Cleaning pots and switches advice needed.

Sorry if this has been discussed before, if so please point me to that thread.... What to clean and lubricate pots and switches with? The more I read about this the more confusing and complicated it seems!
Last time I did this I used Servisol Aero Klene 50 followed by a shot of Deoxit D series on all the pots and switches on my Ferguson 3T18 boombox, and it seemed to work very well, it sorted out a very crackly selector switch and not a hint of crackle on any other controls BUT the boombox died with a sudden and unexpected loud buzz a few weeks later. I just read online
that deoxit 5 contains a conductive lubricant that should not go onto any other components or circuit boards. As I was quite generous with the treatments and did not put a cloth underneath to soak up the excess could this have contributed to my Ferguson's sudden demise?

Also pots and switches are made of different materials right? Pots carbon? Switches metal alloy or gold?

So which cleaner and lubricants to use on what? And how do you know which metals are used for connections in switches?

And if you need to use a whole armoury of cleaners and lubricants for a boombox given the high prices especially of deoxit it could end up costing a small fortune to clean up those pots and switches!

Sorry this is such an involved question but I do understand that good connections are vital for good performance.

I need to clean up the switches and pots in my newly acquired Roberts RSR 100 (AKA Hitachi TRK 8110E) and I want to get it right.

Your thoughts advice and experience's please....

No need for more than one squirt

Don't put so much inside a pot that it dilutes all the grease inside, eliminating the smooth resistance the knob once had. Some people spray the knobs so much that they feel cheap because they have no friction anymore.

Reli said:

No need for more than one squirt

Don't put so much inside a pot that it dilutes all the grease inside, eliminating the smooth resistance the knob once had. Some people spray the knobs so much that they feel cheap because they have no friction anymore.

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So is it OK to use Deoxit 5 and or Servisol Aero Klene 50 on pots or should I use something designed for pots such as Fader Lube?

I use MG Super Contact Cleaner

I thought Fader Lube was only meant for faders and sliders? Dunno

Below is my experience. Before I begin let me say that I am not saying any of us are guilty nor am I accusing anyone of any of the scenarios listed below. This is more of my own general rules of do and don't issues.

What type of cleaner?
There are many types of cleaners and oils and DeoxIT has just about every application for every type of situation. For most volume pots I use the DeoxIT D5S-6 or DN5S-6N (DN5S-2N). For slide switches/pots, conductive plastics & carbon traces, the best first choice is the DeoxIT Fader F5S-H6. It's less harsh and doesn't dissolve the traces. Then DeoxIT makes the grease that can be applied to give it back the resistance it had before the cleaning. The worst thing it'll do is not work well if used on a non carbon style trim pot. I like to use a cleaner that has a light oil content mixed in with it to keep things lubricated. Of course this attracts dust so that can be a double edged sword especially where sliders are on the top of the box.

Another mistake (as mentioned before by Reli) is washing away the grease by applying too much. Some aren't sure where to spray the pot to maximize performance. This results in excess getting everywhere and wasting that expensive precious liquid as a byproduct it gets everywhere.

Most pots have an indention at the top See Below:



Ideally you should spray using a tube. One burst on each side of the slit opening of the pot and then work the control about 20 times from stop to stop. Then clean up any excess and try the unit. I have gotten a light amount of oil residue on boards over the years with no issues but not all boards are designed equally. Some have resistors that are nothing more than printed traces on the boards and these can be damaged easily with cleaners resulting in a hum or non functioning unit. So avoiding excessive over-spray is always a good idea.

Another big no no IMO is to spray cleaner into a pot while the board/unit is powered up...that would increase your chances of an issue.

I'm not going to say that your failure was a result of the oil getting on the components of your radios circuitry...it could've just been a components time, however without knowing the specific circumstances (design of the board and materials used) it can't be ruled out.

Transistorized said:

Below is my experience. Before I begin let me say that I am not saying any of us are guilty nor am I accusing anyone of any of the scenarios listed below. This is more of my own general rules of do and don't issues.

What type of cleaner?
There are many types of cleaners and oils......

Click to expand...

Thanks for that detailed answer, most useful.

