Best way to clean an AES board?

Cylotron

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Sep 14, 2004
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I recently got an Art Of Fighting AES (JPN) cart off of eBay. I tried playing it and the graphics are all scrambled. Yet other AES games work just fine in my system. I opened up the cart and appears to have genuine parts on the inside, but both of the boards are really dirty(dust buildup, residue, etc). Is simply scrubbing/soaking them in 99% alcohol the best method?
Thanks!
 

Heinz

Parteizeit
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Feb 13, 2005
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I've washed boards with water and detergent using a tooth brush, garden hose up against a tree and dried them in the oven. Probably not recommended, you can buy PCB cleaning solutions in large amounts from electronics parts suppliers, works really well and doesn't leave a residue.

Before you go mental though try using an eraser on the contacts.
 

Cylotron

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Thanks!... I ended up using 99% alcohol and a tooth brush and thoroughly cleaning both sides of both boards. I gave the boards a good going over with my heat gun for the hell of it also. The game works just fine now.
 

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Hawwa

B. Jenet's Firstmate
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Sep 21, 2018
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I usually just blow the cart (ha, ha) and clean it gently with a make up brush. This usually releases all of the dust around the chips and on the board. For the contacts I always clean them with qtips and IPA. If something is yet not working I try with a pencil eraser. This has worked for every game I've tried so far...
 

Neo Alec

Ned's Ninja Academy Dropout
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Dec 7, 2000
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I start by rinsing with distilled water, then scrub individual parts with a soft toothbrush, using IPA as needed.
 
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