Depotting Electronics with Boiling Water

In this video I demonstrate how boiling water can be used to soften potting epoxy in order to access the internals of an 80's ECU for the purpose of reverse engineering. Apologies in advance for the poorer than usual audio quality.
The same depotting procedure, but in text form: www.vcfed.org/forum/entry.php?...
I would like the Kamloops Makerspace for letting me borrow their workspace for an afternoon to make this video.
Remember to follow me on Twitter at @CelGenStudios to keep up to date on what I am doing and what might be happening in the next video.

[@cdoublejj]

you can put marbles or broken glass on the bottom to help protect the electronics form the direct heat transfer of the bottom of the pan.

[@ascher40]

Was heading into the shed to dig out the epoxy on my faulty regulator on my motorbike. i thought i would turn on to youtube before drilling etc. just to see if there was another way. Saw your video first up. Now, im going to get the old pot from outside, and boil it. Thanks very much. You probably saved me a lot of work!

[@scorti68]

Hi! Could you repair it?

[@LouinVB]

I've done this to several modules. After boiling & removing big chunks I go to using a Wagner steam gun to keep the part warm enough to remove the rest of the epoxy. I avoid using metal tools & instead opt for wooden tools fashioned from second store hand wooden kitchen items & shish kabob sticks. No, temperature as bit hot enough to damage electronic components. I only clean the board enough to ID components & expose points to test with a meter.

[@MM-lv8ib]

For science this was very interesting to see what survived being boiled. On comments about destroying device I doubt he intended to ever reuse this. One suggestion would be to try a lower temp over a longer period of time if you need to have the device survive cooking. Hellava stress test!

[@zokonjazokonja]

temperature is not a problem for electronics, all this PCB-s (especially with SMD on it) are passing through reflow owen at ~250C.

[@user-oo3vz2gt6v]

Thank you for warning people not to do this in their food cutlery! I do precious metal recovery from e-waste and by boiling this stuff you are potentially releasing a host of toxic elements. Or nothing at all. Depending on your luck and the material at hand. Again, thank you for your warning cause if you poison yourself with some of that stuff *today* symptoms will show in 2 to 4 years! And by then nobody will look in the right direction anymore when diagnosing your pain.

[@GoldSrc_]

Nice. I don't have a use for this right now, but it may come in handy. Thanks.

[@Bart_Depestele]

For those about to cook, we salute you !

[@olivierj.2435]

There are scalpels that you put on soldering irons. The heat will help remove the resin. Look at Chinese websites...

[@koxmoz]

greate video!! thanks I'll try it!

[@Vableme]

This man sounds so much like Lester

[@poisoncustoms3950]

Haha best comment,,🤣

[@littlestworkshop]

Epoxy doesn't go soft in hot water so I suspect this is a urethane compound.

[@gorancvetkovic1754]

Most likely polyol isocyanate mixture..

[@trekintosh]

Now I wanna know about the Boiled Cabbage Incident.

[@NordicDan]

A year later and we still don't know.....

[@marcioreis2648]

Thank you very much.

[@wojciechw1063]

How did You clean rest of "sticky" waste of PCB?

[@djmips]

Probably used acetone or similar.

[@elettronicabtsroma]

thanks for the video but it is a job with a high risk of damaging electronic components while removing the resin, it is advisable to practice on faulty boards. why do you see the pcb from afar? a zoom was better.

[@brianwheeler887]

Just tried this on an epoxy potted SSR..... fifteen minutes of boiling.... all the epoxy came right off. Thanks!

[@jjock3239]

You might find that using a steamer to heat the potted material for easy removal.

[@Prash1c]

Cool! Thanks! :D

[@Stephen-dg9de]

I have a PCB that is incase in silicone as well. What I want to know is will this damage any components with water damage? I under the electronic is powered on. But I want to know before I attempt this as well.

[@CelGenStudios]

Most electronics (capacitors, resistors, IC's etc) don't mind getting a little wet when not powered, however some specialty components (laser etched film resistors, brush assemblies etc.) do not like to get wet, so it's really down to what is inside the potting, which is often obscured.

[@balajinarasimhan5346]

If you are worried, try boiling in distilled water. It is non conductive and non corrosive.

[@f.hababorbitz]

During manufacturing of the circuit board assembly, a water wash with solvents are used to remove the flux and to clean the board for assembly into the potted form. I worked on Avionics, and we needed clean boards to apply conformal coating. We did have problems with assembly operators contaminating assemblies with salt from their hands and food.

