If the metal is not completely gone, I have used CLR and a brass brush on a Dremel to clean up battery contacts. Often they end up looking brand new even when they looked really really bad.
As for the board, look to see if any metal is eaten away. There is a small possibility that the metal beneath the solder mask is gone, but I have rarely encountered that. If some metal has been eaten away, you may be able to repair with some jumpers. But it is more likely to be just fine after cleaning up. If you use CLR on the board, make sure you rinse it really good. CLR will eat away metal if left in contact. Vinegar will as well if it gets any salt from the air. Maybe post some pics of the board? Be sure to post them somewhere and just link here instead of embedding them into the emails. From: AvantGuard Systems Sent: Tuesday, February 9, 2021 4:02 PM To: m...@bitchin100.com Subject: Re: [M100] Newbie Thanks Ron, I saw one post saying you can soak boards in a vinegar solution. Not sure I want to do that, but is that possible? Curtis On Tue, Feb 9, 2021 at 12:32 PM Ron Lauzon <rlau...@tutanota.com> wrote: Vinegar. You will find many videos about cleaning up leaking batteries on YouTube. This is a common problem with vintage computers. -- Weblog: http://ronsapartment.blogspot.com/ TRS-80 Pocket Computer 2 - TRS-80 Pocket Computer 4 - TRS-80 Model 100/102 - Tandy 1100FD - Tandy 1400LT - Commodore 64 - TRS-80 Model 4P - Kaypro IV - Commodore PET RC2014 (Mini, Zed and Pro) - Altair-Duino with TI Silent 700 - VT320 terminal/Raspberry Pi 0 Some people like to work on old cars. But old computers are cheaper and don't require a big garage. Feb 9, 2021, 15:26 by cavaug...@avantguardsystems.com: Just joined the list as I just acquired a used TRS80 Model 100. Of course it's not working, so I just wanted to first ask for some advice. I have been reading info at Club100. Basically, I feel I need to buy some stuff at Club100. First and foremost a new battery, which is highly recommended. Also expansion RAM (since none has been installed), probably the power supply (although maybe premature). But probably better cost wise to get everything right away (shipping costs!). Anyhow, opening it up though I see that this thing obviously had batteries left in it and there is dry acid (whatever that is) about that general area on the board. My concern is that that might be enough damage that there's no way to recover it. Or maybe cleaning that area up might be fine. What is recommended for cleaning up battery acid, btw. Thanks for any suggestions! Curtis
