The Most Underrated Tool? (DIY or Buy) Ultrasonic Cleaner!
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In this episode of DIY or Buy I will be having a closer look at a commercial Ultrasonic Cleaner and then also build my own DIY version. While doing so I will find out how they work, what they can clean, whether they are suitable for PCB cleaning and ultimately decide whether you should DIY one or Buy one ;-) Let's get started!
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0:00 I HATE Cleaning!
1:44 Intro
2:37 First Look at Buy version
3:13 How does it Work?
4:37 Aluminum Foil Test
5:14 Basic Cleaning Tests
6:11 PCB Cleaning Tests
8:01 Buy Verdict
8:37 Building a DIY version
10:52 Testing the DIY version
11:29 Verdict
Tip for cleaning small parts in ultrasonic cleaner: Add cleaning solution and parts in a small glass jar and put that jar in the cleaner filled with water. Easier to clean and no need to use so much cleaning solution. Especially handy, when some small parts require different cleaning solution than what is normally used.
Sounds like a good life hack ;-)
That's brilliant!. Are there any drawbacks though?
@@therealb888no drawbacks unless the circuit is off before immersing in the solution or if you completely dry before turning it on for use
@@pianoguy5110 Could you please elaborate?
@@pianoguy5110 I meant how it may affect the frequency & hence the cleaning or the glass itself. Some cleaners have frequency sweeps so can a glass reach resonant frequency & crack? It's been a while since I've read these so pardon me if my questions are dumb lol..
I'm working in a company which uses ultrasonic baths a lot. Funny thing is, that the Aluminium Foil Tests are officially performed regularly to make sure every ultrasonic bath is working properly. It apparently is the best way to make sure everything is all right without the need of disassembling the machines all the time.
Fun fact ;-)
Are thin bits like foil the main concern? I see the cavitation damage in stuff like that and get spooked. But between this video, and @Applied Science ‘s frequent use of these i’m *i n t r i g u e d*
We use ultrasonic baths at work as well. We have a watt/frequency meter now, but used to use foil for testing. I have also used a mechanics stethoscope to see if the transducers were working
@@ericlotze7724 to clean products, we put them in the containers filled with isopropyl alcohol and then submerge these in the ultrasonic bath. The sound waves go through the container and get to the products anyway. There's no risk of contamination with aluminum flakes.
there's also the pencil on frosted glass slide test
It's also worth mentioning that if you DIY, the basket is an essential part of the machine - they only do their job right if things do not sit directly on the bottom.
One of the big things to consider is that while it may be a bit faster to do it by hand, you can also do something else while it does the cleaning
True
Yeah machine time!=human time
Great point, I watch many people clean and refurbish mechanical watches, while the gears are in the washer they often take that time to clean the watch lens and housing, it effectively cuts down the time the watch is being cleaned. I clean some things with an ultrasonic cleaner I bought for about $100 usd, can't say if it's a "great" cleaner, but it definitely is effective and I can do other things while it's cleaning and also the parts tend to come out much cleaner in the "nooks and crannies" than I could do with my own hands.
@@jetjazz05 those nooks and crannies can be such a pain! I need to bump up my ultrasonic game… I only have a tiny one that’s made for things like rings at the moment
You’ll probably end up spending that time watching the ultrasonic cleaner going “wow, that’s cool”. Like when you get your car cleaned.
Just to add something further to be cautious about: Do not clean MEMS-devices (accelerometers, gyrometers, microphones) in an ultrasonic cleaner, they will break. I think 'breaking taps' made a video explaining the matter further.
Thanks for the feedback
Also some quartz crystals/resonators can break.
I wrecked a Sony Xperia Z5 Premium phone exactly like that. Both microphones busted. Accelerometer busted. Gyrometer busted. Everything else -> Very Clean. 🙂 Having previously watched over 1 million KZhead videos where ultrasonic cleaners were used to clean smartphone PCBs, I somehow strangely enough still wasn't an expert on the topic, hehe.
That's a very good tip, thanks!
