Will Deoxit on a circuit board cause problems?

Will Deoxit on a circuit board cause problems? In other words, is it
conductive if it's touching components?

I had to spray some switches that had a very tiny hole in a plastic
covering, so the Deoxit got all over the board. I removed most of it
with tissue paper, but there are traces of it beneath chips and other
components, which is difficult to remove. I have also used some Q-tips
to get rid of as much as I can, but I cant get all of it.

Will it evaporate over time? I wont be plugging this device in for at
least 24 hours.

Normally it's not this messy, but in this case there was no easy way to
get it into those switches, which badly needed to be cleaned. I wish
they would not seal switches like this. The old style switches with open
ends were so much easier to clean.

 

[whit3rd]

On Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at 2:06:11 PM UTC-8, olds...@tubes.com wrote:
> Will Deoxit on a circuit board cause problems?

Not according to the manufacturer. Various formulations have been around for
decades, with no alarms raised. Relax, plug it in and go.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Tue, 06 Feb 2018 16:05:11 -0600, oldschool@tubes.com wrote:

Will Deoxit on a circuit board cause problems? In other words, is it
conductive if it's touching components?

Think about it for a moment. If a switch lube were conductive, and
you sprayed it on the switch contacts, one might expect the switch
lube to short out the switch. That would make it a very bad switch
lube. Therefore, one might suspect that NOT shorting out the switch
which Deoxit is trying to lubricate might be a formulation
requirement. In other words, it better not be conductive.

Deoxit is mosly mineral oil (saturated parrafin oil) which will
evaporate, but very slowly. You'll need some kind organic solvent to
clean off the oil residue from the PCB. If you using Cramolin Red
instead of Deoxit, there's some oleic acid in the mix as an oxide
remover, which will very slowly corrode copper and must be removed
from the PCB.



--
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

 

On Tue, 06 Feb 2018 16:43:38 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
wrote:

On Tue, 06 Feb 2018 16:05:11 -0600, oldschool@tubes.com wrote:

Will Deoxit on a circuit board cause problems? In other words, is it
conductive if it's touching components?

Think about it for a moment. If a switch lube were conductive, and
you sprayed it on the switch contacts, one might expect the switch
lube to short out the switch. That would make it a very bad switch
lube. Therefore, one might suspect that NOT shorting out the switch
which Deoxit is trying to lubricate might be a formulation
requirement. In other words, it better not be conductive.

Deoxit is mosly mineral oil (saturated parrafin oil) which will
evaporate, but very slowly. You'll need some kind organic solvent to
clean off the oil residue from the PCB. If you using Cramolin Red
instead of Deoxit, there's some oleic acid in the mix as an oxide
remover, which will very slowly corrode copper and must be removed
from the PCB.

I guess I did not explain that real well. Of course it's not conductive,
but what I meant is whether there could be water in it, meaning till it
drys it could be conductive via the water. I know most chemicals these
days cant contain solvents which are air pollution. In fact a mechanic
friend told me that auto paints no longer contain laquer thinner, and
some are even water based.

Knowing it's mineral oil eliminates that worry. I've never seen that
Cramolin Red, but I'll be sure to never buy it. Deoxit seems to be the
best anyhow, so I dont buy anything else. Years ago, I used Radio Shacks
contact cleaner most of the time, which usually worked ok, but that is
no longer available and Deoxit is better anyhow. It's a little on the
pricey side, but I find myself using less of it than I used with the
sprays I used in the past.

Thanks for the help.

 

[gregz]

<oldschool@tubes.com> wrote:

Will Deoxit on a circuit board cause problems? In other words, is it
conductive if it's touching components?

I had to spray some switches that had a very tiny hole in a plastic
covering, so the Deoxit got all over the board. I removed most of it
with tissue paper, but there are traces of it beneath chips and other
components, which is difficult to remove. I have also used some Q-tips
to get rid of as much as I can, but I cant get all of it.

Will it evaporate over time? I wont be plugging this device in for at
least 24 hours.

