flamepanther wrote:
Personally, I don't think it gets much better than professional contact cleaner. It's chemically formulated specifically to eliminate oxidation without eating away at the contacts, it's powerful, it dries off almost instantly, and leaves no residue at all.
This
Like I said in my post Wiemans is a formula meant to clean glass stove tops and eat through grease and heavy cooked on stains. I can't really see this being safe over time on metal electronic contacts.
I'm not saying it doesn't work but I don't really wanna mess with it. I'll stick with alcohol that evaporates quickly or if really need be specific contact cleaner.
KDub wrote:Like I said in my post Wiemans is a formula meant to clean glass stove tops and eat through grease and heavy cooked on stains. I can't really see this being safe over time on metal electronic contacts.
It could be perfectly fine, depending on what's in it. I'd be cautious though, until I hear from someone who either knows the chemistry, or who has been using it on the same connectors for more than a decade. Preferably the former.
FWIW, here's my comparison shot as I had a cart to clean. The black spots on the left pin obviously will need a bit more attention, but here's the cart as it started, kinda cloudy and the pink of my hand and the silver of the camera kinda reflected as a dull light orange. Second strip is after a quick go with a Magic Rub plastic eraser. Aside from the texture of the board carried through the metal of the pins, it is a pretty good mirror already. You can see the pink reflection of my hand to the side, the silver body of the camera, and the black of the lens. Third strip is a little contact cleaner sprayed on and using the eraser until dry. Ever better definition in the reflection of my hands and the camera face.
Granted some boards will have pins that were originally mirror shiny and some were more dull. Just showing the difference using the tools I use between a little dirty and clean with things that don't leave a residue.
With the naked eye they look perfectly clean. However, on a good macro shot with a little shadow on the pins you can still see the faint markings of the female pin connector on the pins. Trust me that this is not noticeable with the naked eye. And yes, I have good eyes... lol
By the way, this was done on an early 1985 PAL Punch-Out cartridge...
I see where 3GenGames is coming from as I have recommended a metal polish as a superior method only to flamed at every turn by users who refuse to try that method, stating that it can't be good for the metal.
I have read that the eraser method can build up a static charge that can damage the cartridge. I do not know if that is true, however; I could see it being true, especially if you're doing it during the winter.
I use Brasso and a shop towel. I open the cartridge, remove the ROM. I apply a small amount of Brasso to the contact and polish with the shop towel. It quickly restores the cartridge to a shiny state. I then use some rubbing alcohol to remove any residue the Brasso may have left behind. Sometimes I use a can of air to blow contacts dry, sometimes not. This method has worked very very well for me.
Think about it. These contacts are metal. Metal builds up tarnish and oxidation. It makes sense to use a metal polish to remove this. Cleaning with alcohol is different type of cleaning method. That is removing dirt and dust, not tarnish and oxidation.
Brasso is also said by wikipedia that it can be used to take scratches off of a CD, and other plastics. Its only mildly abrasive, so I think that should dispel any fears that this will take any significant amount of metal off of the contacts.
Jamisonia wrote:
I have read that the eraser method can build up a static charge that can damage the cartridge. I do not know if that is true, however; I could see it being true, especially if you're doing it during the winter.
I haven't read anything about building up static. Though static buildup isn't an issue where I live since it is a swamp.
I then use some rubbing alcohol to remove any residue the Brasso may have left behind. Sometimes I use a can of air to blow contacts dry, sometimes not. This method has worked very very well for me.
Think about it. These contacts are metal. Metal builds up tarnish and oxidation. It makes sense to use a metal polish to remove this. Cleaning with alcohol is different type of cleaning method. That is removing dirt and dust, not tarnish and oxidation.
Not saying that metal polish doesn't work, but you have to re-clean after as there will be residue. A plastic eraser leaves neat bits that can be removed with a brush or a puff of compressed air. Contact cleaner needs no such cleaning after the cleaning.
Last edited by Hobie-wan on Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
So you're saying the reason you won't use it is because an extra step that takes 4 seconds to do isn't worth getting a better quality cleaning? I keep a cloth with water on an end and use that to clean with the Wiemans and then half is wet so I wipe the connector after the wiemans cleaning and then again with the dry side to make sure the water can't sit on the connector and cause problems. It's about 4-8 seconds more per cart, but it's worth it considering how much better it is.
And thanks Jamisonia, that sounds like what happened here, except I don't take flaming well.