Love this series, but what I really love is that you made an effort to reverse engineer the board to see if it's something we can make ourselves. Really appreciate that kinda effort.
The DIY solution will get interesting if you mount the transducers onto your steel kitchen sink. Big volume and you can clean your dishes by ultrasonic and release the waste water directly ;)
Oh boy
new generation of dish washer ftw
I dont think the resonant frequencies would bode well for the fittings of the plumbing or the silicone bead between the sink and countertop surface. On top of that there is far more mass for the transducers to need to vibrate if we are talking about a proper steel sink, plus the added mass of the countertops they are attached to providing resistance. Even if you could overcome the amount of mass that would need to vibrate with some beefy transducers/power output, the end result would likely be LOUD and over time cause considerable damage to the surrounding materials. All that aside, I would rather be wrong about this and also want to see somebody actually build it! 😂
www.youtube.com/@BranchusCreations has some videos on DIY ultrasonic cleaners, and one project actually utilizes a stainless steel laundry sink.
@@anthonypatino7143 Don't forget the SWR of the entire system!
I've been cleaning batches of PCBs a lot and let me tell you, PCB cleaning solution works wonders (EMAG Platinenreiniger in my case). It is specifically made for getting rid of flux and solder balls and will clean an entire tank full of boards to almost perfection.👌 Heating it to something like 60 C will also make a huge difference.
You might want to take a closer look at your solder paste and soldering process, so many solder balls are definitely not normal, we have like at most 1-2 per board and those usually fall off easily. It might even be bad flux.
I think the SMD resistors being all wonky is also kinda telling that his reflow soldering process isn't quite there yet, because usually they would mostly align themself while baking if you applied the right amount of paste and placed them properly; at least from my experience.
Yes, I also had some concerns about the soldering. I'm guessing the paste he is using doesn't have enough flux or perhaps doesn't have the right flux. Proper flux should increase the surface tension of the solder and both help with self-alignment of the components and also prevent loose solder balls.
I have seen his hand-soldered work and this seems way better already 😂😂
I one had some boards that were full of solder balls after reflow. It ended up just being a case of expired solder paste. We learned that T5 solder paste is much more prone to degradation than the regular T3/T4 stuff.
He could also use a smaller stencil cutout to minimize the chance. Or buy a DEK lmfao
I couldn't live without my ultrasonic cleaner, whether it's cleaning electronics, water-damaged electronics, or even for cleaning fossils - it's simply brilliant. I only have an inexpensive one from Aldi, but it does the job perfectly in my opinion, although you might need to wait a bit longer.
Thanks for the feedback :-) Yep, if you got the time, I think it can do its job very well.
Thank you for your comment! Do I understand correctly that the ultrasonics do not compromise SMD connections? What about foil?
@@Hyzerwyzer Yes, but it should only be done for private purposes, as it can also damage the fossils. Often, water can penetrate into small gaps between the fossil and the rock and "break it free."
@@cherylm2C6671 Normally not, but no guarantees. It's always better to clean delicate items by hand, especially when dealing with important circuit boards. It's best to try it out on boards where it wouldn't be a big issue if they got damaged. It also heavily depends on the strength of your cleaner. With the one I have from the discount store, nothing gets damaged, but industrial cleaners can be more risky.
@@MarcelSchr MarcelSchr, thank you. It seemed that ultrasonics would be better for mechanical components. 3M has a component bath that I think should work at KHz or lower frequencies since it won't cavitate ?
Heated water and nearly any detergent works well. I use a product here in Australia called "simple green". But I think any basic dishwashing liquid works well. The main benefit with these is when you're cleaning "fiddly" things, with small internal ports or cavities, like a carburetor or brake parts.. The Ultrasonic/heat/cleaner will get into the smaller areas that are just too fiddly otherwise and importantly do no damage. Plus you can get on with other tasks as the cleaner works.
Thanks for the tip :-)
Will second this (heat, Simple Green). I also put a small amount of isopropanol in the mix. Helps with non-polar gunk and speeds up the drying time...
