How to Clean a Circuit Board (PCB) with an Ultrasonic Cleaner

[@Awesomekid2283]

Iʼm confused. The instructions written on the bottle say that the max cleaning temperature for this cleaner is 25 degrees C and that typical cleaning can be done at 20 degrees C (room temperature essentially), so why are we going well above 25 degrees? I know most ultrasonic pcb cleaning solutions get heated to about 60 degrees but this one specifically says otherwise, so has the cleaning solution change since this video was made?

[@SRASolderLab]

Thank you for pointing this out, it is a misprint on the bottle. In an ultrasonic cleaner, you can clean your PCBs at 20-25°C with this solution because the agitation helps with generating heat. However, it will be more effective on tough residues at 50-60°C. So, if the residues are not coming off around 25°C, we recommend going up to the higher temperature range stated in the video. We will clarify this by updating the range on the label and datasheet to 20-60°C / 68 - 140°F.

[@Awesomekid2283]

@@SRASolderLab Ah okay thank you for clarifying!

[@LAWNORDER727]

Can I clean a ps2 circuit board with this or laptop.

[@rubenzikarsky5195]

Will there be any residue on the board after cleaning, like the cleaning solution? Should I rinse the board with distilled water or IPA once washed or is it good to go?

[@sailcat662]

Been debating buying an ultrasonic cleaner for awhile and decided to pull the plug after your vid. Thanks!

[@technopremium91]

Thanks for the video, I want to know how do I dry the board efficiently after cleaning, and in the case the PCB has plastic parts like a GPU where we have the fans and the radiator, can we clean this parts with the same ultrasonic cleaner? Thanks

[@SRASolderLab]

Hi you're welcome! You can use a hair dryer or heat gun on a lower setting to speed up the drying process. Many people like to rinse their boards in 99% isopropyl alcohol after cleaning to help the moisture evaporate as well. I would not clean any plastic parts in the ultrasonic though because the process can soften them. Hope this helps!

[@technopremium91]

@@SRASolderLab Thank you so much for the answer, I am gonna buy one of this next week, can you please recommend me what can I use similar to clean plastic of hardware components, like GPUs

[@SRASolderLab]

@@technopremium91 For the plastic only parts of the GPU, you could clean them with water, isopropyl alcohol wipe, or even a windex electronics wipe. I'd also recommend compressed air, canned air, or a powered blower to remove any dust first.

[@bernardfouche5241]

If the recommended ratio is 1 part cleaner for 9 parts water, then why put 10 parts water for 1 part cleaner ;-) ? As far as I understand it should be 1800ml of water and 200ml of cleaner, no ?

[@Mainstream818]

How long can you store the solution in the machine? Is it safe to store in the machine for weeks on end? Thank you for the video it was very helpful

[@SRASolderLab]

The cleaning solution can be re-used until it is dark and dirty and can be stored in the machine for short periods of time. If you're not going to use it for more than a week though, I'd recommend emptying the tank.

[@crackerhacker2271]

A light pre-scrub of the board helps speed up the process a lot.

[@GameRetro]

Short and to the point. I like it!

[@j.lietka9406]

if you have an ultrasonic cleaner, but your PCB wont fit completely in the tank, can you clean half at a time, or does the whole object have to be submerged? is that deionized water you used? thank you & great demonstration! oh, if the PCB has a built in microphone, can it still be cleaned? what electronic things cant be cleaned, b/c they will get ruined?

[@SRASolderLab]

If it can't be fully submerged, you can absolutely clean one half and then the other. Use only distilled water for best results and don't clean any components that aren't sealed. A microphone diaphragm would most likely be damaged.

[@vgnow6558]

what is the difference between ultrasonic cleaner and electronic contact cleaner? can't we use electronic contact cleaners available on amazon for board cleaning of amplifiers?

[@elancarmel735]

I just bought this SRA 2L ultrasonic cleaner on Amazon.. look forward to working with it

[@Eddiiie666]

I was going to buy some of the PCB cleaning solution but shipping was almost as much as the bottle itself. Nearly $50.00 for a 1 quart bottle of solution? I am new to this, does that sound right?

[@Rezonances]

What about pc boards with electrolytic caps? Aren't they vented and could have issues with this process? I came here to specifically look for info about that.

[@a2phil]

I'm looking for a cleaner that's eco friendly, looking to clean circuit boards out of old radios, not so much flux and solder, but dust and gunk (spilled soda??) Could I use a little dishwashing soap (i.e. Dawn?)

[@samarthashetty9775]

Clean the PCBA in ultrasonic cleaning machine having keys, Cristal oscillator, relays and chokes are may effect on the functionality of the product? How many percentage of possibility to get components internal damage? What is the better solution for clean the PCB in manufacturing lines?