Ferguson3T18 said:

Below is my experience. Before I begin let me say that I am not saying any of us are guilty nor am I accusing anyone of any of the scenarios listed below. This is more of my own general rules of do and don't issues.

What type of cleaner?
There are many types of cleaners and oils...... and DeoxIT has just about every application for every type of situation. For most volume pots I use the DeoxIT D5S-6 or DN5S-6N (DN5S-2N). For slide switches/pots, conductive plastics & carbon traces, the best first choice is the DeoxIT Fader F5S-H6. It's less harsh and doesn't dissolve the traces. Then DeoxIT makes the grease that can be applied to give it back the resistance it had before the cleaning. The worst thing it'll do is not work well if used on a non carbon style trim pot. I like to use a cleaner that has a light oil content mixed in with it to keep things lubricated. Of course this attracts dust so that can be a double edged sword especially where sliders are on the top of the box.

Another mistake (as mentioned before by Reli) is washing away the grease by applying too much. Some aren't sure where to spray the pot to maximize performance. This results in excess getting everywhere and wasting that expensive precious liquid as a byproduct it gets everywhere.

Most pots have an indention at the top See Below:

20171208_155846.jpg

Ideally you should spray using a tube. One burst on each side of the slit opening of the pot and then work the control about 20 times from stop to stop. Then clean up any excess and try the unit. I have gotten a light amount of oil residue on boards over the years with no issues but not all boards are designed equally. Some have resistors that are nothing more than printed traces on the boards and these can be damaged easily with cleaners resulting in a hum or non functioning unit. So avoiding excessive over-spray is always a good idea.

Another big no no IMO is to spray cleaner into a pot while the board/unit is powered up...that would increase your chances of an issue.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that detailed answer, most useful.

Click to expand...

No Problem

Are DeoxIT products conductive?

http://store.caig.com/s.nl/ctype.KB/it.I/id.703/KB.215/.f

Deoxit comes in a bottle called D100L which is pure cleaner, no solvent or anything else. That's what I use in knobs, because the spray contains solvents that can dilute the grease inside the knobs. The D100L comes with a brush applicator, or you can use a medical syringe/needle for even more precision.

Reli said:

Deoxit comes in a bottle called D100L which is pure cleaner, no solvent or anything else. That's what I use in knobs, because the spray contains solvents that can dilute the grease inside the knobs. The D100L comes with a brush applicator, or you can use a medical syringe/needle for even more precision.

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I agree the syringe is one of the best ways to get the lube onto tight places.

How about cleaning the pre set pots on the circuit boards? Or should these be left alone?

Ferguson3T18 said:

How about cleaning the pre set pots on the circuit boards? Or should these be left alone?

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Only clean pots and switches and record bar. Do not clean any tuner adjustments

baddboybill said:

How about cleaning the pre set pots on the circuit boards? Or should these be left alone?

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Only clean pots and switches and record bar. Do not clean any tuner adjustments

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Do all pre sets belong to the tuner section or do the amplifier stages have some?

You talking about those round silver pots, that can be turned with a screwdriver?

Reli said:

You talking about those round silver pots, that can be turned with a screwdriver?

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Here's a picture......

Right. Those rarely need to be cleaned unless maybe they're visibly corroded. Also if you rotate them for some reason you should mark them first so you can return them to their original position. Honestly the only one of those I ever touch is the stereo pot, if the FM stereo light has difficulty locking on.

Great question, I recently fixed a few of these the best way is to dismantle the whole pot clean all contact surfaces and apply silicone grease and reassemble. Using sprays doesn't always work and can make the pot stiff to operate.

hopey said:

Great question, I recently fixed a few of these the best way is to dismantle the whole pot clean all contact surfaces and apply silicone grease and reassemble. Using sprays doesn't always work and can make the pot stiff to operate.

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That does not sound like an easy job or is it easier than it sounds?

Auctally its very easy all you do is bend the four metal tabs back and the top comes off. You could get away with just cleaning and reassemble. No soldering or special tools.

Does any contact cleaner will help me clean my JVC 838 biphonic key? or i need some advice? ty in advance