I just use vinegar, mainly on metals
I own Two ultrasonics. One for cleaning Tarnished jewelery (I'm the maker) and one for cleaning 3d resin parts. I find them both invaluable for my proceesses. There are a great tool when you are doing low run production work because they reduce labor time.
Thanks for sharing!
Generally, with appropriate cleaning agents in the ultrasonic, such as Branson or EMAG products, cleaning should be capped out at 1-3 minutes, to avoid unecessary damage to certain components on the PCB, of course heating should always be used, at around 60-70c
Yup. We refuse to use it on any product that we make that has any piezo or crystal element. Just not worth the risk to part damage.
Except the heating elements in most small ultrasonic cleaners are so slow it takes 30min to an hour to warm up that high.
@@kwinzman Can you use preheated water then, like in a kettle?
@@GeorgeFoot That's exactly what I do.
@@GeorgeFoot yes
I'm very happy for your success over the last few years. I remember when you weren't sure if this channel was going anywhere, but I'm very happy to see that you didn't give up.
Very interesting. The timing is perfect as I am currently in need of an ultrasonic cleaner. Thanks for making this video!
I've found I get better results with heated water, which is why the modern cleaners have a temperature controlled heater built in Also if you have those special coatings on you're glasses (like auto darkening) it might not be a good idea to put them in there
Thanks for the tip :-)
@@greatscottlab One other important thing I've noticed. It will strip the zinc or black oxide coating from nuts and bolts. Plus can damage paint. Other thing to note is some cleaners are acidic, so may need to be neutralized.
@@arthurmoore9488 you can use kitchen cleaner and that is equally effective. Also you can put the detergent with a little water in a ziplock bag with the item and then put it in the cleaner.
Also, ultrasonic cleaners will wiggle all the micro-cracks along the edge of your lenses, and eventually bigger and bigger cracks will form. My glasses were clean all the time, but the lenses lasted only a year or two when I was cleaning them this way just occasionally.
@@arthurmoore9488that brings to mind that many higher quality carburetors are/were plated.
Be sure to read through the components' datasheet before doing so. Many components cannot withstand this. Relays, crystals, buttons, pots etc etc.
One important thing to note: transducers should not be powered on unless mounted and the container filled to the proper volume. Testing them on the bench like that can actually damage them, with an end result that they run hotter, work less efficiently (or not at all), and also require more power from to driving circuit (which creates more heat). Even if they work perfectly fine though, i haven't seen any that didn't create enough heat to need active cooling for the circuitry. (Another note on safety: having touched an active transducer bare-handed before I can say it's definitely not recommended)
Thanks for the feedback :-)
what happens if you touch the transducer bare-handed?
@@yugaindiranmarimuthu7310 your whole body will be filled with holes like that aluminum foil if you touch it... just kidding
@@yugaindiranmarimuthu7310 afaik in worst case the flesh can separate from the bones in your fingers....if you ignore the pain
@@yugaindiranmarimuthu7310 well, I specifically touched the side of the center metal disk in the transducer. Instant 2nd degree burn in a short line on my finger plus numbness and muscle twitchiness in my forearm for half an hour or so. Not my proudest moment. I was trying to avoid touching anything "live" but mistakes happen. At the very least I was properly doing the one-hand method of having the other hand well away from the shocky bits or any grounding or it might have ended much worse. I was also mistaken that I thought transducers were much lower voltage.
You stay creative, I just want to sit back and enjoy watching you ❤
I wanted to do this for so many days and seeing u do it makes me satisfied and feel good that atleast you did it!
Thanks :-) Give it a shot ;-)
@@greatscottlab I still haven't because of the HV risks and it's hard to get a good transducer
These are great. I’ve used industrial ones to clean both small and large metal parts and the results are flawless
I used one for a few reactions in the lab and general glassware cleaning. Sonication and the right solvent takes care of most problems
Before PCB washing always READ DATASHEET. Some parts like crystal oscillators can be damaged with ultrasonic cleaning.
I was told by a lab technician friend that you should put the water/cleaning solution in slowly, with the cleaner turned on, and stop filling when you get the strong ripples on the surface of the water as at this point the system is at resonance and the cleaning is more effective.
