Flux Removal (PCB Cleaning)
August 2, 2006
I just wrote up a quick article on how I remove flux from PCBs after assembling them.
If you’d like to read it and see some sample photos of a PCB before and after cleaning, take a look at the article here: http://www.nuxx.net/wiki/Flux_Removal
I’ve always used 331, which is water-clean solder, for stuff on boards, and 245, which no-clean solder, for connectors, jacks, and things with stranded wire (which would be harder to clean). I got these recommendations out of the documentation for some Blacet modular synth kits, and it worked so well I’ve just stuck with it. Cleaning 331 under a warm water tap with a toothbrush is so very easy, and then I just follow up with a quick distilled water rinse. No residue or spots or anything.
Oh, darn. I just looked up 331 and now it’s lead-free. I’ll have to see how my next spool works out. My past experiences with lead-free solder have not been very good, though…. hrmmm
Oh, thanks for letting me know. I should check out some 331 next time I place an order. I’ve heard lead free isn’t bad, so long as you start with a clean tip and have the temp set properly.
Water clean would be really interesting…
The biggest problem I’ve had lately is that I’ve been having to clean boards with lots of non-sealed pots and switches, so I have to be careful. It hasn’t been a problem yet…
(The hardest things to clean were the OLED/PLEDs for a few projects, and the pot and keyswitch banks for the Sequentix P3.)
The biggest problem I’ve had lately is that I’ve been having to clean boards with lots of non-sealed pots and switches, so I have to be careful. It hasn’t been a problem yet…
That’s what the 245 is for. I do all “safe” components with 331, then wash. When it’s dry, I do all of the “at risk” components with 245. It leaves a very slight residue, but I’ve been assured that it is non-corrosive and will not cause any problems down the road.
Hmm, yeah. I see what you mean: http://www.kester.com/en-us/products/prodcat_detail.aspx?pid=45
I’ll probably grab a roll of each next time I get a chance…
Now, if I could only find a good reason to place an order with All-Spec…
I just checked Mouser and they are *really* expensive when it comes to solder.
Try Digi-Key:
Kester 245, 1 lb., 0.031″ diameter, 50 core: KE1400-ND = $13.75
Kester 331, 1 lb., 0.031″ diameter, 66 core: KE1300-ND = $13.75
I found they had the cheapest price using Find Chips.
Huh, seems I was reading the wrong section. Mouser is $14.07 for each of those. (I had been looking at the really fine stuff.)
I’ll check against what size I use at home, and when I order the parts for the SK-1 things I’ll throw some of that on as well. Can’t hurt to give it a try, at least… Thanks for the suggestion. :)
(I’d imagine the flux on the 331 isn’t nearly as sticky, either…)
No, not sticky at all. It’s like a hard rosin that cracks and crunches when you push into it with your fingernail. It gets all soapy and foamy when you brush it away under water, which is kind of convenient because you know when you’ve scrubbed it all away (just like rinsing off dishes or something).
Oh, by the way, I added you to my friends list because you seem to put up a lot of cool and interesting things. I’m really mad that I missed that SRL show. I found out about it one night where I was up too late and decided to wait until morning to order tickets. Of course by then they were sold out and nobody on craigslist wanted to sell me theirs… boo hoo. Looks like it was amazing.
I’ll definitely have to order some then. Probably tomorrow or something.
I’ve gone ahead and added you as well. I see you know. Did you happen to see his couple of vids?
We were pretty fortunate to get those tickets, too… I had planned on buying them, booked a flight, then they sold out. As I was staying with friends it would have been all right just to visit, but I was pretty disappointed. Then one night I was informed that they were available again and poof, four were on their way.
Oh, actually I’ve only seen![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
bdu post comments to ![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
egonspengler‘s journal (who I saw on the ![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
circuitbending group). Oh, he’s in the bay area. Small world, heh.
Oh, huh. It must be someone else’s LJ I was looking at when I saw his name on the friends list, and got confused.
Anyway, check out this video of his. We (and his girl and my friends) met up at the SRL show and watched it together. That was shot from right next to me, so the perspective is pretty similar. Be sure to watch it with the sound fairly loud. It’s great.