Normally it's not this messy, but in this case there was no easy way to
get it into those switches, which badly needed to be cleaned. I wish
they would not seal switches like this. The old style switches with open
ends were so much easier to clean.

Main ingredient in common Deoxit is gasoline. Well, Coleman Fuel, well
Naphtha. It evaporates slower than some other solvents. The 5% oily
solution remains for some time. Flammable but not conductive.

Greg

 

[gregz]

<oldschool@tubes.com> wrote:

On Tue, 06 Feb 2018 16:43:38 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com
wrote:

On Tue, 06 Feb 2018 16:05:11 -0600, oldschool@tubes.com wrote:

Will Deoxit on a circuit board cause problems? In other words, is it
conductive if it's touching components?

Think about it for a moment. If a switch lube were conductive, and
you sprayed it on the switch contacts, one might expect the switch
lube to short out the switch. That would make it a very bad switch
lube. Therefore, one might suspect that NOT shorting out the switch
which Deoxit is trying to lubricate might be a formulation
requirement. In other words, it better not be conductive.

Deoxit is mosly mineral oil (saturated parrafin oil) which will
evaporate, but very slowly. You'll need some kind organic solvent to
clean off the oil residue from the PCB. If you using Cramolin Red
instead of Deoxit, there's some oleic acid in the mix as an oxide
remover, which will very slowly corrode copper and must be removed
from the PCB.

I guess I did not explain that real well. Of course it's not conductive,
but what I meant is whether there could be water in it, meaning till it
drys it could be conductive via the water. I know most chemicals these
days cant contain solvents which are air pollution. In fact a mechanic
friend told me that auto paints no longer contain laquer thinner, and
some are even water based.

Some areas or states might have a ban on lacquer. Not popular like once
was, but common in touch up spray cans. Enamel spray with hardener is
awfull to breath.

Knowing it's mineral oil eliminates that worry. I've never seen that
Cramolin Red, but I'll be sure to never buy it. Deoxit seems to be the
best anyhow, so I dont buy anything else. Years ago, I used Radio Shacks
contact cleaner most of the time, which usually worked ok, but that is
no longer available and Deoxit is better anyhow. It's a little on the
pricey side, but I find myself using less of it than I used with the
sprays I used in the past.

Thanks for the help.

if you want to clear boards, use a plastic safe residue free electronic
spray.

Greg

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

OK - DeOxit as a contact cleaner (there are several formula) contains 95% volatile hydrocarbons and propellants if applicable, and 5% proprietary ingredients. These latter may or may not be Oleic acid, but they are reactant with various oxides of common conductive materials such as silver, copper or tin.

As long as all or part of that 5% has not reacted with one or another oxide, it will remain active. The salts produced by its reactions are, emphatically, conductive. DeOxit *MUST* be removed from whatever it goes into in order to prevent down-the-line problems. If used on a pot, the pot should be rinsed in a _lubricating_ cleaner. CRC, amongst others, makes such a material, spray or pump.

So, use DeOxit. Allow it to work while exercising the pot (or switch). Rinse & lubricate. Done.

Peter Wieck
Denver, CO

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Wed, 7 Feb 2018 09:18:57 -0000 (UTC), gregz <zekor@comcast.net>
wrote:

Main ingredient in common Deoxit is gasoline. Well, Coleman Fuel, well
Naphtha. It evaporates slower than some other solvents. The 5% oily
solution remains for some time. Flammable but not conductive.
Greg

Reverse engineering Deoxit is problematic because the formula has
changed over the years (starting with Cramoline) and because there are
multiple mutations sold under the Deoxit name. There's now a Deoxit
grease. Even so, I can assure you that gasoline is not used (it
evaporates and you would smell it).

