Eletrical contact cleaner?

G

Gnasher

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jan 28, 2011
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I need to clean the volume control on some headphones I use for gaming. Only store I know in Canada that sells what I need is The Source and the crooks want $19.99 for a small can of it when it used to be only $9.99.Needless to say, I miss Ratshack. Where can I get a can that is cheaper?

I saw at Canadian Tire they have automotive electrical contact cleaner for only $6.99 but on the can it says for automotive use and not home electronics use. Why would that be when all it does is clean electrical contacts? Car or home electronics is the same thing pretty much, no?
 
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Gnasher said:
I saw at Canadian Tire they have automotive electrical contact cleaner for only $6.99 but on the can it says for automotive use and not home electronics use. Why would that be when all it does is clean electrical contacts? Car or home electronics is the same thing pretty much, no?
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in automotive electronics, when you clean a contact, you might get some on a wire... no big deal. in home electronics, you could get some on a pcb, ic, resistors...etc. the real difference here is control. the auto stuff will work just fine as long s you dont douse your components with it.. spray some onto a paper towel, and wipe the part that needs cleaning, being very careful not to get it on any thing else. they say for automotive use only usually because the stuff is flammable and they dont want grad ma going home and thinking it will make her toaster work better.
 
Thor said:
in automotive electronics, when you clean a contact, you might get some on a wire... no big deal. in home electronics, you could get some on a pcb, ic, resistors...etc. the real difference here is control. the auto stuff will work just fine as long s you dont douse your components with it.. spray some onto a paper towel, and wipe the part that needs cleaning, being very careful not to get it on any thing else. they say for automotive use only usually because the stuff is flammable and they dont want grad ma going home and thinking it will make her toaster work better.
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That's what I was hoping to hear. I will buy a can for $6.99 instead of the $19.99 scam price The Source wants. Thanks.

Never heard of or seen Deoxit. This is Canada and selection here is dire compared to the USA. I do have Isopropyl though, just didn't now that does the trick. Think aerosol silicon lube might work?
 
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Deoxit from Caig Labs is indeed awesome. I got a Legend of Zelda NES cart off ebay a while ago and the copper contacts were green and chuncky. Some time with Deoxit and it looked great and played just fine. I've used it on dozens of NES, SNES, Genesis, and N64 carts over the years and have always been happy with it. You can get Deoxit in various spray bottles, but most of the time I prefer the 100% solution that comes in the little glass bottle with a brush applicator.

That said, not everybody wants to pay 8 to 15 bucks for contact cleaner. Over the years I've also used isopropyl alcohol, and it seems to get the job done... just last night I used that and a Q-tip to get some green slime of mysterious origin off the contacts from one of our baby monitors. Worked great. For what it's worth I've read that the more pure the isopropyl, the better- pick 90% over 70% if you can.

I've also used the automotive contact cleaner under the hood for battery posts, chassis ground points, and connectors. I think CRC was the brand name. It was a big spray bottle for 7 bucks and got the job done. Like Thor said, I'm sure this stuff would work on home electronics, just be careful, control the spray, and watch the fumes.
 
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Gnasher. I'm rambling. In your position I would try a drop or two of isopropyl (99 cents at a drug store) or a careful spray of contact cleaner from the automotive store.
 
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Yea, I already have the isopropyl 99% in the closet but that means taking the volume contropl apart to get inside it. With aerosol form I can just spray it inside the gap. Here's the silicon stuff I am thinking of trying. I have a can in the closet so will test it out and see if it works. If not I am just going to go get the automotive stuff for $6.99.

http://solutions.3mindia.co.in/wps/...Products/Maintenance/Lubricants/Dry-Silicone/
 
Gnasher said:
Yea, I already have the isopropyl 99% in the closet but that means taking the volume contropl apart to get inside it. With aerosol form I can just spray it inside the gap. Here's the silicon stuff I am thinking of trying. I have a can in the closet so will test it out and see if it works. If not I am just going to go get the automotive stuff for $6.99.

http://solutions.3mindia.co.in/wps/...Products/Maintenance/Lubricants/Dry-Silicone/
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the whole point of my post is that you really cant just spray the automotive stuff around like that, depending on what plastic your volume control is made out of, it might eat it. could also be the same for the silicone stuff... these cleaners will clean your part, but you gotta be careful. i was expecting that you where taking it apart to clean it. just spraying it on the part and hoping it gets inside and cleans the contacts is asking for trouble.
 
Silicone is safe on plastics and I expect the automotive stuff is too because many electronic parts in cars are housed inside plastic or rubber. Anyway, I did take the volume control apart because it was a sealed part and used the silicone spray, worked a charm.

When researching I came across a forum post from someone who claims automotive brake cleaner fluid works good as an electrical contact cleaner. Here's anothger thing I am curious about. The Source sells contact cleaner and tuner cleaner, both cost the same. What's the difference between the two? Probably just the label. :)
 
No Frys in Canada. I will check out the break cleaner fluid next time I am at Canadian Tire but the Silicone aerosol lube seems to do the trick nicely and I have plenty of that on hand already.
 
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