I'm not saying he's wrong, but start out with the minimum amount of water already in there. Running these dry will destroy them VERY quickly.
@@qwertybogussAgreed, if you're particularly unlucky you can kill it in seconds.
The driver circuit looks like a self-excited half-bridge resonant circuit with transformer feedback, similar to the circuit in a fluorescent ballast. And it uses two transformers to transform the impedance of the transducer.
Thanks, you make your videos so clear and good explained.
Thank you for this video and useful information , good luck✌❤❤❤
Excellent. I always enjoy this channel.
Really nice job, man!
Ultrasonic cleaning is an invaluable asset at my job, we even put an "Employee of the month" sticker on one of them haha
I've always wanted an ultrasonic cleaner as I do LOTS of microscopic hand soldering on PCBs, and cleaning flux residue is an absolute nightmare that takes up at least half the time I spend diagnosing, fault-finding, and even repairing the damaged circuits. One of the most important things I've noticed in regards to ultrasonic cleaners (and whether or not they're recommended for use on electronics) is if they feature a sweeping frequency. My understanding of this feature is it prevents the creation of standing waves within the solution. In normal operation, you will have various regions of high turbulence and cavitation, and regions with absolutely none. This is due to interference patterns emerging in the solution. Sweeping is meant to solve this problem, by causing the transducers to operate at a variable frequency. This creates a far more uniform distribution of turbulence, and therefore, the cavitation which causes microscopic water bubbles to cling to debris and gunk and pull it away. I think the reason you were having so many issues, even prior to using a specialized cleaning solution, is because this particular ultrasonic cleaner doesn't feature sweeping. It kind of makes sense that sweeping would be desired for electronic circuits, because you often have MANY small parts (the SMD components), all with various quantities of goo and debris between them. A non-sweeping cleaner would likely have lots of problems with getting cavitation bubbles to occur in all of these nooks and crannies. I also expect the full-wave/semi-wave setting on that cleaner you got is meant to create a different interference pattern in the solution. Semi-wave probably results in smaller interference patterns, which interestingly could provide better cleaning results? Maybe? The only problem with the sweeping cleaners is they are ASTRONOMICALLY more expensive. Once you get into sweeping cleaners, you're easily looking at price tags upwards of $1,000 or more! I'd be really interested in seeing a DIY attempt at creating a sweeping cleaner. I have no idea why they're so expensive, as I can't imagine it takes much more to just alter the frequency the transducers are running at. But they must be so expensive for a reason, right?
Your videos are really inspiring!
Also from the safety point of view - Keep your fingers, or any other body parts, well away from the water/solution in the tank. At those frequencies, human tissue will emulsify quite readily, even though you may not feel it. It's not worth risking your fingers just save a few seconds while turning things over, or putting things into and out of the tank. My own ultrasonic cleaner recommends placing parts horizontally, and points out that the cleaning is more effective on the underside of the items being cleaned (i.e. facing the transducers).
Just consider what you saw the ultrasonic cleaner do to the aluminum foil in the video. It will do the same to your hard tissue (bone). Keep fingers out till it is turned off.
I would also guess gravity helps get the loose junk away from the item.
there goes my plans for an ultrasonic hot tub :(
@@dotanuki3371 Ooh, aahh! I should think it would have them off in a jiffy!
@@michaelfalter6200 I think not exactly the bone but the next soft thing in contact with the bone. Put otherwise, the cavitation bubbles could strip off the periosteum! That can hurt for months...
When working with ultrasonic transducer for fluid level sensing, TI recommended a 2 part super glue which worked really well against other glues including epoxys.
Great video! Thanks for the info!
awesome project. i always wondered about how these were made and functioned.
I bought a Vevor a couple years ago and it's fantastic.
I have a tool for holding slotted screws, as you slide one part down the blade get fatter and grip the screw slot. Its so handy for getting difficult to reach screws started. But the ultrasonic cleaners have come a long way price and cleaning power Great video 2x👍
Thanks :-)
I just ran into this problem this week with a project for the first time. I needed a heavy amount of flux and brushing with alcohol was taking forever to get a proper clean. Thank you algorithm.
