Battery Leak Damage Control on MCS 4 - Intel 4004 System

[DrAlis]

I wanted to ask the resident experts here, if you have good advise or procedure to clean up after a spilled battery to likely preserve the system...

 

[NeXT]

You can try a vinegar and toothbrush along with a rinse.

 

[DrAlis]

Thanks. Got started with toothbrush, destilled water and ipa. i was scared vinegar corrodes. unwarranted? i got it cleaner but i get lots of white residue especially on the back. i think not from the battery residue but from ancient flux residue disintegrating after ipa contact. see below.

 

[NeXT]

vinegar in this instance won't eat the board or parts away but it will eat at the corrosion, so if parts start falling off after a toothbrush wash and rinse these were parts that were already badly deteriorated.

 

[DrAlis]

thanks i am somewhat happy with the upper side. but the white stuff on the back is really hard to remove or impossible. any ideas on that? what is it or what causes it and how to handle?

 

[NeXT]

It may just be flux reacting with the iso. I've never really bothered to work to remove it.

 

[DrAlis]

i am pretty sure too it is a resin chemical derivative, but would be nice to get it off. nobody seems to know exactly.

 

[cruff]

You can try a flux remover spray to see if that gets the flux off the board. The can I have seems pretty effective at removing rosin based fluxes.

You might need to remove the ICs to see if there is trace damage under them from battery electrolyte if the board doesn't work, but your component side "after" picture looks to be in decent shape.

 

[sysadmindave]

Honestly, I'd be happy with that result myself- the urgent removal of the caustic agent and corrosion is accomplished, and the white residue that remains is stable and non-harmful to the device. It could potentially be cleaned up more with liberal amounts of additional isopropyl alcohol brushed onto the residue, but not really necessary.