LebGeeks

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#1 November 12 2018

new_user
Member

Buying contact cleaner or isopropyl alcohol in Lebanon

Does anyone know from where I can buy electrical contact cleaner spray such as the one in the link below or 99% Isopropyl alcohol? I need it to clean delicate parts on an electronic board.

https://www.wd40specialist.com/products/contact-cleaner

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#2 November 13 2018

xazbrat
Member

Re: Buying contact cleaner or isopropyl alcohol in Lebanon

No clue, but you can check places that repair receivers, phones, computers or  televisions and see what they use and perhaps they will either give/sell you some or tell you where they got it.  I see 95% alcohol all the time here---I don't know where you can find the 99% stuff.

good luck

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#3 November 20 2018

nuclearcat
Member

Re: Buying contact cleaner or isopropyl alcohol in Lebanon

95% alcohol is ethanol, and not always clean enough for electronics. Same experience as new_user, working on delicate stuff require IPA or very clean ethanol, and i didnt found it yet in Lebanon. Some people told me those who sell IPA, selling only to trusted people.
Probably because of those illiterate idiots who made IPA "evil" in region: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/20 … ias-sarin/ (search by word isopropanol). Idiots - because it is possible to make bad things from anything, but the absence of certain chemicals makes the life of electronics engineers very difficult in lebanon.
Suggestion, buy this 95% ethanol, put on very clean glass significant amount, and if it doesn't leave stains after dried - it is fine for almost all jobs as IPA.

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#4 November 20 2018

DNA
Member

Re: Buying contact cleaner or isopropyl alcohol in Lebanon

you are over complicating stuff, in my experience of over 15 years in electronics i use any ethanol available and i dip entire boards in them with no issues even if its not pure any regular 95 ethanol will be fine. dont make your life hard by overthinking such a simple thing

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#5 November 20 2018

nuclearcat
Member

Re: Buying contact cleaner or isopropyl alcohol in Lebanon

@DNA, when you get to BGA and sometimes QFN - it matters. Because remains of even "no-clean" flux from soldering paste + residues in cleaning liquid create nasty stuff under your DDR2 or anything highspeed with diffpairs, and you will waste 1-2 weeks searching where is issue.

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#6 November 20 2018

rolf
Member

Re: Buying contact cleaner or isopropyl alcohol in Lebanon

I have like a few milliliters. I had bought 1/2L on ebay but no place in luggage.
Who needs ebay when you can stuff your face with man2ushe

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#7 November 21 2018

DNA
Member

Re: Buying contact cleaner or isopropyl alcohol in Lebanon

nuclearcat wrote:

@DNA, when you get to BGA and sometimes QFN - it matters. Because remains of even "no-clean" flux from soldering paste + residues in cleaning liquid create nasty stuff under your DDR2 or anything highspeed with diffpairs, and you will waste 1-2 weeks searching where is issue.

I didnt say anything about flux yes it matters, but alcohol no it does not unless you are using vodka or something

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#8 November 21 2018

nuclearcat
Member

Re: Buying contact cleaner or isopropyl alcohol in Lebanon

Ethanol often denatured with denatonium benzoate, bitrex, it leaves very nasty ionic residue, it is also often added to ethanol, so people dont make alcohol drinks with it. In Lebanon it is lottery, it is easy to check - let ethanol evaporate on hand, and if it leaves bitter taste after dried - this one better to not use.
Also IPA works much better with gel/rosin based fluxes (not for BGA stuff, but still on some high speed bus soldering might be used), while ethanol not cleaning all components of flux.
On high speed circuits it is critical matters.

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