I have to say that the soldering on the PCBs looks horrible, you should try some fresh / different paste, and a higher temperature as well. The one that you are using doesn't melt properly, so it forms balls and doesn't pull components into their spots. As a tip, try mixing the paste with a bit of wet flux before applying, I found that this often helps to get better soldering results
Thanks for the tip :-) Yep, I realized too late that my solder paste is no longer useable.
yeah I noticed that some solder paste works better than others. Sometimes, for small batch, I just do manual "wave soldering" with soldering iron, a good solder wire and some extra liquid flux, they're easier to clean up, and no solder balls. For large batch I just use the pcb assembly service.
I gotta say this is a great video.... Thanks !
Cool gadget! Very useful. I might pick up the DIY kit!
We used to clean jet engine electronics in an industrial ultrasonic with 3M Novec. Really got the boards clean and ready for installation into their respective components
My wife's a jeweler, ultrasonic cleaner is a must. They work great for cleaning on LP albums too. Thanks from Colorado.
I've had great fun with my ultra sonic cleaner. I mostly use it for rebuilding carbs.
Saw a guy make an extra large ultrasonic cleaner for antique computer motherboards. Because it was a rare enough size as to not be widely sold it was a great solution for him. So if you have something very large DIY makes sense.
Everything you offer in the field of electronics makes me impressed. Greetings to you ✅✅✅
Great video! I've been thinking about buying one for a while to remove flux. I think now I'll have reasonable expectations.
Love all your videos thank you
Just for Great Scott and other's edification: I use a fine paint brush to remove the solder and then microfiber cloth to soak up the used alcohol. I go through microfiber cloths but they are pretty inexpensive.
Thanks for the tip
Great work dude. 😄😄
Very interesting indeed on the diy kit. I have an old laboratory warm water bath that I brought back to life with a PID controller. I could glue this kit inside of it and turn it into a cleaner!
I used to assemble these for a family owned company, the trick we found to producing a high efficiency product was to use an old fashioned VALVE AMPLIFIER TUBE, it produced a rougher frequency wave than transistors and ic's. Therefore a superior cleaning experience even on commercial cleaning units the size of a large sink (many, many, many, many, transducers). The rougher frequency curve also works better on ultrasonic therapy units, but not for Ultrasonic Imaging Units.
I think I remember seeing someone else who did a DIY ultrasonic cleaner but had major issues with the transducers detaching over time if not using a specific glue. So it's something worth being aware of despite a DIY ultrasonic cleaner that seems to work initially.
Tried different cleaning solutions. The best one by far has been regular grease removing dishwasher soap. Does wonders.
I wish I could peek inside the ultrasonic watch cleaner my father had in the early 60's. It had a unique sound that modern ultrasonic cleaners lack and cleaned faster too. The bubbles were more abundant too. It had 4 round compartments with different solutions in each and round mesh baskets to fit each compartment. Considering how new transistors were in that era I'm curious if it maybe used some other type of electrical components to generate the pulses? That may partly explain it's strange sound. It would clean any dirt under your finger nails in a minute!
That's so cool! I'd always thought that ultrasonic cleaner started its developement in the 80s or so. High voltage, high power pulses were surely provided by vacuum tubes, probably some kind of power high frequency oscillator that coupled to a transducer via a transformer. At least that's what I think could be used. Of course different characterstics led themselves to different resonance frequencies and hence the different sound. Otherwise, maybe some kind of scaled down alexanderson alternator, to be run on mains voltage could theorically work?
I see you have replied to my comment, but I can't see your reply! Sorry...
@@willjackson1955 Looks like my comment was removed. Bulova made these devices and there's schematics on the net. Shows two tubes inside. I'd love to see this channel recreate it from the schematic or maybe a transistor version.
Awesome was using this in Panasonic Avionics Dubai for cleaning pcbs in 2009...