The spray type is mostly "mineral spirits" or "naphtha". The "active
ingredient" is some kind of acidic oxide remover, such as oleic acid
(because it is food safe):
<http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.I/id.66/.f>
"Formulation: 5% DeoxITŽ (active ingredient), 75% odorless
mineral spirits (carrier solvent), 20% propellant
Formulation contains petroleum naphtha (odorless mineral spirits)
solvent, and is briefly flammable (until solvent evaporates within
2-3 minutes). It's slower to evaporate, providing flushing action
to remove surfaces dirt, grease and other contaminants. Is ideal
for connectors and components removed from equipment or those
that are easily accessible. It is safe on plastics. When in doubt,
always test for compatibility, especially vintage equipment with
aging ABS plastic(s)."

Note the $150 for 7.4ml price tag for Deoxit Gold Pro GX3.
<http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.2847/.f>
"Shields Against Noise and RFI"
Ummm... right.

--
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

 

On Wednesday, 7 February 2018 17:29:49 UTC, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

Note the $150 for 7.4ml price tag for Deoxit Gold Pro GX3.
http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.2847/.f
"Shields Against Noise and RFI"
Ummm... right.

What? If you sprayed it in your ear it would shield you against noise. And when were you last hassled by Robert Fred or Ian? See it does shield you from R,F&I.


NT

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Thu, 8 Feb 2018 15:46:52 -0800 (PST), tabbypurr@gmail.com wrote:

On Wednesday, 7 February 2018 17:29:49 UTC, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

Note the $150 for 7.4ml price tag for Deoxit Gold Pro GX3.
http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.2847/.f
"Shields Against Noise and RFI"
Ummm... right.

What? If you sprayed it in your ear it would shield you
against noise.

Ummm... It uses a brush or swap applicator (for maximum waste and
evaporation) and is not a spray. A Q-tip might be best for swabbing
in your ear. Let us know if it reduces the noise level and improves
the SNR (signal to noise ratio) in this newsgroup.

And when were you last hassled by Robert Fred or Ian? See it does
shield you from R,F&I.

Cute, clever, and I like that.



--
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

 

On Saturday, 10 February 2018 01:09:54 UTC, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Thu, 8 Feb 2018 15:46:52 -0800 (PST), tabbypurr wrote:
On Wednesday, 7 February 2018 17:29:49 UTC, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

Note the $150 for 7.4ml price tag for Deoxit Gold Pro GX3.
http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.2847/.f
"Shields Against Noise and RFI"
Ummm... right.

What? If you sprayed it in your ear it would shield you
against noise.

Ummm... It uses a brush or swap applicator (for maximum waste and
evaporation) and is not a spray. A Q-tip might be best for swabbing
in your ear. Let us know if it reduces the noise level and improves
the SNR (signal to noise ratio) in this newsgroup.

Well I'm not an earologist, but I presumed more would get on the eardrum if it were sprayed in, hence the suggestion of sorts. And if some does, it's bound to reduce noise, to some degree.

NT

And when were you last hassled by Robert Fred or Ian? See it does
shield you from R,F&I.

Cute, clever, and I like that.

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

Quick fix (Pat. Pend.):

a) Obtain one small container of low-grade, but pure Olive Oil.
b) Obtain a small container of Zippo lighter fluid (made in Bradford, PA).
c) Obtain a small package of cotton swabs.

In a small dish, mix nineteen (19) drops of lighter fluid with one (1) drop of olive oil.

Saturate the end of one cotton swab in the material.

Stick it in your ear!

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 17:44:33 -0800 (PST), tabbypurr@gmail.com wrote:

On Saturday, 10 February 2018 01:09:54 UTC, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Thu, 8 Feb 2018 15:46:52 -0800 (PST), tabbypurr wrote:
On Wednesday, 7 February 2018 17:29:49 UTC, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

Note the $150 for 7.4ml price tag for Deoxit Gold Pro GX3.
http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.2847/.f
"Shields Against Noise and RFI"
Ummm... right.

What? If you sprayed it in your ear it would shield you
against noise.

Ummm... It uses a brush or swap applicator (for maximum waste and
evaporation) and is not a spray. A Q-tip might be best for swabbing
in your ear. Let us know if it reduces the noise level and improves
the SNR (signal to noise ratio) in this newsgroup.

