OK.. the serious answer--

Tektronx regularly *washed* their lab-grade scopes / test equipment, using a mild detergent called 'Kelite'--always followed by hours in a ~150° F oven (IIRC.)
(with fan--but a regular home oven is also fine, with or without a fan blowing across the guts.)

A Scary idea to unimaginative EEs then too!
Others have used wood or even cardboard boxes cum fans and maybe heat lamps; a thermometer stuck in where appropriate. Guess a hand IR thingie is as good or better? ie Improvise.

http://classictek.or...cope_Cleaning.pdf

This is from 1976, but the points apply not only to their vac-tube units but later ss units, with caveats about covering the holes in power transformers where leads enter/exit.
Some later scopes used delicate relay-fingers for attenuator switching and these are cleaned with bond-papaer and rilly-pure ("CP" = chemically pure) Ethanol. No computer relevance, that.
Ditto for washing surface mount digital stuff of recent decades.

(Yeah, good idea to remove HD, cd drives and such and hand clean those--HDs have breathers to equalize air px, not intended to be immersed!)

If you digest this .pdf and allow for peculiarities of computer accessories, you should do no harm and should remove all scents
(cigarette smoke was a frequent complaint after years of service, etc. back when Real He-Men drank Marlboros)
You can bet that all mobos have been washed, following wave soldering--to remove flux(es) and make it all shiny. Nothing revolutionary here.

Bon ~~Ami~~ appetit!--chefs know how to wash stuff, right? :-0
Should be a fun game; outsmarting a feline==Winning!

Ed:PS--of course you Don't leave the power on, though unlike scopes it's mostly lo-DC all over, beyond power xfmr--now replaced with switching supplies, etc.
But you knew that. (I just can't commute to any wakes..)

Post #356,792 by Ashton 4/24/12 4:35:35 AM 4/24/12 4:44:35 AM Reply	OK.. the serious answer-- Tektronx regularly washed their lab-grade scopes / test equipment, using a mild detergent called 'Kelite'--always followed by hours in a ~150° F oven (IIRC.) (with fan--but a regular home oven is also fine, with or without a fan blowing across the guts.) A Scary idea to unimaginative EEs then too! Others have used wood or even cardboard boxes cum fans and maybe heat lamps; a thermometer stuck in where appropriate. Guess a hand IR thingie is as good or better? ie Improvise. http://classictek.or...cope_Cleaning.pdf This is from 1976, but the points apply not only to their vac-tube units but later ss units, with caveats about covering the holes in power transformers where leads enter/exit. Some later scopes used delicate relay-fingers for attenuator switching and these are cleaned with bond-papaer and rilly-pure ("CP" = chemically pure) Ethanol. No computer relevance, that. Ditto for washing surface mount digital stuff of recent decades. (Yeah, good idea to remove HD, cd drives and such and hand clean those--HDs have breathers to equalize air px, not intended to be immersed!) If you digest this .pdf and allow for peculiarities of computer accessories, you should do no harm and should remove all scents (cigarette smoke was a frequent complaint after years of service, etc. back when Real He-Men drank Marlboros) You can bet that all mobos have been washed, following wave soldering--to remove flux(es) and make it all shiny. Nothing revolutionary here. Bon ~~Ami~~ appetit!--chefs know how to wash stuff, right? :-0 Should be a fun game; outsmarting a feline==Winning! Ed:PS--of course you Don't leave the power on, though unlike scopes it's mostly lo-DC all over, beyond power xfmr--now replaced with switching supplies, etc. But you knew that. (I just can't commute to any wakes..) .hr [still no horiz. rule in this chicken outfit] Law above fear, justice above law, mercy above justice, love above all. Edited by Ashton April 24, 2012, 04:44:35 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #356,806 by boxley 4/24/12 9:32:53 AM Reply	I use a hairdryer Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep
Post #356,811 by malraux 4/24/12 11:02:04 AM Reply	Yabut does Kelite have Fruit Essence? I think not! Regards, -scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
Post #356,820 by drook 4/24/12 12:06:52 PM Reply	And jojoba extract ... gotta have the jojoba extract -- Drew
Post #356,821 by boxley 4/24/12 12:39:50 PM Reply	why dont you pee on the server yourself, kill the cat smell Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep
Post #356,822 by drook 4/24/12 1:48:46 PM Reply	Or pee on the cat -- Drew
Post #356,823 by malraux 4/24/12 1:58:48 PM Reply	Or wait... I have this great idea for an experiment: Put the cat in the server, rig it up so that if the cat sprays then it releases an electrical arc, killing the cat. Then you'll have two cats superimposed inside the box, one of which is good, the other bad. Take the good cat out, and then do whatever you want with the server and the remains of the bad cat. Regards, -scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
Post #356,824 by drook 4/24/12 3:30:13 PM Reply	Gives me an idea for a product Schrödinger's litter: It is both dirty and clean, but as long as you don't look inside you can tell your wife that is clean. (Superposed with dirty.) -- Drew
Post #356,834 by boxley 4/24/12 8:54:10 PM Reply	stealing that Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep
Post #356,825 by Ashton 4/24/12 3:56:57 PM Reply	Indeed.. probably the reason that Tek sold out to the Suits --all those complaints about the sterile smell after washing.. If they'd only Known.

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