Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

For the electornic types

catpealer111
I have a home theater subwoofer amplifier that sustained some damage from urine. I can see on the board where the urine pooled. Besides the dried puddle, I see no other damage(i.e. burns). When the amp is powered up, it promptly blows it's fuse. I believe that the dried urine is shorting out the board. What can I use to clean the board and neutralize the remaining urine? Since urine is acidic, I was thinking a baking soda paste made with filtered water followed by a filtered water rinse.

Besides the excessive use of the word urine, tell me what you think of my diagnosis, prognosis, and potential cure.
0

Comments

16 comments

Date Votes
  • Captplaid
    baking soda?

    why not electrical contact cleaner?

    Regardless, I would sat you are screwed.
    0
  • SG_Niner
    Id try WD40 and a soft brush,then again I don't pee on my equipment![:D]
    0
  • catpealer111
    It belongs to a friend of mine, his 3 year old had an accident and I'm seeing if I can't fix it as a favor. It's been so long since I tinkered with electronics, I'm having to learn everything all over again.
    0
  • Marc1301
    At this point you could try almost anything, but most likely the "lacquer" coating on the board has been eaten through, and caused a short in the board circuit.
    If you try anything, blow it of good with compressed air, and let it sit in a warm low humidity location for 2 or 3 days before powering up.
    0
  • ljwrench
    Get some electrical contact cleaner (I use Zep Elec2 circuit board and electrical contact cleaner). You can try to neutralize it and then spray the contact cleaner on it. It dries fast so it won't short anything out when you add power. You can probably "borrow" a can from your avionics shop.
    0
  • deputydog214
    Use electrical contact cleaner or warm water and a soft tooth brush. Then stick the board in the refrigerator for a day. This will dehumidify and dry the board. Fridge works well with wet cell phones, etc.
    0
  • HandLoad
    Yep, Zep is one of the best. Scrape the lifted lacquer and the corruption from the board - it is OK to scrape into the epoxy gelcoat, if it is charred. Try to scrape to green or red, or whatever the base color of the board is (look at undamaged areas). If you part any traces, and if they are lifted or torn, corroded or whatever, cut them back to where they are still attached to the base material on the board. If you have to cut multiple traces, take a good picture BEFORE you cut/scrape. Pay close attention to component attach pads, as they usually have "Vias" or "pass through" plating that goes to the other side of the circuit board. Naturally, any traces you cut will have to be replaced by runs of wire to reconnect the circuits. Look carefully for underside of components shorted - there may be shorts that are hard to see.

    Respray the board with lacquer, and/or paint it with clear fingernail polish in the areas that you scraped. Then begin to rebuild it with wires to duplicate the missing traces. You can atach the wires to the leads of components easier than to the traces, but if you have a deft touch, and a small point low wattage iron, you can attach the wires to the traces themselves. Use good solder, clean the tip frequently and tin the wire ends before trying to attach them. You have to account for every connection. Good Luck!
    0
  • oldgunner
    Soap and water will work fine if cleaning is all it needs. Just be sure it's thoroughly dried out before you plug it in again!!
    0
  • slipgate
    Alcohol is the best. It 100% evaporates. Probably what is on some of the electronic cleaners others have mentioned. I would NOT put water of any type on it.

    If it blew when it was peed on, it is possible other things are broken/blown. I doubt you will get it working.
    0
  • Colt Super
    "Alcohol is the best. It 100% evaporates. Probably what is on some of the electronic cleaners others have mentioned. I would NOT put water of any type on it."

    My approach.

    Oh, yeah...and I'd blister the kid's ass.

    Doug
    0
  • Captplaid
    Note to self:
    Do not urinate on the subwolfer.
    0
  • Colt Super
    You know you'd love a spankin' !

    Doug
    0
  • scrumpyjack
    Unless the board is still dripping with urine, nothing is going to save it now. If the board is dry and the unit does not blow the fuse with the sub-woofer disconnected, then there is probably a blown transistor or other electronice device that has blown on the board.

    Go to the tool crib and ask for a "smoke injection kit". You'll need to put the smoke back in to whichever component let the smoke out![:D]

    As for cleaning the board, yes isopropyl alcohol is the best. You will then need to recoat the board with conformal coating(Humiseal...available from the backshop guys in CRS).
    0
  • buschmaster
    it diesn't matter if it's acidic or whatever, it matters what dissolves it.

    you could try the electric parts cleaner mentioned above, but if it were me, really, I'd skip that and go straight to the next choice, water. seriously. water makes it short out, but only when it's still plugged in and wet. water makes it rust, but only when you let it sit. so what do you do? take it apart, take everything off the board, dunk it in water, and immediately shake it of and go at it with a blow dryer so even the little doodads on it are dry inside and out. that's what I would do.
    0
  • 1911a1-fan
    electrical contact cleaner: alcohol, isohexane,isopropanol, n-hexane, co2, the alcohol only exelerats evavoration


    the fact it is blowing a fuse means you have a 50/50 chance, i have seen entire electronics submerged in water, dried out and work, marcs reply about it eating the etching is correct also, you can also replace the amp, what model is it?
    0
  • FEENIX
    Go see one of the pointy-heads for some TFE type (or equivalent) contact/electronic cleaners. [:p]
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity