Update: I was cleaning circuit boards wrong for years until a simple test showed me

For a long time, I used the same old aerosol contact cleaner on every avionics board that came through the shop. I figured if it worked on one, it worked on all. Then, about six months ago, I was working on a Garmin G1000 display from a Cessna 172 that kept having intermittent faults. After my usual clean, the problem came back in two days. My lead tech, Mark, watched me do it again and just said, 'You know that stuff can leave a film on some of these newer boards, right?' He had me use a specific cleaner, Chemtronics Flux-Off, on a small test area and then check the resistance with a meter. The difference was clear. The old cleaner left a measurable residue that was causing issues. I had been adding problems instead of fixing them. Now I always check the manufacturer's guidance first. Has anyone else run into this with specific avionics units?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathanbennett2d ago

Saw a forum post about flux residue causing similar headaches.

aarons362d ago

Forum posts are often wrong though.