PlanetZ forums - scopeusers.com

recently i have cleared my scope pro and pulsar2 contacts with pure alcohol.
i wonder if there is a better solution.

there has been improvement for sure because i fixed..after 2, 3 years of "dust" in my pc, i have been facing problems with errors of scope cards comunication........ even at the end i lost the cards!! could not be seen normaly.

Alcohol is good for cleaning the dust and dirt off. Try using deoxit gold afterwards. I had problems with my 3x pulsar 2 boards (and sync card) about 4yrs ago, rock solid ever since. Another recommendation is to get a fan for the cards, no doubt cooling will increase the life of the cards. Add some filters (or fabric mesh) for any air/fan entry points for the case too (decrease those dust bunnies).

If you use isopropyl alcohol, be careful what you splash it on. Generally, I try to avoid using liquid solvents of any sort on electronic components (especially PC based products) and I'll tell ya why.

Twenty years of working in the electronics manufacturing sector taught me a few things. I used to source PCB cleaning equipment for some production plants that specialized in high-volume production of printed circuit boards for the cable & satellite TV industry. We learned the hard way about cleaning PCB's with solvents. The problem isn't that they don't do a good job of cleaning the boards and contacts (they do) but the problem was when the solvents leach up into certain components and cause latent defects. The problem basically involved the solder flux that was loosened and splashed around during the cleaning process. That stuff gets up into capacitors or connectors and causes all sorts of trouble, These days, with surface mount components, that is less of an issue. There's probably nothing to worry about here. Use the chemical sparingly and keep it aimed at the contact edges and you'll probably be OK. I find a simple pencil eraser does just as good a job at removing any oxidation on card connector edges.

+1 for pencil eraser method.

Don't scrub too hard though.

Greg

I recently cleaned my 3 cards (esp the PCI and STDM contacts) with white spirit on a cotton stick. I had been having lots of troubles with the STDM connection not being recognised. Seems to work like a charm again now

Thanks for reminding me. I have been getting that message on occassion so must remember to try cleaning it when I have some time. Thanks