| Electronics > Beginners |
| What to use for cleaning switches, pots and rotary encoders? |
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| alm:
IPA = Isopropyl Alcohol, the same stuff that is in 'PRF IPA Kontakt'. The problem of stripping the plating applies to thin gold plating, as found in some switches designed for low power signals. I wouldn't be as worried about contacts with harder, thicker plating like those designed to switch several amps, although they should still be lubricated somehow. I believe Conrad sells Cramolin, but I am not sure about shipping to Norway. Farnell at some point used to sell it, but I can not find it there at the moment. Are the Kontakt Chemie products available? I believe Kontakt Gold 2000 is somewhat similar to Deoxit G5 (protects and lubricates plated contacts). They also have a bunch of other sprays for both cleaning and lubrication. I believe Tuner 600 is supposed to be a decent cleaner, but I have never used it myself. I am not familiar with the Taerosol products. The description of 7-78 Kontakt seems to only mention mechanical applications (fine mechanics, VCRs, copy machines). |
| analogix:
--- Quote from: alm on March 16, 2017, 09:19:37 pm ---IPA = Isopropyl Alcohol, the same stuff that is in 'PRF IPA Kontakt'. The problem of stripping the plating applies to thin gold plating, as found in some switches designed for low power signals. I wouldn't be as worried about contacts with harder, thicker plating like those designed to switch several amps, although they should still be lubricated somehow. I believe Conrad sells Cramolin, but I am not sure about shipping to Norway. Farnell at some point used to sell it, but I can not find it there at the moment. Are the Kontakt Chemie products available? I believe Kontakt Gold 2000 is somewhat similar to Deoxit G5 (protects and lubricates plated contacts). They also have a bunch of other sprays for both cleaning and lubrication. I believe Tuner 600 is supposed to be a decent cleaner, but I have never used it myself. I am not familiar with the Taerosol products. The description of 7-78 Kontakt seems to only mention mechanical applications (fine mechanics, VCRs, copy machines). --- End quote --- Yes, Conrad electronics appears to sell Cramolin. Contrary to my understanding, Cramolin is actually a brand, not a specific product, so here's all the Cramolin products that came up at Conrad's site. Which one is it? I checked, and they do send to Norway, but with a minimum shipping cost of 45 Euros! That's 45 Euros plus whatever the cleaning agent costs plus import duties on top of that. I might as well have a service center do the cleaning for me! So if I understand correctly you can basically use the same cleaning product for both pots, switches and rotary encoders -which would be isopropyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol/naphtha, but you also need to lubricate moving parts, and that's where Deoxit F5 "Faderlube" comes in. So while isopropyl alcohol/naphtha cleaning products are no problem (I actually have a can of CRC "electronic cleaner" (contains naphtha) which I'm guessing is suitable for this, I also have a bottle of isopropyl alcohol which I could apply with Q-tips), finding something that lubricates is apparently very difficult to obtain here. Maybe it's just that it's mostly available for the industry and not as a consumer product... I did locate a local online store selling Kontakt Chemie products, but nobody has the Kontakt Gold 2000 (which, according to the specs, isn't a cleaner but a lubricant -so I assume I'd have to use isopropyl alcohol and/or naphtha first, then apply this after -to switches and rotary encoders). Here's a few of photos of the switches I'm trying to clean (tactile switches with a convex metal disc which appears to bring contact to the switch when pressed), the pots and rotary encoder. |
| alm:
The Cramolin product that is very similar to Deoxit D5 is Contaclean. But €45 shipping sounds ridiculous. Funny how there Conrad is in Sweden and Denmark, but not in Norway. And obviously Conrad Sweden and Denmark will not ship to Norway. Cleaning with IPA may not be effective if the contacts are corroded. That's where the Deoxit name came from. I believe the naptha in Deoxit D5 is only a solvent to flush out contaminants. The active ingredient is [trade secret] :P. Cleaning pots with IPA shouldn't hurt anything, however, as long as you apply Faderlube afterwards. I would not recommend a contact cleaner containing a somewhat aggressive acid like Kontakt 60 (very effective at removing corrosion) for carbon or plastic pots, or even those tiny buttons / encoders, since it is very hard to flush it out completely. Tuner 600 (also by CRC) would be a milder cleaner (probably mostly naphta). Maybe you could ask the store selling the Kontakt products if they can order the other CRC products for a reasonable price? I am sure that there are products available locally at electronic distributors that might be suitable, but you would need someone to be familiar with them. Apparently none of the brands common in the US and other parts of Europe are easily available in Norway. |
| analogix:
I just downloaded and read the datasheet for Deoxit F5 "Faderlube" that I already have, where it says: --- Quote ---4. Features/Benefits: Spray, adjustable valve (L-M-H) - Flushing action, Safe on plastics. DeoxIT® Fader F100L concentrate has approximately 0.0% chemical cleaning action. DeoxIT® Fader is not for metal contacts/connectors, use DeoxIT®, DeoxIT® Gold and DeoxIT® Shield for those surfaces. Replaces lubrication lost that have been cleaned with solvents or other cleaning solutions. Perfect for OEM’s Excellent enhancing, excellent protection, No ozone depletion. Reduces intermittent connections, arcing, RFI, wear and abrasion. Cleaner Audio - Clearer Video - Reliable Data. --- End quote --- This cleaning business sure is confusing ;) The switches contain both metal and plastic (see photo). Here's what it says about the use for Deoxit F5 "Faderlube (or rather "Fader" as I see it says on the can): --- Quote ---3. Product Description: Precision lubricant for conductive plastics and carbon-based controls (faders, slide potentiometers, conductive membranes - mouse pads and other mechanisms with sliding surfaces). It replenishes lubrication lost on surfaces that have been cleaned with solvents or other cleaning solutions. Use on conductive plastics and other sliding metal-plastic surfaces. Temperature range: -26OC to +150OC. --- End quote --- There doesn't appear to be any lubricant inside the switch mechanism, and to be honest I've never come across any switches/buttons that have any "greasy" feel to it (except the mechanical metal parts of a slide switch or shaft of a potmeter -not the actual electrical contact parts). Would it be a problem to just clean my switches, pots and rotary encoder with an isopropyl (IPA) based spray (or just clean it with Q-tips dabbed in IPA, then apply Deoxit F5 "Fader" to the carbon tracks of the pots, and leave the other stuff alone? Well, perhaps the rotary encoder needs a dab of Deoxit F5 Fader... Getting hold of Deoxit D5 appears to be very difficult, expensive and will take time to get here, so I'm looking for a solution where I can use what I already have, or buy something which is readily available here (like the Taerosol products). Just as long as it won't cause damage to the components. |
| madires:
I got good experience with Teslanol Tuner Spray (all-in-one solution, not aggressive). And it's not expensive. |
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