how to clean insertion pins?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lullaby
  • Start date Start date
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Lullaby

Hi, after 5 hours trying to fight a BSOD I realized that the only problem
was that the pins of my graphic card were dusty/oxidized.

Now my hardware question: what is the proper way to clean the insertion pins
of RAM, AGP and other cards? Should I use alcohol, water, voodoo...?

Thanks.
 
Hi, after 5 hours trying to fight a BSOD I realized that the only problem
was that the pins of my graphic card were dusty/oxidized.

Now my hardware question: what is the proper way to clean the insertion pins
of RAM, AGP and other cards? Should I use alcohol, water, voodoo...?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Maybe contact cleaner?
Naw, too obvious.

What else do you have?
Contact cleaner?
Olive oil?
Jim & Coke?
Contact cleaner?
Chicken Broth?
Boraxo?
Mr Clean?
Contact Cleaner?
Contact Cleaner?
Molasses?
cOnTaCt ClEaNeR?
renaelc tcatnoc?

If the above three are all you have, use the alcohol, but if
you really wanna know, well.....
 
Lullaby said:
Hi, after 5 hours trying to fight a BSOD I realized that the only problem
was that the pins of my graphic card were dusty/oxidized.

Now my hardware question: what is the proper way to clean the insertion pins
of RAM, AGP and other cards? Should I use alcohol, water, voodoo...?
Click to expand...

For the pins you can use a pencil eraser. Rub lightly. Spray contact
cleaner to get into the sockets if needed. Do not get the kind that leaves
behind a layer of oil. YOu may see some labled as tape head cleaner. You
can try just inserting and removing it several times.
 
Lullaby said:
Hi, after 5 hours trying to fight a BSOD I realized that
the only problem was that the pins of my graphic card were
dusty/oxidized.

what is the proper way to clean the insertion pins of
RAM, AGP and other cards? Should I use alcohol, water,
voodoo...?
Click to expand...

Is it an old Voodoo graphics card? ;)

Alcohol is OK, but don't do anything really stupid, like use sandpaper
or a pencil eraser, which can wear off the thin gold plating and cause
the metal underneath to tarnish.

There are electronic contact cleaners, and supposedly one of the best
is De-Oxit.
 
Lullaby said:
Hi, after 5 hours trying to fight a BSOD I realized that the only problem
was that the pins of my graphic card were dusty/oxidized.

Now my hardware question: what is the proper way to clean the insertion pins
of RAM, AGP and other cards? Should I use alcohol, water, voodoo...?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Sometimes just inserting and removing the card a few times will be enough to
clean the oxidation off the pins. You can use a pencil eraser (with a light
touch).
 
For the pins you can use a pencil eraser. Rub lightly. Spray contact
cleaner to get into the sockets if needed. Do not get the kind that leaves
behind a layer of oil. YOu may see some labled as tape head cleaner. You
can try just inserting and removing it several times.
Click to expand...

Pencil eraser damages the gold contact, removing the very
thin gold even if rubbed lightly. It should only be used in
an emergency. Contact cleaner is the correct solution and
on a gold contact there should never be a need to use an
eraser, unless someone had already used an eraser removing
the gold so there's just oxidized copper left.
 
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