Chosen Solution
TL;DR Is there a product I could fill a container with and soak the whole circuit board(s) including the plastic and all the caps and resistors (no microchips) that would strip away any and all gunk? I have an electric piano from the 70’s that has what looks like soot on the contacts. I tried cleaning the contacts with DeOxit and a microfiber cloth but that didn’t seem to do much. It’s also many small parts so it would take hours of annoying work to clean it all by hand so I’m hoping for a shortcut, because I don’t even know if the instrument would be worth the hours of labor. Thanks much!
I would recommend using isopropyl alcohol and just letting it thoroughly dry. Make sure it is 99%.
@barelyahobbyist you could submerge your board in a bath of high grade isopropyl alcohol and use a soft brush to clean it. High grade isopropyl alcohol dissipates quickly and does not require a long drying time. If your board is really grimey and shows corrosion, use a 50/50 mix of distilled water and baking soda. The mild abrasive action of the baking soda should clean the grime and corrosion from your board. After that, clean it of with distilled water and finally a bath of some high grade isopropyl alcohol. Of course, you can always send it out to get an ultrasonic cleaning done. Whichever method you use (yes, I have seen dishwashers being used effectively ;-), there is no substitute for a good cleaning and it will require some effort.
