BATTERY DISCONN dash warning light

[Ronmar]

Ok, the only time I have ever used freshwater on a circuit board was when I am trying to salvage one that has been immersed in salt water

99% isopropyl has been my goto cleaner for 99% of the time over the past 40 years. Doesn't leave any residue, doesn't interact with board, solder or components…

 

[hike]

Ok, the only time I have ever used freshwater on a circuit board was when I am trying to salvage one that has been immersed in salt water

99% isopropyl has been my goto cleaner for 99% of the time over the past 40 years. Doesn't leave any residue, doesn't interact with board, solder or components…

99%? I have 91% isopropyl and denatured alcohols (along with a nice wine and good scotch) though I know I don't have 99% isopropyl—

 

[Ronmar]

99%? I have 91% isopropyl and denatured alcohols (along with a nice wine and good scotch) though I know I don't have 99% isopropyl—

91% iso should be ok, and should still evap relatively clean. that and a brush should clean that board right up. I use a 3/4-1” paint or chip brush and cut the bristles to 1/2 length to make them a little stiffer. I would dry brush it first, then use the brush dipped in alcohol. This will loosen it and each subsequent dip will bring more alcohol to help flow the loosened dirt off the board…

 

[GeneralDisorder]

Ok, the only time I have ever used freshwater on a circuit board was when I am trying to salvage one that has been immersed in salt water

99% isopropyl has been my goto cleaner for 99% of the time over the past 40 years. Doesn't leave any residue, doesn't interact with board, solder or components…

It's done quite regularly in the vintage computer world. There really is no issue if it's done carefully and allowed to dry completely before being powered up. Plain water and soap for a few minutes isn't going to cause even a fraction of the corrosion in the short term that the last 20 years of humidity in the cab of these trucks has already caused.

I would take pictures, label everything, remove that ugly sucker from the cab and wash it in the tub in the bathroom. And I wouldn't think twice about it. But everyone has their comfort zone......

In the world of induction motor (20 to 1000 HP or so) rebuilding we would often pressure wash large motor housings with very large stators that could not be removed. We would allow them to dry for several days with fans on them and then test them with a megger (meg-ohm meter) before putting them back in service. When the housing and stator is full of dust and dirt from 20 years of operating in a paper mill, etc there's not much else you can do to get them clean.

 

[hike]

It's done quite regularly in the vintage computer world. There really is no issue if it's done carefully and allowed to dry completely before being powered up. Plain water and soap for a few minutes isn't going to cause even a fraction of the corrosion in the short term that the last 20 years of humidity in the cab of these trucks has already caused.

I would take pictures, label everything, remove that ugly sucker from the cab and wash it in the tub in the bathroom. And I wouldn't think twice about it. But everyone has their comfort zone......

In the world of induction motor (20 to 1000 HP or so) rebuilding we would often pressure wash large motor housings with very large stators that could not be removed. We would allow them to dry for several days with fans on them and then test them with a megger (meg-ohm meter) before putting them back in service. When the housing and stator is full of dust and dirt from 20 years of operating in a paper mill, etc there's not much else you can do to get them clean.

Water is the universal solvent—

 

[Ronmar]

The problem with water is it typically carries minerals and O2. Not to mention any phosphates or chemicals any soaps would carry. That is why saltwater is such a problem for circuit boards. If you use water I would reccomend distilled or demineralized and no soap. In my attempts to recover saltwater damaged equipment I would rinse in fresh and go right to alcohol before it could dry.

Alcohol is a pretty good solvent but pretty benine toward circuit boards, solder and components. Way back when, we used to use "trike" or tri-chlor-ethane(ethane is sane, ethene is mean). Approved electronic cleaners used to be a servicewid exam question

Motors are a little different animal. They usually have larger gaps and dont suffer from solder corrosion and creep. I have seen them dipped and pressure washed then airdried or baked.

