Thought ultrasonic cleaning was snake oil until a crusty logic board fix changed my mind

Swore by contact cleaner for years but after a 2009 MacBook board with crusty corrosion on a job in Austin last month, threw it in the ultrasonic tank and it booted first try, anyone else have that moment where a tool they doubted totally proved them wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

lewis.troy11d ago

That crusty logic board story is wild. I had the same doubt about ultrasonic cleaners until I tried one on a flooded iPhone 6 board that was totally dead - thing fired right back up after a quick bath.

blairtaylor11d ago

oh careful with that tho, ultrasonic cleaners can actually shake loose components that are barely hanging on. I learned that the hard way with a macbook air board that had a loose cap under some epoxy - bath popped it right off. gotta make sure your board is properly cleaned with flux remover first and that you're using a good solvent like 99% IPA not water. also the frequency matters a lot, 40khz is standard but 80khz is way safer for older boards with fragile solder joints. i run mine for like 3 minutes max on dead boards, any longer and you risk microcracks in the BGA balls.

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