[@SRASolderLab]

If the components are waterproof then the ultrasonic will clean it with the proper solution but if not the best way to clean PCB boards is to strip it of all components, clean the board, then resolder them back on

[@InssiAjaton]

In the early days, as ultrasonic cleaners first made their way into production use (having been more or less lab curiosities), people were concerned about component damage. That was the era of metal can transistors, with their internal connecting wires only supported at their ends. I am not sure who answered the "How to use the ultrasonic cleaners on stuffed boards". It might have been somebody from Texas Instruments, but could be some other semiconductor producer. In any case, the answer was simply: "DON'T!" I guess the semiconductor packaging is now very different, so the warning is already obsolete.

[@lisam4631]

What is the name of the cleaning solution that YOU used? Geeze

[@revd13]

How long can you reuse the solution? Can you store it for future use?

[@SRASolderLab]

Yes, you can reuse the solution and store it for future use. You can reuse it until it becomes darker(dirtier cloud).

[@emmettturner9452]

SRA Solder Lab Can you store it in the machine or should you always remove it between uses?

[@SRASolderLab]

@@emmettturner9452 The solution can be stored in the machine for short periods of time. If you're not going to use it for more than a week though, I'd recommend emptying the tank.

[@shahsuleman7552]

Do you need to bak the pcb after cleaning..?

[@georgewolanin6078]

Will this process work on a Macbook Air logic board that may have had a cup of water spilled on it? I say "may have" because I don't know for sure if that is what happened.

[@SRASolderLab]

Hi George, if the spill were to have caused damaged to the board than you will have a repair but if there's just residues on the board this will take them off no problem. Just make sure to removed an unsealed components.

[@chriswisecarver4328]

I was thinking about buying some of this circuit board cleaner from you. But I was wondering if this cleaner will not damage my car audio amplifier circuit boards with all the electronic components on it. I wanted to check before I bought some. Please let me know. Thx so much Chris

[@SRASolderLab]

Hi Chris! I would have to see the board to be sure, but as long as the components are sealed, it should be okay. Feel free to send us an email with some photos. Thank you!

[@mattfire8579]

Are your ultrasonic cleaner machine products made in the usa?

[@SRASolderLab]

Our ultrasonic cleaning solutions are made in USA and the cleaners are made in China

[@tw-mj4vx]

Could you use an ultrasonic cleaner for a computer psu?

[@koncomartalegawa]

Can instead of water, I use isopropyl alcohol? Since It dries easily and it does not short-circuit

[@SRASolderLab]

We do NOT recommend isopropyl alcohol be used because it is highly flammable and dangerous in an ultrasonic cleaner. Best to use distilled water but you could give it an IPA bath after cleaning.

[@audunjemtland8287]

I saw some fluid on my circuit board contant points. Is this typical to use some kind of liquid to make greater contact point?

[@SRASolderLab]

Are you referring to soldering flux? It does come in liquid form and helps to ensure a reliable contact point.

[@audunjemtland8287]

@@SRASolderLab No. I looked like fluid on the contact point, as if it was intentionally. But I seriously think it might be honey or something that has slipped through. Cleaned it with isopropanol and an eraser. Now it works great.

[@voiceofreason9258]

Dielectric compound (grease) is for limiting arching and intermittent contact for switches and pressure contacts and limits air exposure to prevent corrosion.

[@robertzerafa4806]

Great video,can you please tell me what you think of this video as it sounds like if you excuse his attitude that he is saying the opposite of what you are saying

[@SRASolderLab]

Thanks! Which video are you referring to?

[@autolancegega599]

Informative and to the Point video. Thanks for sharing. What would be the cost of the Ultrasonic cleaners.

[@SRASolderLab]

We have many sizes ranging from $159.99 for a 2 liter tank and up. How big are the largest parts you're intending to clean?

[@autolancegega599]

@@SRASolderLab vfd drive circuit board, industrial pc , hmi , etc

[@vaklitangmarangal7523]

Hi. How many times should i wash pcb using ultrasonic cleaner? Are there any implications if i wash the same pcb twice or thrice using ultrasonic cleaning machine? Will it degrade the quality of the pcb? Will it affect the solderability? Please help

[@SRASolderLab]

Hi, if it doesn't fully clean with the first cycle you can try pre-scrubbing to help loosen contaminants and then run it through another cycle until clean. Cleaning several times with the correct cleaning solution will not affect the solderability or degrade the board.

[@jakobbruke9605]

This doesn't break components? I understand the water will be fine if the electronic components are properly cleaned, but adding a cleaner wont break them?

