22 replies to this topic

[S1500]

So, an idea. What could be put in the dishwasher to clean up really dirty hardware?

Could I take plastics from the Colecovision or the cv 1 module 1 & toss 'em in? If it means re-gluing the front metal bezel thing, that's fine. Alcohol & swabs only go so far.

Heck, I have a tiny video game controller I got from Taiwan where it was sticky on the surface. Every method I tried to clean it up(goof off, wd40, boiling hot water) would not clean it. My fingernails were more effective.

Any ideas?

[bennybingo]

Dishwashers are tricky, as they tend to rely on high temperatures as part of the cleaning process. If it doesn't say "dishwasher safe", it becomes a "trial and error" kind of crap shoot. Most of the plastics that make up the consoles should fair well for you (2600 shells go just fine). Any of the trim pieces may not survive quite as well, as they tend to be affixed by glue and made of various materials that are not designed for the riggors associated with a dishwasher. I would tread carefully and try testing on some of the DOA stuff you might encounter in the wild. Buy a dead console and give it a whirl!

[kevincal]

Just watched this an hour ago lol

(dishwasher reference)

[SlowCoder]

I have never had to wash anything in the dishwasher, and I've come across some pretty bad stuff. The worst of it could be soaked in a bath of hot water and Dawn detergent, and readily came clean.

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

I have used it a few times, works great, in my case I set it for my model like this: Temperature Boost = OFF / Extended wash = OFF / Heated Dry = OFF.

So it just does a regular basic quick wash, adjust your machine to as close to that as your model dictates.

[Sir Guntz]

Ugh, dishwasher is really only for lazy people. Just fill up a sink with soapy water and throw all your filthy plastic in there. At least then you can manage the temperature yourself and be as fussy as you want getting all the grime out. I've done this with Game Boys and controllers all the time (such as PlayStation and Dreamcast), never had a problem doing this. Though of course, these items in particular had no stickers to wash away or become damaged by the water.

[fiddlepaddle]

I've heard of people putting printed-circuit boards in a dishwasher also, though I've never done it myself.

[StoneAgeGamer]

I have done this, obviously just the plastic, not the whole system.

[Eltigro]

fiddlepaddle, on Sat Nov 12, 2011 9:18 PM, said:

I've heard of people putting printed-circuit boards in a dishwasher also, though I've never done it myself.

Same here. I used to work for an electronics repair shop, and there was a dishwasher in the receiving area just for this purpose. There were a couple of techs who would put boards in there, although I'm not sure what the reason was nor what the settings on the dishwasher were.

They would also sometimes put the cases in there to clean them up if they came in dirtier than usual.

And these were items a little more expensive than your average video game console. Things like this: http://www.testequip...m/products/6465 (btw, this link is NOT where I used to work, I just did a quick google search to find one with a price.)

[SRGilbert]

The dishwasher trick works well with really dirty Atari 2600 systems. Those grooves are such a pain, and with the black plastic, you never know if it's really clean.

[thegoldenband]

I've read that people who fix up compact Macs will, if the machines display certain problems, put the motherboards in the dishwasher. Apparently it works like a charm.

[Satoshi Matrix]

People automatically always assume that electronics and water don't mix. That's not true. It's powered electronics + water that don't mix! I wouldn't advise using a dishwasher to clean much of anything, but if you've got something that's especially dirty and needs cleaning, like others have suggested take a tub of higher than room temperature but not boiling hot water and soap and let everything soak for a good while before cleaning with soft brushes and old toothbrushes.

Once your circuitry is clean, let it dry for a MINIMUM of three days - a week is recommended. You want to make sure all water and soap residue is removed before powered it back up.

[bigbee99]

The only thing I have out in the dish washer was a PS1's console case only. I had it 50% a part since I was adding a s-video jack to the back when I started cleaning it. The thing looks brand new now. I recommend it, but I can be lazy sometimes.

B

[Shephda]

I once bought a N64 that had grape juice spilled into the console. It was so bad that the power and reset buttons would stick if pressed, otherwise it worked just fine.