[@jimw6991]

I had an underhood bussed electrical center on a van that wicked water up the pins on powered relays shorting them leading to electrical fires. So if I have diodes, relays, etc. on a potted board and use the water to remove potting doesn't the water get inside my components? I read thru comments and some folks claim electronic components can take 250 C with no issues so wouldn't axheat gun work? Last question (I am not an electrical guy) what about puting device in a microwave? Would that dame anything? ​@CelGenStudios

[@hoshyarmohammad5659]

Thanks

[@jagboy69]

Got any idea for DISSOLVING silicone????

[@paulmccoy2908]

Naphtha.

[@jagboy69]

@@paulmccoy2908 No Shit??? Naphtha will dissolve CURED silicone???

[@johncollins8304]

Interesting. Anyone here know how to remove the epoxy in moulded coil to replace the HT lead (on strimmers, etc.)?

[@officialmysteriousrider130]

They screw off

[@user-ld8bz3rv3v]

I used fire to remove the epoxy, which is not suitable if the ic is packaged in plastic

[@MrRusty-fm4gb]

What if you boil it upside down so it falls off in the water?

[@CelGenStudios]

Even after heating it was still way too sticky. I guess if you got it hotter it would but then you risk damaging the components.

[@ReaperRestorations]

my mom used to work for Signetics when I was a kid!

[@rashidnaga]

thanks

[@ernisj.8087]

Try to boil in sunflower oil.It has higher boilin temperature.

[@CelGenStudios]

While true, I would try with water first because dangers associated with boiling oil are far worse if something goes wrong.

[@aqua1082]

I'm trying it! Why not lol

[@mrkeopele]

and nowadays you can get thermal gloves

[@Kotaztrafee]

I wonder how a pressure cooker would work?! Let me know if you try it.

[@CelGenStudios]

I'm not sure what that would do. You are using the hot water to soften the potting.

[@DesainDali]

@@CelGenStudios Under pressure you will rise up the boiling tmperature of water.

[@scorti68]

@@DesainDali water alway boil 100°, with pressure you increase the amount of heat

[@DesainDali]

@@scorti68 Sorry, its incorrect. de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siedepunkt

[@dontillman]

Use distilled water only….

[@Stjaernljus]

WD-40 can also work depending on the compound used.

[@user-oo3vz2gt6v]

This is very interesting to me! WD 40 dissolves epoxy resins? Under what conditions?

[@nobodysbusiness]

WD-40 will loosen silicone, around the bathtub, sink. I tried today on my circuit board with no luck must be epoxy or resin, boiling now in water.

[@gregdaweson4657]

WHY IS THE VIDEO INTERLASED????

[@CelGenStudios]

Because at the time I was recording like this I was still doing so in miniDV

[@gregdaweson4657]

@@CelGenStudios ah, I see. Thank you for the clarification.

[@CelGenStudios]

@@gregdaweson4657 No prob. The awful video quality was driving me nuts so in late 2020 I upgraded all my equipment to HD

[@Dan-un4jy]

@@CelGenStudios That was a mad scientist video. It needed interlaced video. Perfect format.

[@joseperez-ht3wy]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mikes5315]

Do you steal catalytic converters for beer money?

[@CelGenStudios]

I have an actual job, you know! :P

[@mikes5315]

@@CelGenStudios Don't believe you

[@CelGenStudios]

:'(@@mikes5315

[@rakesharamaiah2737]

Pls don't try, electronic components maximum temperature 120 degree Celsius u can check pth capacitor as usual they mention, most components work in 80 degree so like this those components will blow, and u will damage your self, check datasheet of resin 260 degree Celsius so more then component temperature up to now there is no solution as of now some people try to remove using knife they will damage PCB

[@aleksandersuur9475]

Almost all components survive just fine to reflow temperatures which is over 220C, obviously they have to because that's how they get soldered on to begin with. 100C boiling water is a non-issue. Now operating temperature ranges, that's a different story, but irrelevant as the thing is not powered on while you are heating it.

[@CM-xr9oq]

1) The unit was already non-functioning. 2) Capacitors are cheap and easy to replace.

[@khaledgenc760]

ilak mn walid +1 ma t2ul l7ada

[@shrikantchavan7531]

This type video should bein hindi.

[@thunderkunt5416]

No.

[@mizoninja]

No

[@adelataei9007]

Unnecessary explanations.im soryy i say it for your improvement.

[@CM-xr9oq]

Terrible spelling. Not sorry; I say it for your improvement.

[@nanomisabishvili2098]

Please use more protection, anyone who tries to do the same use respirator, glasses and area should be well ventilated too! That dissolving chemicals are very harmful

[@CelGenStudios]

When working with strong solvents and their vapors yes, however in this case we are using only water and are softening the resin, not dissolving it. That said, be careful about getting burned by hot water or steam.