[@SRASolderLab]

It's a specialty cleaner made for this purpose, to remove flux and residue. As long as the parts are sealed, everything will be perfectly fine.

[@RetroComputingwithMike]

Can you reuse the solution? and for how long?

[@SRASolderLab]

Yes! The cleaning solution can be re-used until it is dark and dirty and can be stored in the machine for short periods of time. If you're not going to use it for more than a week, I'd recommend emptying the tank.

[@mshane86]

Why not add the cleaner first so the distilled water is also used to rise out your measuring container? Also, umm I don't think we carry "liter-o water"

[@emmettturner9452]

mshane86 Do you have 3-o’clock on your timekeepers? ;)

[@SRASolderLab]

Adding the cleaning solution first is not recommended because the concentrated chemicals sitting on the bottom of the tank can cause it to wear out much faster than if you diluted with distilled water.

[@007mercucio]

1 Will this also remove dust, such as that which accumulates, with a year or more of high airflow, from fans, and might become entrenched, between LEDs, or lodged deep inside of heat sync fins? 2 Also, how long do you need to wait, to let this dry, before you use something which was washed, in this...? I mean, something with lots of components, like a motherboard, to be sure it doesn't short out, from residual water... 3 And: Are there different kinds of "soap" for this thing, or do you pretty much only just end up using only one kind? 4 Do you have a water-only rinse phase, after the first cleaning phase? 5 eBay has nothing of a sort, of anything, called a "saponifier"... Can you just use ordinary dish soap, for this? Or laundry detergent? Ammonia?

[@swp466]

So, obviously the tactile switches and trimmer pot aren't waterproof. What about submerging the PCB in a 99% alcohol bath and following up with a bake to drive out remaining moisture?

[@SRASolderLab]

That is correct, this board was chosen at random just to demonstrate the cleaning process. While others may have found that method to be successful we do not recommend using alcohol because it is flammable and therefore a potential safety hazard

[@swp466]

I wasn't referring to alcohol in the ultrasonic -- just a soak in a pan to drive out water. What would be your suggestion for dealing with boards that have tactile switches or other non-waterproof features?

[@SRASolderLab]

I would clean them with alcohol and some swabs instead of soaking

[@swp466]

Thanks -- BTW, I picked up one of your UC-20D-PRO cleaners for small stuff. Very impressed with the ultrasonic power on that little unit. Maybe because it's a more confined space, but it seems to clean better than my 6L USA made Sharpertek cleaner. I liked the nice big LCD display and user interface when I saw this video.

[@PlayJewel]

How to dry the board afterwards?

[@SRASolderLab]

Hi John, you could use a hair dryer or heat gun on a low setting to speed up the drying process. Many people also like to rinse their boards in 99% isopropyl alcohol right after cleaning to help the moisture evaporate.

[@thebortot-8689]

Hi, have some questions. 1- to make the process work, the lid should always be closed? Well, this would determine the size of the cube i want to buy. 2- I'm planning to clean old and big arcade pcbs. What cleaning solution i must use? 3-What proportion with water? 4-what size of cube do you recommend to buy? Thanks anyway for this great video.

[@SRASolderLab]

Hi! 1.The lid only really needs to be closed for the heating process. It is perfectly normal to run the ultrasonic and clean the board in two cycles by flipping it around. 2. I recommend using our TruPower #35 PCB cleaning solution for your purpose. 3. For any size unit you are using, our recommendation for #35 is 1 part solution to 9 parts distilled water. So whatever your fill line volume is in mL, 10% should be solution, the rest water. 4. What size are the biggest boards you're planning to clean and what types of components are on them?

[@fuxionlab3704]

@@SRASolderLab sir what is the alternative solution that we can use im located in phillipines and your product is no available here does alcohol will do the job and what is the ratio for this

[@SRASolderLab]

@@fuxionlab3704 You should NEVER use alcohol in an ultrasonic cleaner because it is highly flammable and therefore very dangerous. A single spark of static electricity could ignite the whole thing.

[@fuxionlab3704]

@@SRASolderLab what can i use

[@CulinarySpy]

Apparently the board just dries itself. Magic.

[@KeanM]

And rinses itself?

[@kevinsimms8947]

water doesn't damage any of the components?

[@SRASolderLab]

You do need to make sure all the components on the board you're cleaning are water sealed.

[@EpicGamer440]

@@SRASolderLab pretty sure it would still cause corrosion

[@SRASolderLab]

@@EpicGamer440 If the board is dried properly after cleaning, it won't be a problem. You can use a hot air gun or a specialized drying cabinet to dry it quickly.

