Chosen Solution
Any opinion on soaking the logic board in ISOP? I have a macbook pro that I bought as “parts” and it booted up, but only to external HDD. Upon inspection (checked HDD, HDD flex cable, connection sites, etc), I discovered the entire board was covered in what I’m going to guess is coffee or coke. I’d like to soak the board because simple brushing is not getting it clean… Thoughts?
I would suggest using pharmaceutical grade rubbing alcohol (95% or better)which you can get at many drug stores, since it will evaporate readily. You can actually use water, distilled would be best. What ever you use prior to cleaning the board remove the battery from the board and discharge the capacitors. Liquid will not hurt the board or components if there is no electricity present. Batteries and capacitors store electricity. After you clean it dry it with a hair dryer. Be sure, be comfortable, that all is dry prior to re-installing the battery and the power source.
The capacitors will self-discharge on their own if you remove the battery and power adaptor and wait a few hours before soaking the logic board. May I suggest you add a very little amount of dishwashing liquid to your soaking water to help free up the crud. After a few hours, use a soft toothbrush to gently scrub the gunk off. And pay attention to the cable connector sockets and the cable fittings that plug into them. Use pure distilled water to rinse thoroughly, then use a hair dryer to dry it up. Be warned there are areas not easily dried, like the space under the integrated circuit chips with legs on all sides. For these I use compressed air too. I use distilled drinking water, by the way. Available just about everywhere. Please post your results so other readers can benefit too.
So, I just want to get this straight as I’m going to attempt this with my macbook a1342 logic board. It’s been unplugged for about a week and I’ll remove the battery day of disassembly (how does one discharge capacitors manually or will I not need to according to what Bernie said?). I have 99% Isopropyl Alcohol that I plan on giving the logic board a bath in. Is it recommended that I rinse it with distilled water AFTER the isop bath? Or is this step not necessary? I don’t have a hairdryer so would leaving it under a lamp (or just on its own for a day or two) be sufficient to dry it (and compressed air for the hard to reach places)? I’m hoping this will fix my logic board. Isop Alcohol/distilled water and patience are much cheaper than a new logic board so I appreciate any advice!
I heard that using a toothbrush on a logic board can damage delicate components. What you think? I was thinking of just giving it an alcohol bath instead of rubbing it with anything as I’m a bit afraid based on what I heard. Will that still accomplish something?