I took the entire system apart down to the last screw. Filled the kitchen sink with hot water and a generic oxy-clean type of cleaner.
I even put the mother board in!

I let it sit for a couple of hours then started cleaning using different types of brushes until I had everything shiny as the day it was first opened.
I took an air compressor to the motherboard and got all the water blown out as best I could. I set it aside for three days to completely dry. The plastic parts came out perfect, no labels came off or were hurt. When I re-assembled it, the N64 worked like new.

As for the dishwasher, I'm not a fan because a good soaking for a couple of hours often does a lot better than a few minutes of water splashing around.

Just my .02

Edited by Shephda, Thu Nov 17, 2011 7:41 AM.

[channelmaniac]

I used to work for a grey market Apple repair depot back in the mid 90s called Contemporary Concepts. We had a dishwasher and used it to clean hundreds and hundreds of boards... and back when Apple had individual key switches on keyboards we cleaned the puke filled keyboards too. After the keyboards dried we'd lubricate the key switches and test them, replacing a couple of bad ones here and there...

NO batteries. Hot water wash. Hot water rinse. NO santization sequence and NO heat dry. No soap either. Let the boards dry well (a day on DIP boards, 3 on SMT) and you are good to go.

Heat dry WILL melt plastics. The radiant heat is too much for many of the softer plastics.

Today when I work on arcade game boards I just use as hot of water as I can stand, a tooth brush, and some liquid dishwashing soap and scrub the hell out of 'em in the kitchen sink. I dry them in the oven at 170 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes and they come out sparkling clean and toasty. Be sure to use oven mitts!

I just did a Neo Geo 2 slot board that came in VERY nasty looking. After cleaning it looked like new.

RJ

[boxpressed]

Such an interesting thread. I have a Colecovision on the fritz that also came to me a little dirty. So we're saying that I can't damage the mainboard by soaking it in soapy water as long as I give it a few days to dry out? I may try it.

[mamejay]

i just use warm water and bleach and soak the cases in. Use an old tooth brush to get in all the groves. Once dry i use armour all to polish up the plastic.
Also magic eraser sponges are my new tool of choice to get cases nice and clean. Just wet them in water and rub the plastic. Be careful as they are like very fine grit sandpaper and can wear out stickers.

[SlowCoder]

mamejay, on Tue Nov 29, 2011 7:26 PM, said:

i just use warm water and bleach and soak the cases in. Use an old tooth brush to get in all the groves. Once dry i use armour all to polish up the plastic.
Also magic eraser sponges are my new tool of choice to get cases nice and clean. Just wet them in water and rub the plastic. Be careful as they are like very fine grit sandpaper and can wear out stickers.

Yikes! Bleach makes plastic brittle, and can discolor it. Magic Eraser should be used only when no other option is available to remove only the toughest stains, or abrasions. Some people say Armor-All is also bad for the plastic, as it softens the top layer. A good water/detergent bath should be all that's needed for 99% of cleanings. No way would I put a console through all that without some serious forethought.

[31336haxx0r]

Never use bleach on plastics except PVC, PTFE or metals other than stainless steel!

Edited by 31336haxx0r, Wed Nov 30, 2011 6:17 AM.

[Shephda]

A point needs to be made here. You need to make ABSOLUTELY sure that all screw holes are dry before you start to reassemble everything!
Even a small drop of water in the bottom of a screw hole can cause hydraulic lock and crack the plastic.

[Shephda]

channelmaniac, on Mon Nov 28, 2011 12:16 AM, said:

I dry them in the oven at 170 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes and they come out sparkling clean and toasty. Be sure to use oven mitts!

As far as oven drying, to me the best way (and I know others have their own proven method) is to preheat the oven to 175, turn it off THEN place the board in the oven and keep it in there for two to three hours and let it cool down slowly. Always make sure it's completely dry at any rate.

[SlowCoder]

I use compressed air to blow any excess water from the crevices and screw holes. Then let it sit overnight to finish drying.

[SeberHusky]

There's on guy that seems to be a pro at it. Maybe eMail him....?