[@EpicGamer440]

@@SRASolderLab that's only true assuming you're using distilled water, which was not mentioned in the video

[@tanweer307]

What's the cleaner name?

[@SRASolderLab]

Hi! It's TruPower #35 Circuit Board Cleaner

[@NoferTrunions]

FIRST, Big Omission: How to dry! SECOND, my concerns about ultrasonic cleaning mobos: We had an old Tektronix tube scope cleaned at Tektronix - basically they "car washed" it. They warned us the power transformer sometimes would be ruined by this process. Ours was. Fortunately it was only the 6.3V heater voltages - so they installed a heater transformer and we were on our way. Something about the windings I guess. I would be concerned if there were any transformers on the board - like HV transformers for flat panel illumination. Ultrasonic clear will perforate aluminum foil so I wonder what it would do to wire with the same thickness as the foil??? NOTE: I have bad PCB from a PC that is the filthiest thing I have ever seen - let's just say there are a few areas where there is "muck" on the board (!) I want to cleaning will repair it. One thing about ultrasonic cleaning: it will put water into places ordinary washing would never reach, hence my worries about using Ultrasonics.

[@SRASolderLab]

The best ways to dry your boards are by air or an alcohol bath / rub down. Ultrasonic cleaning is not a perfect process, you do need to be careful not to submerge delicate and unsealed electronic components. It would be best to remove these parts before cleaning with an ultrasonic.

[@emmettturner9452]

This doesn’t really answer any of the natural questions a prospective buyer would have. For example, are there any common components that should not be submerged? What do you do with the used cleaning solution? Can it be reused? How often? When do you change it? How should you store it between uses? Is is safe to dispose of in a municipal drain? Septic system? If not, where are you supposed to dispose of it? If my board have serial numbers and other ink markings, do I have to worry about this stuff removing it? Is it also a solvent?

[@SRASolderLab]

The cleaning solution can be reused until it is dirty and you can store it in the machine for short periods of time, If you're not going to use it for more than a week you should remove it. It is safe to pour down the drain as it is a mild alkaline solution and It should not remove ink from the board as it is not a solvent. As for components, definitely anything that produces noise like a beeper should not be submerged. Most components should be fine but its always good to check first. Are there specific parts you're concerned about?

[@emmettturner9452]

SRA Solder Lab Thanks! This answers a lot. Specific part? Maybe transformers, relays, inductors, and other sometimes-enclosed components that aren’t totally sealed. How about carbon contacts? Enclosed potentiometers? Impact switches? So many that I have to wonder about. I’ve looked for guidelines in the past but found none. It’s like the industry wants me to buy one and read the manual before I can know if it’s going to be useful enough to buy. ;)

[@SRASolderLab]

If the parts are not totally sealed you can't clean them in the ultrasonic cleaner. It may damage the internals and not dry properly.

[@Rezonances]

@@SRASolderLab So that would mean electrolytic caps are a no-go? Or does the vented aspect of those component types only happen upon pressure release?

[@electricaplus]

Excelent Video.

[@DarthVader1977]

Excellent*

[@jacka.4774]

I thought one is not suppose to place anything setting at the bottom of the ultrasonic cleaner, that is because the transducer that is bonded to the bottom of tank can come loose. that was my concern. and here is my statement: the dude in the video looks like been heading the bong since 3rd grade. right on dude.

[@SRASolderLab]

It is true that you do not want anything touching the bottom of the tank, this is why we used the basket to hold the circuit board during the cleaning process. When your items are touching the tank, the transducer works too hard and can burn out or come loose as you said. It also deteriorates the cleaning quality because the ultrasonic can't travel up through the tank effectively.

[@sincerelyyours7538]

Not much chance of my getting cleaning solution where I live. Assuming I could find it, it'd be expensive, and I generally stay away from anything that requires after-the-sale supplies as in most cases it's just another money grab. (No offense, I was spoiled by the high cost of ink-jet ink.) Dish soap and tap water will do fine for me. Also, my ultrasonic cleaner has no degassing function so there's no sense in my wasting time on that as well. Not really sure what the benefit is to degassing anyway when the cleaner generates its own tiny bubbles to do its work. The process does work, however, so I'm glad I bought my device.

[@sincerelyyours7538]

@Civilized That assumes I have other choices which I don't. My tap water is clean enough and the soap is easily available. The cleaning solution is virtual unobtainium so I can't even consider it.

[@CSIG1001]

@@sincerelyyours7538 Try removing burnt on rosin flux with off the shelf soap. Your solder joints will corrode and turn gray. Its funny people try to make educated guesses how they are right but do not even make pcbs or solder with good rosin flux. amateurs

[@christopherstaples6758]

wouldn't you do the solution first then add the water ?