I love my ultrasonic cleaner. I use it for glasses, jewellery, laser engraved items, some PCB parts and also rocks that have been placed in a rock tumbler. Only 3 liters, but big enough for what I need
"Semi wave" is a very interesting use of words
At work we put our parts in beakers with the solution we want to use and float them in the water of the machine. We have machine covers with holes the size of the beakers we use in them to keep them from tipping.
I used to do pcb/microsoldering in a previous job. We cleaned finished PCBs in what was basically a high tech dishwasher. As long as none of the components on the board are moisture sensitive, you can just use warm soapy water. Dry the board in the oven at about 60 degrees c.
Very nice and informative Video, as always. 4:07 Do I see Parts for a Simson carburetor there? ;)
cool that was awesome! guess there would be channel who use to only show cleaning of products in water
We have an ultrasonic bath in the workshop and I also place items in a zip lock bag with alcohol or some cleaning agents.
I have to say this is the first time I've ever seen knipex sponsor a KZhead video....as an American that does not have a huge budget for tools I've only owned one pair myself and used tools my employer provided...you have no idea how much you struggle with inferior hand tools until you use good quality tools....ive always just had channel locks and oh my goodness they are just not designed to be used on bolts and nuts...the jaws closing in a linear way was not something I knew existed...i wish i could afford a whole set of knipex hand tools i would use them every day and enjoy them for years lol.
It is worth checking that there is thermal paste between the power transistors and the heat sinks. Adding a cooling fan is recommended.
Nice Video information 👍
An ultrasonic cleaner is such a handy tool to have. I've unfortunately moved and no longer have access to the one I used to use, which is a shame. Going back to manual cleaning is tedious and boards dont come out as clean.
i use ipa to clean my circuit boards.I pre heat the pcbs, do some scrubbing to losen up those solder balls, and then just clean them for like 2 minutes, I then store the used ipa in a different container to be reused, you can see the dirt/flux settling down after a while after stroring the ipa. ipa is somewhat flammable depending on the purity so do monitor the temperature and do it in a well ventilated area.
I normally skip past ads in videos, but I stayed to watch the Knipex ad. I love their tools, and I'm so glad they have started sponsoring youtubers. I'm not a content creator, but I too hope to one day be sponsored by Knipex.
I've cleaned circuit boards with regular dishwashing soap, tap water and a tooth brush, a rinse with tap water, and a final rinse with distilled water and jet-dry. They very often finnish looking brand new.
Another informative video bro 👍
Glad you liked it
You can also use dish soap / water in a 1:10 ratio with a dash of ammonia (yes). Way cheaper than ultrasonic cleaning solutions and does the job just fine!
Amazing channel❤
Great one! Who all needs a Great Scott-Electroboom Collab? 😁❤️
Best solution for the UltraSonic for cleaning PCB's is Electrolube SafeWash Super. I have been using it for about 20 years and it is absolutely awesome.
A useful feature to look for with an ultrasonic tank is a drain tap . This allows you to drain the tank easily.
Schön den Vergaser von der Simme am Ende drinnen! 😉👍
Fantastic video, dude! Thanks a bunch! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Thanks! You too!
A friend made a DIY using 4 horns, a 4 output controller/power board, a heating element out of an old bread machine and he set it up under a kitchen metal tray which was about 4 inches deep but very wide and long and enough to put in a E-ATX motherboard and its never let him down either.
I was just watching ultrasonic cleaners yesterday... Now i will have to buy one 😅
2:05 omg! how the hell did you get knipex to sponsor you that's one of the most awesome things i've seen in YT sponsor history since not only is it a perfect fit for your channel but IMO is the creme of the creme of electrical work brands.
Right?! Very happy that they reached out😁
I still use the Kester 2331 water soluble flux and 2331-cored solder for soldering PCB's. Residues easily wash off with warm water under the tap and a soft toothbrush.
funny thing about the temperature controls - sonication works much better at low temperatures, so at our lab we often fill it with ice.
I'm using one for my MTB parts, very nice for chain cleaning.
Very nice!
Was about to say the same 🙂. But I use degreaser in hot water.
Alconox 8 detergent is what I use to clean my boards. Works great and boards come out absolutely spotless. Be careful with crystals and electrolytic capacitors.
