try tiny amounts of lighter fluid on q-tips

Christopher C. Charles
http://drpcdr.ca
416 398 3772


> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 10:04:33 -0600
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [PCBUILD] Cleaning the innards, Compaq Providian
> 
> I have no personal experience in this, but that won't stop me from
> making some comments.  :)
> 
> First of all, you have two different possible problems.  The first is
> the keyboard.  I have seen suggestions on these pages that putting a
> keyboard through a dishwasher cycle (no soap, I suspect) can help to
> make it work again more often than you would suppose.
> 
> The second is the other internal parts.  If it were my computer, my
> first choice would be carbon tet or naphtha - one of the dry cleaning
> fluids that  used to come in cans.  (I have not purchased this for many
> years.)  The reason is that they are petroleum based and will likely not
> conduct electricity.  However, the main ingredient in soda is sugar,
> which best dissolves in water, suggesting the use of distilled water for
> a solvent.  If the traces on the motherboard have been shorted, then you
> will need to be very, very careful not to tear them when cleaning.  I
> would try patting with a wet, soft lint-free cloth.
> 
> Another choice would be to use a compressed air can close enough to the
> material to, perhaps, make it a bit moist.
> 
> There used to be commercial cleaners.  For example, I have an old can of
> "GC Static Free Contact Kleen NRF," which one could try.  It contains
> alcohol and trichlorotrifluoroethane, which sounds like a substance that
> is now banned or only available to professionals, because of the
> "fluoro" part, which I presume is fluorine.  It may be that newer
> products are available at electronics places such as
> www.partsexpress.com.
> 
> I don't have a lot of hope for a successful end to this operation.  If
> the notebook is still new and quite expensive, maybe  you can find a
> tech somewhere who has had experience with this type of cleaning.
> 
> Dean Kukral
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Vernon Plumlee" Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 10:42 AM
> Subject: [PCBUILD] Cleaning the innards, Compaq Providian
> 
> 
> Anybody know what the best cleaning solution is to clean the innards of
> a
> notebook? A friend of mine spilled soda into his laptop and is amazed it
> doesn't work anymore?!? I took it apart and now want to clean it up and
> then
> see what happens. So, I need to know the best cleaner to use. Anybody.
> TIA,
> Vern Plumlee
> 
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