[R-390] RF Deck, Module Washing (dishwasher)

[Barry]

I try never to run aluminum-handled untensils in the dishwasher for that reason.  I don't know if the recent change to dishwashing detergents have stopped this, but it really made a mess out of one of my knives.

Barry - N4BUQ


 On Thu 24/03/11  1:33 PM , Tisha Hayes tisha.hayes at gmail.com sent:
> While reviewing the latest draft of the R-390A inspection process I found
> afew references to cleaning the RF deck in a dishwasher (Page 9, Section
> 4,activities 8,9). This brings up an interesting point for discussion and
> Iwanted to share with the reflector on my experience with cleaning a radio
> inthe dishwasher.
> 
> I have a bunch of ARC-5 stuff, one item that joined my collection was one
> ofthe ARC-5 transmitters that was in pretty rough condition as far as
> beingloaded up with dirt. Worried about things like Haunta-Virus (from
> rodentdroppings) or the many other things that can go wrong I decided to give
> thisthing it's own cycle in the dishwasher. I pulled the tubes and the
> crystalreference plug-in and set it all by itself in the dishwasher. Since it IS
> adishwasher you cannot use detergents that foam up so I dropped a Dawn
> dishwashing packet into the machine and let it run through a cycle.
> 
> This was set to the most aggressive cleaning cycle on the dishwasher
> (heavy)with heat drying at the end. What came out looked really nice, the
> aluminumwas even shiny. I had pulled off the bottom plate so the soap and water
> could get up inside, below the tube sockets and removed the tube
> removalplate on top and left open the front IF coil adjustment window and the
> little flip-door at the back top of the radio. The antenna tuner worked
> really nice and it even cleaned up most of the tarnish on the contact
> wheeland the turns.
> 
> Not thinking much more about it, and wanting the thing to sit for quite
> awhile before I applied B+ to wiring that still had some moisture in the
> cloth I left it to sit on top of a heating register in my office for a
> fewweeks.
> 
> When I got back to it the aluminum had taken on a terrible, tarnished
> look(greyish-black in appearance). It seems that the aluminum did not like
> thedishwashing method. Strange since my kitchen cookware is also aluminum
> andit does not seem to mind.
> 
> The point I am trying to make is that a dishwasher is probably not the
> bestway to wash radio modules or the RF deck. Any kind of detergent that is
> rated to run in a dishwasher (non foaming) is fairly aggressive. I do
> notthink you can run Simple Green in a dishwasher, at least not MY
> dishwasher.
> Can other folks elaborate upon their attempts to clean modules in a
> dishwasher? (if you have tried it) What were your experiences?
> 
> It is one thing to mess up an ARC-5 (that I have almost a dozen of),
> something completely different to put an RF deck or R-390/A module in
> there.
> Maybe it is best to stick with the Simple Green, parts brush, garden
> hose,followed with distilled water routine. If the dishwasher is a bad idea
> wemay want to remove references to that technique from the R390A
> InspectionProcess guide.
> -- 
> Ms. Tisha Hayes/ AA4HA
> -
> Optimist: *The glass is half full.*
> Pessimist: *The glass is half empty.*
> Engineer: *The glass is not sized correctly AND we need a backup
> system.*______________________________________________________________
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