Date   : Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:14:53 +0100
From   : philpem@... (Philip Pemberton)
Subject: Mouldy beebs!

Dominic Beesley wrote:
> I'll probably go the dishwasher route for the other boards, I was mainly
> using the IPA more in the hope that it might kill the gloop

That depends entirely on whether what you're trying to remove is soluble 
in alcohol.

Things like solder flux tend to be alcohol-soluble to at least some 
degree (it makes them easier to clean in commercial environments), but 
organic matter doesn't tend to dissolve into alcohol much, if at all.

Water, on the other hand, is more likely to dissolve (or at least 
loosen) "random organic matter" that has adhered to plastic or metal, 
especially if aided by a surfactant (read: washing up liquid).

> The main problem has been getting all the crap out from under the sockets,
> and whatever this white fungus stuff is once it sticks it's like glue!

I'd be tempted to desolder the sockets, give the board a good clean (and 
by that I mean scrub it with hot water, soap and a toothbrush, then 
rinse with just hot water, and finish with a cotton bud / Q-tip to dry 
off the water) and then replace the sockets with decent machined-pin 
ones (read: Aries, Tyco-Augat, Harwin or similar).

If there are still issues, I'd go looking for bits of that fuzz stuck 
under ICs. A visual check first, followed by a good scrub of ALL the 
soldered-down chips. If that didn't work? I'd probably pull all the ICs, 
chuck the board in the dishwasher, and clean the ICs manually 
(toothbrush, and a 50:50 mix of alcohol and water).

-- 
Phil.
philpem@...          
http://www.philpem.me.uk/