[@SRASolderLab]

Hello Christopher, thank you for your question. Depending the the solution strength it can damage the tank. It is best to add the water first to dilute it.

[@FPV-Jon]

Metric system ftw! :D

[@Bodragon]

Can you not use ordinary washing-up liquid in same ratio? And if not, why not? I've looked up the datasheet of the particular detergent that I am considering using myself, and I cannot find anything within this list that might damage any micro-electronic components of, let's say for the sake of an example, the main logic board of an iPhone 5S, at any temperature below 101°C I have heard many cautionary voices telling us that: "You can't use *_that_* [insert name and brand here]" and "You should only use *_this_* if you want acceptable results." Well I'm sick and tired of being told that I have to spend up to ten times the amount of ordinary bog-standard detergent if I don't want to risk any permanent damage to the circuit boards that I am attempting to clean Now, come on... ...stop with the BS...

[@SRASolderLab]

You can use any type of cleaning solution but it always depends on the what you're cleaning. You can use Simple Green from Home Depot but for circuit boards, syberclean is designed at a specific pH to not damage or corrode the boards.

[@Bodragon]

Adjusting the pH of a liquid isn't rocket science though.

[@crackerhacker2271]

@@SRASolderLab I cringed so hard when you said tap water!. You better want to change the script writer!. Tap water can contain varying amounts of salts and pH depending on the local conditions. Not everyone lives in the US, moreover even in the US tap water isn't pure enough for ultrasonic PCB cleaning. Distilled water is even cheaper than IPA, how could you even recommend tap water?. It would be a corrosion nightmare and this really discourages me from buying your brand. I am sorry dislike!

[@crackerhacker2271]

@@Bodragon Absolutely agree, tap water is a far more dangerous agent than a mild off the shelf detergent (esp for me since we have hard water here) as it contains salts that can corrode the connections & components. Btw way which particular detergent's datasheet have you looked into? I'd be very grateful if you can mention it. Thanks in advance.

[@cesaru3619]

Someone tell the black shep rossman to get this ultrasonic cleaner lul

[@DamnDealDone]

Half the story. You just left the water on the circuit board, inside and beneath the components?

[@cloudripper4926]

got random asmr from this

[@DarthVader1977]

Check out the car wizards KZbin channel for some unexpected ASMR.

[@craig5445]

The one part I wanted to see, they didn't include.. Why not video the actual cleaning process, and show discoloration - if any - of the solution? Why didn't you include narrative about how ultasonic cleaning works? Why bother making a video at all! Frustrating. Oh, and by the way, you used way too much liquid for this process.

[@SRASolderLab]

Hi Craig, we weren't able to show the actual cleaning process because the solution was so murky. We felt the before and after of the board showed the results better, we couldn't notice a big difference with the color of the solution. Also, we may cover how the ultrasonic works in a future video! Thanks for watching!

[@Mo7-7]

Did you just make a whole video on how to clean a pcb on an ultrasonic cleaner and left out the final step of removing the cleaned pcb from the ultrasonic cleaner??? You’re joking right? Smh.

[@timfritz7367]

Someone stole portions of your video... It's a shame people feel entitled to take something that is not theirs. Just fyi: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bn7SYmalZqabfbc

[@SRASolderLab]

Thank you for letting us know, stay safe!

[@crackerhacker2271]

I cringed so hard when you said tap water!. You better want to change the script writer!. Tap water can contain varying amounts of salts and pH depending on the local conditions. Not everyone lives in the US, moreover even in the US tap water isn't pure enough for ultrasonic PCB cleaning. Distilled water is even cheaper than IPA, how could you even recommend tap water?. It would be a corrosion nightmare and this really discourages me from buying your brand. I am sorry dislike!

[@SRASolderLab]

You are absolutely right, that is our mistake. Unknown minerals found in tap water can cause problems with metals and components in electronics, jewelry, and more. We recommend using distilled water only and we have edited the video to reflect this. Thank you for your comment.

[@DarthVader1977]

The Last Jedi was a terrible movie.

[@EpicGamer440]

@@SRASolderLab sorry, but you guys really should not be making videos if you didnt even know this.... spreading more missinfo around the pc comunity. I will never trust your brand thanks

[@unais9100]

Can more than one pcb be cleaned at once

[@SRASolderLab]

Yes, depending on the size of the boards and tank. You don't want the boards to be touching in the basket for best results. This is because the more full the basket is, the less room the ultrasonic has to penetrate the item on all sides. Therefore cleaning individually would likely give a better result.