5 replies to this topic

[disjaukifa]

Hey,

What is the best way to clean the motherboards on these things? I just bought 3 Atari 2600s at a yardsale with 25 games for 10 bucks. One of them is pretty clean and I have it working, however one of the system is a 2600 Jr that I would love to get working, I just love the way they look so much better. However it is NASTY. The motherboard is just all kinds of crazy nasty. Here are two images of if:





Now I have read everything from aclohol with a q-tip to brake cleaner to water and letting it dry to just an air can. What do ya'll think will be the best solution.

Thanks
Disjaukifa

[Retro Rogue]

I use Heavy Duty Fantastik on all of mine. Set the board standing up in the sink and spray it vigorously and let it run down/sit for a minute. That'll get the hard to reach places (repeat as necessary). The major surface can just be wiped down with a paper towel after. Let it sit for a day after to completely evaporate and air out.

http://www.fantastik...urpose-cleaner/

You want to stay away from any ammonia based cleaning products when anything rubberized is involved as well.

Edited by wgungfu, Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:42 PM.

[gdement]

I use "simple green" to clean motherboards, but I haven't tried any other cleaners so can't say if it's the best.
I also scrub connectors and IC pins with an alcohol soaked toothbrush. There's probably more effective things than alcohol for connectors though.

A generic cleaning like this fixed some weird instability problems I was having on my old Genesis. It still has video problems but at least it stopped crashing.
The Z80 was going nuts - sound was bugged in most Genesis games, and Phantasy Star (through the SMS adapter) was having crazy glitches like popping up random text messages.

[bah]

"The motherboard is just all kinds of crazy nasty"

huh, I have seen far worse. Had a vader from a flood complete with a thick layer of silt inside. Another unit I had to chase out its resident spider. Another had an RF shield that was literally starting to rust away.

Just wash the plastics with soapy water and blow dry.

I blow off the electrics with compressed air then judiciously wipe with a damp paper towel. Dry it thoroughly before powering up. Although I have never had a problem with an Atari, a lot of old electronics will corrode quickly if gotten wet or stored in a damp place. The moisture reactivates the acids from soldering flux.

bah

[Longhorn Engineer]

I clean mine with a multi-purpose cleaner like Simple Green. Rinse, then wash it with Denatured Alcohol. Then Air dry for at least 2 days.

Parker

[jerry32]

hey i wonder would simple green work on my system the power button sticks