Well I'm not an earologist,

That would be an otolaryngologist:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otorhinolaryngology>
Please add the word to your grammar, vocabulary, and spelling chequer.

but I presumed more would get on the eardrum if it were sprayed in,
hence the suggestion of sorts. And if some does, it's bound to
reduce noise, to some degree.

It might reduce the high end frequency response of the ear drum, but
the sensitivity to audible noise would likely be worse. Water, oil,
and presumably Deoxit are incompressible and thus transmitting sounds
and noise better than through compressible air. That's why we can
hear when submerged in water. Besides, I don't think the ultra
expensive Deoxit Pro GX3 is currently available in spray form. Since
every drop is valueable, a proper dispenser would be a blunt needle
tip bottle, not a brush or swab, and certainly not a wasteful spray.


--
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

 

On Sunday, 11 February 2018 18:02:45 UTC, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Sat, 10 Feb 2018 17:44:33 -0800 (PST), tabbypurr wrote:
On Saturday, 10 February 2018 01:09:54 UTC, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Thu, 8 Feb 2018 15:46:52 -0800 (PST), tabbypurr wrote:
On Wednesday, 7 February 2018 17:29:49 UTC, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

Note the $150 for 7.4ml price tag for Deoxit Gold Pro GX3.
http://store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.2847/.f
"Shields Against Noise and RFI"
Ummm... right.

What? If you sprayed it in your ear it would shield you
against noise.

Ummm... It uses a brush or swap applicator (for maximum waste and
evaporation) and is not a spray. A Q-tip might be best for swabbing
in your ear. Let us know if it reduces the noise level and improves
the SNR (signal to noise ratio) in this newsgroup.

Well I'm not an earologist,

That would be an otolaryngologist:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otorhinolaryngology
Please add the word to your grammar, vocabulary, and spelling chequer.

but I presumed more would get on the eardrum if it were sprayed in,
hence the suggestion of sorts. And if some does, it's bound to
reduce noise, to some degree.

It might reduce the high end frequency response of the ear drum, but
the sensitivity to audible noise would likely be worse. Water, oil,
and presumably Deoxit are incompressible and thus transmitting sounds
and noise better than through compressible air. That's why we can
hear when submerged in water. Besides, I don't think the ultra
expensive Deoxit Pro GX3 is currently available in spray form. Since
every drop is valueable, a proper dispenser would be a blunt needle
tip bottle, not a brush or swab, and certainly not a wasteful spray.

Otology, otorhinolaryngology, otolaryngology, ENT, etc. Please explain how I can add a word that's in my vocabulary to my vocabulary, I can't find that command. I'm running Life 1.0.

Anyone that's been underwater can tell you they hear less. It's obvious enough, since water has way more density than air.


NT

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 12 Feb 2018 09:31:12 -0800 (PST), tabbypurr@gmail.com wrote:

Otology, otorhinolaryngology, otolaryngology, ENT, etc. Please
explain how I can add a word that's in my vocabulary to my
vocabulary, I can't find that command. I'm running Life 1.0.

I don't think it's my place to teach you how to learn, but the general
procedure is quite simple. Open book, insert face, learn a few new
words, use them as much a possible, and hopefully some of them might
stick. Writing or typing these new additions to your vocabulary also
enhances retention and improves spelling.

Anyone that's been underwater can tell you they hear less.
It's obvious enough, since water has way more density than air.
NT

I believe that I mentioned that underwater hearing attenuates the high
frequency sounds, while still passing most of the low frequency
sounds. Moving the eardrum against a mass of water on one side
requires more energy. Moving the eardrum slower, at lower
frequencies, requires less energy, so some of that is preserved.
Either way, spraying Deoxit in your ear isn't going to do anything
useful, except maybe loosen some ear wax.



--
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

 

On Mon, 12 Feb 2018 09:49:58 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
wrote:

I don't think it's my place to teach you how to learn, but the general
procedure is quite simple. Open book, insert face,

You forgot to mention "OPEN YOUR EYES".......

learn a few new
words, use them as much a possible, and hopefully some of them might
stick. Writing or typing these new additions to your vocabulary also
enhances retention and improves spelling.

