What tools and chemicals do you use to clean electrical contacts?

What do you use for buttons on things such as remote controls? (I
have a kitchen timer with buttons that have to be pressed several
times.)

What do you use on battery contacts? (I know to use white vinegar to
clean up leakage from alkaline battery leakage.)

Thank you in advance for all replies.
--
Whenever I hear or think of the song "Great green gobs of greasy
grimey gopher guts" I imagine my cat saying; "That sounds REALLY,
REALLY good. I'll have some of that!"

On Dec 12, 9:40 am, Daniel Prince wrote:
What tools and chemicals do you use to clean electrical contacts?

What do you use for buttons on things such as remote controls? (I
have a kitchen timer with buttons that have to be pressed several
times.)

What do you use on battery contacts? (I know to use white vinegar to
clean up leakage from alkaline battery leakage.)

Thank you in advance for all replies.
--
Whenever I hear or think of the song "Great green gobs of greasy
grimey gopher guts" I imagine my cat saying; "That sounds REALLY,
REALLY good. I'll have some of that!"

I have seen people use the eraser on the end of a pencil for this.

Whether it is a 'pencil lead' eraser, or the type of eraser that works
on ball point pen ink, I'm not sure.

Lewis.

*****

Rubbing alcohol and a q-tip. i somehow managed to drop the remote for
my tv into a cup of cola, where it sat overnight. in the morning when
i realized this had happened, i dried it out and cleaned with a q-tip
and rubbing alcohol and it still works to this day!!

wrote:
On Dec 12, 9:40 am, Daniel Prince wrote:
What tools and chemicals do you use to clean electrical contacts?

What do you use for buttons on things such as remote controls? (I
have a kitchen timer with buttons that have to be pressed several
times.)

What do you use on battery contacts? (I know to use white vinegar to
clean up leakage from alkaline battery leakage.)

Thank you in advance for all replies.
--
Whenever I hear or think of the song "Great green gobs of greasy
grimey gopher guts" I imagine my cat saying; "That sounds REALLY,
REALLY good. I'll have some of that!"

I have seen people use the eraser on the end of a pencil for this.

Whether it is a 'pencil lead' eraser, or the type of eraser that works
on ball point pen ink, I'm not sure.

Lewis.

*****
Eraser on the end of a pencil (the pink eraser).

Lou

Daniel Prince wrote:
What tools and chemicals do you use to clean electrical contacts?

What do you use for buttons on things such as remote controls? (I
have a kitchen timer with buttons that have to be pressed several
times.)

What do you use on battery contacts? (I know to use white vinegar to
clean up leakage from alkaline battery leakage.)

Thank you in advance for all replies.
--
Whenever I hear or think of the song "Great green gobs of greasy
grimey gopher guts" I imagine my cat saying; "That sounds REALLY,
REALLY good. I'll have some of that!"


Depends. For rubber membrane keypads I use liquid dish soap and warm
water. Battery contacts I use vinegar and scrub with a toothbrush or
scotchbrite pad. For things like edge connectors, low voltage signal
contacts and such I use Deoxit D5, spendy stuff, but a little goes a
long way.

On Dec 12, 10:40 am, Daniel Prince wrote:
What tools and chemicals do you use to clean electrical contacts?

What do you use for buttons on things such as remote controls? (I
have a kitchen timer with buttons that have to be pressed several
times.)

What do you use on battery contacts? (I know to use white vinegar to
clean up leakage from alkaline battery leakage.)

Thank you in advance for all replies.
--
Whenever I hear or think of the song "Great green gobs of greasy
grimey gopher guts" I imagine my cat saying; "That sounds REALLY,
REALLY good. I'll have some of that!"

I just went to radio shack and bought a spray can of contact cleaner.
The stuff we used to use on the old televisions and radios with the
tuner you had to turn by hand.

David

"Daniel Prince" wrote in message
...
What tools and chemicals do you use to clean electrical contacts?

