Worked in industrial electronic repair for over 20 years..prior to that
was a Tek field engineer...Test and Measurement.
We wash electronics all the time..we take hi tech waveform controlled,
inverter-based welders to the car wash..
The trick is to bake them out at low heat for a couple of days prior to
re-firing them. I think 48 hours is a minimum.
You need to fully understand what types of components might be impacted
by moisture. I would be concerned mostly about the IF cans and bandpass
unit on the Drakes..not the power transformer. It would have to be a
REAL dirty Drake before I would go thru the trouble
If any doubt..bake it longer.
THere was a story that "floated" around back in the early 70's about a
cargo crate on a ship that sank and it was full of Collins S line. It
was recovered after many weeks underwater...rinsed in fresh water and
baked. All restored to full functionality. Might have been an urban
myth but definitely pre-internet.
Not endorsing the water bath except in the worst of cases....but if done
with care, it isn't going to ruin your rig.
FWIW
Curt
KU8L
Garey Barrell wrote:
Bob -
I guess it depends upon who you talked to. I was working for NASA in
those days. We bought hundreds, probably thousands of TEK scopes. As
a result, we had "several" reps who visited us often. :-) They all
started with the company line, but if you pressed them the story
changed. Actually, the TEK scopes were works of art in those days,
with quality seldom seen. The power transformer was probably the only
part susceptible to moisture damage.
I'll have to ask Deane or one of the other TEK old-timers over on the
TEK list.
73, Garey - K4OAH
St Charles, IL
Drake 2-B, 4B& C-Line,& TR-4/C Service Supplement CDs
<www.k4oah.com>
Bob W7AVK wrote:
Garey and Group - In the 1960s I was a Test Engineer with Honeywell.
This was the days of their series 500 scopes with the ceramic
terminal strips and high impedance tube circuits. Dust and grim
accumulation build up inside was very noticeable and some times kept
a scope from calibration. A Tektronix field person sold the Cal Lab
one of the "dishwashers" and assisted in the first couple washes.
Someone asked as the first unit was washing if they have ever had a
power transformer fail. Answer was NO.
BTW - This first unit worked great and easily was calibrated, AFTER
we changed out the failed power transformer. :-) It did happen.
Only one I ever saw.....
73 Bob W7AVK
Garey Barrell wrote:
The most famous and referenced purveyor of the "Wash and Run" for
electronics is Tektronix. They used the procedure for many years,
and even had special "dishwashers" made to hold even the largest
scopes.
What is NOT so widely discussed is that Tektronix in those days had
a lifetime warranty on power transformers, and very little mention
is made of how many were replaced after washing!! Unsealed
transformers and water do not do well together, be they power, IF,
Audio output, or ...
Washing electronic gear is right up there with using abrasive or
chemical "cleaners" on rotary switch contacts, using Q-tips, brushes
or any other "tools." Aside from the damage done to the VERY thin
silver plating it's all too easy to snag a fixed contact and
"spring" it where it no longer makes reliable contact. I've seen
far too many radios scrapped because an irreplaceable switch wafer
was damaged by "cleaning".
I'll stick with John's method.
73, Garey - K4OAH
St Charles, IL
Drake 2-B, 4B& C-Line,& TR-4/C Service Supplement CDs
<www.k4oah.com>
john wrote:
At 06:58 PM 11/1/2009, Hulett, Russell wrote:
I've read about running a Drake through a dishwasher,
There's a lot to learn about a radio (Drake or otherwise) through
the careful manual cleaning with forceps and rags, qtips, and
time. Though I'm far the a world class technician, I've fixed
more rigs by observing carefully as part of a patient cleaning
process, than I have with a scope probe in my hand.
John K5MO
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