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

There are approximately 228,000 words in the English Language excluding compounds, jargon, plurals, etc..

Add in all of the above, and that number jumps to just under 1,000,000.

Of the first number, the average American native English speaker has a working vocabulary of about 5,000 words speaking, and about twice that written.

https://www.oxfordonlineenglish.com/english-level-test/vocabulary

Test yourself (the link is one of many) and let us know.

Writing for myself, I grew up with over 5,000 books and no television in the house. I typically max out on these test with a working vocabulary of over 80,000 words undifferentiated between spoken and written. This is not even a little bit a matter of intelligence, simply a matter of early, continued and repeated exposure. I still read, on average, three books per week, in a mix of about 40% mystery (Martha Grimes, Louise Penny), 20% Thriller (Lee Child, Steven King, Dean Koontz) and the rest historical (David McCullough and such).

Words are fascinating. At the same time, both tools and weapons.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

On Mon, 12 Feb 2018 12:05:33 -0800 (PST), "pfjw@aol.com" <pfjw@aol.com>
wrote:

Of the first number, the average American native English speaker has a working
vocabulary of about 5,000 words speaking, and about twice that written.

You wont find that on ebay much of the time. Particularly if the item is
in California. Apparenely there are a lot of foreign speaking persons
selling on ebay, in CA. who only know ten words in English.

Just recently I asked a CA ebay seller about a part for my car. I gave a
detailed description of what I needed, and asked if they would tell me
the correct part, if that was the wrong one. (There were 4
possibilities).

The reply I got (3 days later) was:
* So sorry it is not fit. *

I bet that used up half of his English vocabulary.....

And did not help me get the correct part.

I ordered from a different seller, which cost $2 more, I phoned and
that seller was able and willing to help me get the perfect part and
could speak english well, and was friendly to boot.

Good service means a lot to me, and I'll pay a little more to get it.

I'd hate to think what would happen if I got the wrong, or a defective
part from that guy who cant speak english... Actually I have had that
happen with a few other items, and it became a real hassle...

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

On Monday, February 12, 2018 at 3:41:41 PM UTC-5, olds...@tubes.com wrote:

On Mon, 12 Feb 2018 12:05:33 -0800 (PST), "pfjw@aol.com" <pfjw@aol.com
wrote:

Of the first number, the average American native English speaker has a working
vocabulary of about 5,000 words speaking, and about twice that written.

The saddest part, and I did not go too deeply into it, is that non-American native English speakers tend to have a spoken vocabulary of approximately 12,000 words and a written vocabulary of approximately 42,000 words.

ESL speakers tend to learn 2.5 words per day, for approximately five years after starting to learn English. And they 'start' with roughly 1,000 words. Meaning that they are as good or better (discounting an accent) than the average American in that five years.

Education in this country is abysmal at the elementary and high-school level. And we are paying the price.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[Mike Coon]

In article <5c022dab-6c39-4b71-a1e0-fa88919405d7@googlegroups.com>,
pfjw@aol.com says...

On Monday, February 12, 2018 at 3:41:41 PM UTC-5, olds...@tubes.com wrote:
On Mon, 12 Feb 2018 12:05:33 -0800 (PST), "pfjw@aol.com" <pfjw@aol.com
wrote:

Of the first number, the average American native English speaker has a working
vocabulary of about 5,000 words speaking, and about twice that written.


The saddest part, and I did not go too deeply into it, is that non-American native English speakers tend to have a spoken vocabulary of approximately 12,000 words and a written vocabulary of approximately 42,000 words.

ESL speakers tend to learn 2.5 words per day, for approximately five years after starting to learn English. And they 'start' with roughly 1,000 words. Meaning that they are as good or better (discounting an accent) than the average American in that five years.

Education in this country is abysmal at the elementary and high-school level. And we are paying the price.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

I tried that "vocab" test site you cited. Deeply boring. Just a test of
idiomatic simple English (at least for the first 50% - as far as I could
be bothered to try!). Certainly not polysyllabic...

Mike.