Cleaning old computers

[motrucker]

There used to be a product called "Dipp It" that was for cleaning coffee makers, that did a GREAT job of cleaning old plastic! It is no longer on the market, but if you track down what was in it....
I have seen good results from placing plastic case parts in a dish washer with a regular dish washing pellet. You need to be very careful about the water temp! Cooler is better...

[Amiga4k]

As I refurnish and clean commodore gear quite often here's where I usually start separating items.
C64/128 gear - top case, keyboard, bottom case, motherboard, power supply, mouse.
Amiga gear - keyboard, case, motherboard, cards, mouse, external power supply.

Windex or Glass-Plus for general cleaning, or wipe down. Awesome Orange degreaser and Scrub-It Quick Eraser clean up fouled keyboards, cases, and any exterior items. Finish with bottle sprayer filled with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol. I use a 35PSI air compressor (with nozzle tip) to blow away excess. Hang or suppend items to air-dry.

For the boards I use an spray electronic contact cleaner on the boards. For battery issues the area is cleaned with a chemical battery cleaner, and finished up as above. Seal battery area with clear finger nail polish.

Additonal tools: welder flux brushes and small nylon paint brushes to scrub air vents in top case covers (64/128). Q-tips or similiar on keyboards, mouse, etc.

[mingle]

I usually dismantle the unit (case top/bottom, motherboard, keyboard) and wash the casing in warm soapy water, using a soft toothbrush to clean any hard-to-reach spots or small grilles and the like.

I also use citrus oil based solvents to remove paint/ink/scuffs/glue - but be careful with that stuff, although it's kind on the hands and natural, it will strip paint/varnish (which I discovered when the bottle leaked all over my new bedroom dressing table!).

I also usually take all the key-caps off and scrub them in the same manner as the case.

I then just dry it all with a towel and let any additional moisture air-dry over a couple of hours...

Cheers,

Mike.

[motorollin]

Got a can of compressed air today to blow away what I thought was just dust on the PCB. Turned out to be grime stuck fast to the board! Is there anything I can do to remove this without damaging any components?

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moto

[marcfrick2112]

Hey Moto: I can't help too much about the PCB.. I know that the guy who restored my 2 4000's, soaks PCB's in a mild acid solution to clean the gunk off. That approach may more trouble than you want to go through tho....

As for the case, I would recommend the Windex / Magic Eraser bit... but also a product called Novus Plastic Polish, it comes in 2 grades, available from a company here in the US called Micro-Mark.. I think it's www.micromark.com ... This stuff has done wonders for my C-128's and Dreamcast systems...

[motorollin]

Hi Marc, thanks for your suggestion (also others :-) )

I'm really nervous about soaking the PCB in anything, or spraying it with anything. The machine works, so I think I'll leave it alone :-)

I couldn't get any distilled water so I ended up using warm soapy water (used washing up liquid!) and scrubbed the case with a toothbrush. It is still a bit yellow, but I don't know what colour an Einstein is supposed to be. It's very clean now at least. I also removed all the keys from the keyboard and put them through the dishwasher, and they came out lovely!

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moto