I cleaned an old PC with tap water and soap once. I left it drying and reassemble things though it turned off immediately after booting. Disassembled again and it had a mini pool of water inside the CPU socket. :) After drying properly everything worked greatly. That PC died of obsolescence.
From using one of these on a dauly basis, the semi wave is very similar ifnnot the same as the degassing feature on our machines. We use it as a less powerful option that can Degasses the solution
THANK YOU!!!!! I WANT ONE SO BAD!!!!!
You can put small parts in a glass jar that you fill with cleaning fluid. This way you can run different cleaning cycles at the same moment using different cleaning fluids.
What kind of glue did you use to stick the transducers to the tank? I have an old ultrasonic cleaner that was given to me because it was broken; the transducer had fallen off of the tank. I tried different types of glue, but after a few hours of operations, they all came loose again. thank you for this great channel, /chriV
@GreatScott! - When you were manually cleaning your boards, you were not using enough alcohol. The trick is to get an oversized tub filled with enough IPA to fully submerge your circuit card assembly (CCA) and then take your brush and scrub the board in the IPA. This way the residual flux dissolves into the alcohol and gets washed away rather than simply spreading around the rest of the board like the method you showed in your video does. When I used to work at a MIL/Aero engineering company, we would use a 3-tray IPA cleaning process on space flight boards if the customer was picky and wouldn't allow our batch cleaning process. The idea was you had three tubs with 99% IPA in them, the first was the "dirty" one and is where you started the board cleaning process. Once you scrubbed as much flux off in the "dirty" tray as you could, you would move your board to the second tray which was by nature cleaner IPA than the first and you'd scrub again. Once you were satisfied you got it all off in the second tray, you'd move to the third tray which should be nearly pristine IPA still. This will get any residual flux off the board. When done, we would blow dry the board using dry nitrogen. As the second and third trays would eventually get dirty they would be rotated into the first and second positions respectively and the first tray would be dumped and replaced with fresh IPA to become the new third tray. On a separate note, we would NOT use ultrasonic cleaners on flight hardware due to the very real chance that the process would cause damage to the CCAs. For home use it's probably not a big deal, but as an industrial process for high-rel hardware it's a 'no-no'.
A "Buzz" killer XD. You had me on that one.
Tip for using ultrasonic cleaners with heating elements: keep the lid closed. Even the quality brands (e.g. German brand Elma) appear to struggle without a lid - I assume it is just is too much surface area that dissipates the heat. E.g. a S 120 H has 800 W of heating power and still does not reach 60 or 70 °C without a lid. Furthermore, lids help reducing the ear-unfriendly noise a bit. By the way - cleaning detergents are usually reusable - you can e.g. judge their remaining cleaing performance by their pH-value (compared to their initial value). Or you just use them until you are not happy with the cleaning results anymore.
Save on the cleaning solution by placing the object inside a ziplock bag (with the cleaning solution like alcohol) and then place that into the water bath heated up to at least 40ºC
I use since 30 years Kontakt WL for cleaning PCB. It works great. It contains mostly Isopropylic Alc. plus some other stuff like ethylether.
Thanks for the feedback :-)
I heard of some people using a metal bucket with a palm sander taped to the side and a hotplate to heat the solutio. Cheap and VERY STRONG! I'd love to hear/see your opinion
Try cleaning in pure ethanol, acetone, gasoline. But use a tightly closed jar for flamable liquid and part, then put the jar into supersonized water tank. I also very satisfied with cleaning bicycle chain in distilled water, then in kerosene. Also kerosene is easy to filter for another cleaning cycle. Great to clean out oxide layers from metals with light solution of acid. DIYed a 150w 2.3l cleaner and very satisfied with it.
Ist die Simson deine oder war der Vergaser nur geliehen?😉 Vielen Dank für den Vergleich. Ich hab schon lange drauf gewartet 👍
The point in automation is to let the machine do the job. Being faster is not always the point: your dishwasher, your wash machine or your roomba is slower than you but they let you do other things while they work.