The last ship I was on the main motors were the size of a garage and had walkin access doors to access and service the brushes. Brush wear led to carbon buildup in the windings and ultimately flashover, so when the resistance to frame readings would drop, They would pressure wash them then insulate the enclosures and blow hot air in thru the ventilation to cook them dry in place. But i digress

 

[GeneralDisorder]

I've done it enough and seen it done enough that it really wouldn't concern me. Definitely rinse it well and the final rinse could be RO water or distilled water or whatever if you like. And then apply a fast evaporating electronics cleaner and finish it off with Deoxit on all the connections, etc. This is a (relatively) low voltage board that's not particularly delicate. I mean we are talking about a power supply board for an army truck here. I've probably seen hundreds of guys do this with vintage computer components - some very high dollar collectible and museum pieces worth thousands of dollars even. Everyone is taught that electricity and water don't mix and so it always makes people cringe but once it's fully dried out..... I mean you have seen the toilet cell phone and bag of rice trick right? And a modern cell phone is decidedly more delicate than this absolute unit of a circuit board we are discussing.

Sure there's things in water and soap - nothing that is particularly worse than the dust that it's covered in now though. Imagine when that dust gets the early morning dew factor going on and mixing with that dust because the turret cover leaks and there's two inches of mud in the cab from the swamp mission....... Hell half the problems with these boards are due to the crap lead-free solder and environmentally friendly flux they use to produce them.

A rinse in the bathtub is probably the nicest thing anyone would have done to one of these prior to my ownership.

 

[hike]

I can be really slow. Are these just fancy ATC (breakers) fuses?

 

[Ronmar]

I can be really slow. Are these just fancy ATC (breakers) fuses?

View attachment 906441

View attachment 906442

Yep, circuit breakers. Those look a little more robust than the ones they used for the A0 panel. Mine are kinds cheesey

You can replace them with standard automotive blade fuses. I would keep one in each size, as they can be handy troubleshooting intermittent faults.

 

[hike]

While I await the arrival of the new battery disconnect relay I took a look at the existing one. It looks almost as old as I am.







Though I realised the new one is expecting a plug, not individual wires.




Anyone know which plug?

 

[TomTime]

That same plug is on the old one.


Taking it apart to clean and check everything.


Cleaned and checked.


Cleaned and Reassembled.

 

[Ronmar]

Yep, they should use the same plug, yours is just hidden under the 24v cable…

 

[GeneralDisorder]

That same plug is on the old one.


Taking it apart to clean and check everything.
View attachment 906450

Cleaned and checked.
View attachment 906451

Cleaned and Reassembled.
View attachment 906452

Don't trust that junk. The solder joints inside the potted box of doom hanging off the fore end of the unit can go and allow the wimpy ring terminal protuberances to loose contact internally. Or the diodes and tiny wires go to hell - often this can result in half of the unit flip-flopping and you get only 12 or only 24 or the thing won't work at all and you get nothing. They changed the design for good reasons - get the new updated one or delete it.

As for the new one - it's a direct swap. Everything lines up and the plug is the same. No changes required.

 

[TomTime]

Don't trust that junk. The solder joints inside the potted box of doom hanging off the fore end of the unit can go and allow the wimpy ring terminal protuberances to loose contact internally. Or the diodes and tiny wires go to hell - often this can result in half of the unit flip-flopping and you get only 12 or only 24 or the thing won't work at all and you get nothing. They changed the design for good reasons - get the new updated one or delete it.

As for the new one - it's a direct swap. Everything lines up and the plug is the same. No changes required.

The pics were just to show there is the same connection/plug on the old and the new.

Yeah, I clean and checked it a few years ago when I got the truck just to get the truck running and Leaning the truck.
When I change over to two batteries I will be deleting it. I’m not paying $500 + for a new one, for me that’s just …I’m poor and sometimes not that bright!
Who knows maybe I’ll win the lottery .

 

[hike]

Got new battery disconnect relay installed; problem solved. Thank you all for the guidance—