A501 dammaged from battery leakage

[pyrre]

My A501 i damaged from leakage. There is a big lump on the PCB where the - pole of the battery was. and the nearby capacitors  leg is almost covered in corrosion...
Will washing this card in baking soda stop the acid attack?

(How do i add pictures from my computer to a post?)

[Xamiche]

{Bad advice removed to prevent others from using it. Self Edit :-D}

Click the button indicated by the red arrow and follow the prompts. :-)



Oh wait...from your computer? Not sure. I upload mine to Photo Bucket first.

[orange]

well, there have been long discussions here whether battery leakage is acid or something else. to be safe, I'd use only Isopropyl  alcohol.

BTW, I have one dead A501 because of leakage.. I've tried everything but the leakage is too big. The traces show OK on multimeter.. maybe some chip died  :-?

[pyrre]

Isopropyl alcohol.

Would acetone do? or is that to heavy....

[Xamiche]

orange wrote:
well, there have been long discussions here whether battery leakage is acid or something else. to be safe, I'd use only Isopropyl  alcohol.

BTW, I have one dead A501 because of leakage.. I've tried everything but the leakage is too big. The traces show OK on multimeter.. maybe some chip died  :-?

Okay, I just did a little digging and found that the NiCad type batteries have potassium hydroxide (KOH) as an electrolyte. Which is a base. So don't go using that baking soda after all. It may make it worse. Apparently KOH reacts with CO2 to form H2O + K2CO3 which is neutral. However there can still be enough KOH to corrode the board. The Isopropyl alcohol in that case would probably be the best solution, no pun intended. :-D

Would acetone do? or is that to heavy....

Personally, I'd stick with the isopropyl alcohol, it's slightly acidic I believe and may help to neutralise any KOH leaked by a NiCad. Acetone may be too heavy.

[da9000]

I recommend reading the below thread in its entirety (if you want to get "the most bang for your boing" :-D ):

http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=33392

BTW: do NOT put acetone on there.

[Xamiche]

da9000 wrote:
I recommend reading the below thread in its entirety (if you want to get "the most bang for your boing" :-D ):

http://www.amiga.org/forums/showthread.php?t=33392

BTW: do NOT put acetone on there.

If the battery is a NiCad, as Amiga onboard batteries were, the leaked substance is a base (KOH), so do not put Baking Soda [size=10](Not to be confused with Baking Power)[/size] on there, as it's also a base. The combined chemicals may become more corrosive.

The Isopropyl Alcohol is mildly acidic so may act to neutralise any of the KOH leaked from the battery. And also clean the area.

[da9000]

Huh?

You already said that above :-)  And, BTW, I do agree with your analysis and recommendation (I've used it many times and also lots of water). I was just pointing the OP to another relevant thread (with more links on relevant chemistry etc)

Cheers

[Xamiche]

da9000 wrote:
Huh?

You already said that above :-)  And, BTW, I do agree with your analysis and recommendation (I've used it many times and also lots of water). I was just pointing the OP to another relevant thread (with more links on relevant chemistry etc)

Cheers

Sorry, I just felt like re-iterating, since the thread you posted had some saying to use Baking Soda. Just to be on the safe side. :-)
I'd hate to see the guy damage the module further.

[da9000]

Gotcha! And you have a good point, because the thread I posted actually starts with some pretty BAD advice, that's why I mentioned reading the entire thread. I had a bit of a back and forth with one guy about some of his methods, due to my previous experience and that of other members on this forum and other forums/fora.

Cheers and "don't touch that soda!" :-D

[pyrre]

Water is normally used for neutralizing base and acids.
Washing the piece that needs cleaning and leaving the other by... And dry it carefully with a hairdryer or heat gun...
Should work...

[da9000]

Yep!

I've "bathed" a lot of hardware :-)

If you read that thread I posted, I've got a link to a Mac forum where a chemist explains how to get rid of electrolytic capacitor leaks with plenty of water and ionized soap detergent.

Hope you get that A501 working!