soda) will only exacerbate the problem.

To neutralize a base (alkaline battery leakage) you need to use a mild
acid. Get some white vinegar and mix with distilled (if your water is
hard) water 50:50 and use that solution to wash the residue away and to
stop incipient leakage from continuing.

I wrote up a page back in the late 90s after talking with an engineer
from EverReady about battery leakage:

http://flippers.com/battery.html

If severe, and the alternative is landfill - I have been known to run an entire chassis through the dishwasher (one without an exposed Calrod), or use a bit of lye-based oven cleaner on a cotton swab - again rinse carefully when done. Needs must when the devil rides.

Um, again you are recommending using a base to try and arrest the action
of another base... Lye is a strong base, and bases are what are used to
etch circuit boards, eh?

Running circuit boards through dishwashers can be fine, just skip the
detergent! Seal DIP switches, pots, relays, etc. first...

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

John :-#)#

--
(Please post followups or tech inquiries to the USENET newsgroup)
John's Jukes Ltd.
MOVED to #7 - 3979 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E3
(604)872-5757 (Pinballs, Jukes, Video Games)
www.flippers.com
"Old pinballers never die, they just flip out."

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

This is a vintage transistor radio, likely using a carbon-zinc battery (LeClanche Cell). They use an acid-based electrolyte. As carefully detailed. Latter-day batteries *tend* to use alkaline-based electrolytes - making most of the discussions herein accurate. But - not in all examples of all cases.

I try to advise based on good chemistry based on the data as presented.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

On Tuesday, 13 February 2018 23:29:26 UTC, John-Del wrote:

On Tuesday, February 13, 2018 at 6:22:43 PM UTC-5, Ralph Mowery wrote:
In article <4c8c7cb0-1dd8-4125-abee-35ccbd8791e5@googlegroups.com>,
pfjw@aol.com says...
On Monday, February 12, 2018 at 5:37:06 PM UTC-5, tabby wrote:

water from a/c is free

If you are writing of condensate water - that is, perhaps, some of the least 'healthy' water on the planet.

a) It condenses on (mostly) aluminum that is exposed to (typically) 90% return/10% fresh air. The return air is freighted with whatever is in the house/building/whatever that passes through typically very coarse filters.. So, dander, dust, bacteria, grease, and whatever virus is in circulation. The fresh air could have very nearly
anything in it.

b) Whatever corrosion exists on the fins becomes part of it.

c) And it drains via channels and/or tubes that could be 'growing' in their own right. Even if anti-mold tablets are utilized, *THAt* chemical is no fun either.


It was the Legionnaires disease that was traced to the AC water.


Yeah, but what are the odds a Legionnaire will be using a steam iron? But in all seriousness, wasn't it the AC duct work that was thought to be the breeding ground for the bacterium?

Legionnaires bugs are killed by heating above 60C.


NT

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

On Tuesday, February 13, 2018 at 8:40:00 PM UTC-5, tabb...@gmail.com wrote:

Legionnaires bugs are killed by heating above 60C.

And, were Legionnaires' Disease the only issue (it is not), then condensate water might be just fine. But it is not. Again, impregnating one's clothes, sheets, and so forth with concentrated allergens, concentrated fungicides - or the actual spores of same - and various other materials, easily avoided, is simply stupid. Advocating such behavior repeatedly in the face of obvious evidence otherwise is both stupid, and possibly criminal. What you do in your own house with only you as the victim is up to you. But visiting such idiocy on others, friends, family and so forth, is *NOT* up to you.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[John Robertson]

On 2018/02/13 5:23 PM, pfjw@aol.com wrote:

This is a vintage transistor radio, likely using a carbon-zinc battery (LeClanche Cell). They use an acid-based electrolyte. As carefully detailed. Latter-day batteries *tend* to use alkaline-based electrolytes - making most of the discussions herein accurate. But - not in all examples of all cases.

I try to advise based on good chemistry based on the data as presented.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

Crap, right, as the OP stated zinc-carbon battery using either ammonium
chloride or zinc chloride in the electrolyte which are indeed mild acids
and thus you are certainly correct to recommend using a base material to
neutralize it.

Should have realized you wouldn't make that sort of mistake and double
checked my own assumptions.

Sorry!

John :-#(#

 

[Mike Coon]

In article <c4312926-76a7-4748-8827-b248dc58d960@googlegroups.com>,
ohger1s@gmail.com says...

Yeah, but what are the odds a Legionnaire will be using a steam iron?

But in all seriousness, wasn't it the AC duct work that was thought to
be the breeding ground for the bacterium?

Perhaps more likely to be indulging in ex-st[r]eam ironing? More
seriously, I think shower heads have been implicated too.

Mike.

 

[Jasen Betts]

On 2018-02-12, oldschool@tubes.com <oldschool@tubes.com> wrote:

On Sun, 11 Feb 2018 17:41:13 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com
wrote:


What were you trying to make? Soldering flux (usually a mix of zinc
chloride and hydrochloric acid)? Don't use it on electronics as it's
conductive.


That's acid plumbing solder for copper pipes.

But you brought up a question. Electrical solder is rosin. What exactly
is roisn and how does it work for a flux? Is it the same thing used for
playing a violin, which as far as I know, is made from pine tree sap?

yes that's the stuff.

what it does is when heated decompose into acids which dissolve oxides,
and into hydrocarbons which reduce oxides back to clean metal, all of
which which helps the molten solder to wet the metal.

--
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