What do you use for buttons on things such as remote controls? (I
have a kitchen timer with buttons that have to be pressed several
times.)

What do you use on battery contacts? (I know to use white vinegar to
clean up leakage from alkaline battery leakage.)


When spraying chemicals be careful around plastic parts. Some cleaners will
melt or mess up the plastic. I once sprayed a switch with some contact
cleaner and after about a minuit it was as if I sprayed glue in it. Had to
replace the switch.

Daniel Prince wrote:

What tools and chemicals do you use to clean electrical contacts?

What do you use for buttons on things such as remote controls? (I
have a kitchen timer with buttons that have to be pressed several
times.)

What do you use on battery contacts? (I know to use white vinegar to
clean up leakage from alkaline battery leakage.)

Thank you in advance for all replies.
--
Whenever I hear or think of the song "Great green gobs of greasy
grimey gopher guts" I imagine my cat saying; "That sounds REALLY,
REALLY good. I'll have some of that!"


I use alcohol on condictive rubber contacts in remores and such.

For metal contacts (batteries, switches, edge card connectors, etc.)
I use Stabilant 22.

http://www.stabilant.com/bccomp.htm

(Which happens to have been developed and still produced by a college
classmate of mine from 52 years ago G)

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

On Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:40:15 -0800, Daniel Prince
wrote:

What tools and chemicals do you use to clean electrical contacts?

What do you use for buttons on things such as remote controls? (I
have a kitchen timer with buttons that have to be pressed several
times.)

What do you use on battery contacts? (I know to use white vinegar to
clean up leakage from alkaline battery leakage.)

Thank you in advance for all replies.


Radio Shack sells an electrical burnisher tool. That is what you need
for contacts. Avoid touching the contact with your hands (leaves oily
prints) or wear rubber gloves. Remote buttons may wear out over
time, then it's time to replace the remote with a new one.

A pencil eraser can clean the gold/tin contacts on a PC card.

Daniel Prince wrote:
What tools and chemicals do you use to clean electrical contacts?

What do you use for buttons on things such as remote controls? (I
have a kitchen timer with buttons that have to be pressed several
times.)

What do you use on battery contacts? (I know to use white vinegar to
clean up leakage from alkaline battery leakage.)

Thank you in advance for all replies.
--

Rubber buttons can be repaired.

http://www.sandman.com/rubberb.html

There are various "plastic safe" contact
cleaners and contact cleaning tools that
are available from your local electronics
supply house.

TDD

Phisherman wrote:
On Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:40:15 -0800, Daniel Prince
wrote:

What tools and chemicals do you use to clean electrical contacts?

What do you use for buttons on things such as remote controls? (I
have a kitchen timer with buttons that have to be pressed several
times.)

What do you use on battery contacts? (I know to use white vinegar to
clean up leakage from alkaline battery leakage.)

Thank you in advance for all replies.


Radio Shack sells an electrical burnisher tool. That is what you need
for contacts. Avoid touching the contact with your hands (leaves oily
prints) or wear rubber gloves. Remote buttons may wear out over
time, then it's time to replace the remote with a new one.

I've resurrected many remote controls and membrane-type keypads and
keyboards, by taking them apart, ever-so-gently burnishing the black
spots with a clean pencil eraser, and washing with dish soap and
reassembling. (Getting the hand grease off the case and buttons makes
even a nasty remote look almost new.) Back when computer mice had balls,
I used to do the same thing on them- the dumpsters at work kept me
supplied for years, for multiple machines. The usual caveats about not
soaking electronic components apply, but a quick wash'n'rinse, followed
by a blow dry, seems to work okay. Hey, when fixing trash, you have
nothing to lose, right?

No, not really cost effective, but I hate 'universal' remotes, because
they never are. And I'm just a cheap (slightly OCD) SOB- I like the
brands on all the parts to match. Now that even 'name' brands outsource
production from year to year, even if you buy the same brand remote, it
doesn't always work completely.

--
aem sends...