I'm a'ripping into my console!

[Punkity]

I?ve been limping along on 16 channel Soundcraft 200b board for some years now (adequate for my 8 track reel-to-reel days, but now I?m going 24 stand alone hard disk). I recently got a larger frame, some extra channel strips, and a power supply for a 32 channel version. I?ve got a few questions.

Most of them have to do with cleaning (hopefully I will not be posting fixing questions in about a week).

For instance:
--Compressed air, some sort of vacuum action, or wiping with isopropyl when cleaning out the frame itself? There are ribbon connections all inside the thing, and I?m worried about blowing crap into them with compressed air. However:
--What is the best way to get inside those ribbon connectors to clean them out? I?m figuring the best cleaning agent for this will be isopropyl alcohol. True? Would squirting some in the connection and exercising it do the job, or do they make any fiddly little cleaner bits that get in there?
--Pots and faders: I?ve never been too prissy with my old desk (but I?ve never poured soda into it either). My maintenance has been if the pot or fader is intermittent, exercise it, if that doesn?t work, spray some tuner cleaner at it and exercise again, and if there are a bunch of pots and faders acting up, pop off all the knobs and go to town with the tuner cleaner. The last has only happened 3 or maybe 4 times in the last 6 years so any damage done isn?t too bad. My question here is: Is tuner cleaner as not so great of a product to use on a console as I suspect it is? I?ve got a feeling that it has taken a decent portion of lube out of the faders. Is there an easy way to lube up the faders? (read: without taking the whole damn thing apart. I can solder cables like a bandit and even do some simple circuitry, but I?m a little too ham-fisted to get a fader on and of a circuit board successfully). How about the pots? Lube or what?

I?m going to be doing simple plug-in and test work as well as looking for cracked or cold solder joints and fixing those. This should be pretty easy since the thing is modular. Are there any other simple preventative medicine things I can do?

Lastly, what is up with this Stabilant 22 contact enhancer and its ilk all about? The improvements claimed are pretty attractive, but those seem to be only from the company producing the stuff. On the other hand, Posthorn carries the stuff and I?ve got a feeling that Jerry Bruck is a bit like Fletcher when it comes to the stuff he carries. Thoughts? Knee-jerk reactions? Farts-in-the-winds?

That should do it for now. Wish me luck!

--Edited for stupiditude--

[joel hamilton]

I used Big Bath for the whole console to start. It doesnt leave any deposit, and cleans stuff out really well. I just hosed the thing out with that stuff. Use it EVERYWHERE except the faders.

I have used stuff like "sil-glide" on the faders. People argue about this all the time but I had good results and a nice smooth, "heavy" feel using dielectric silicone based lube for the conductive plastic type faders. I dinno what your are though. I dont know much about that kind of thing, I just did the two things above after getting advice from someone smart, and it worked well for me.

I hope that helps...

[Electro-Voice 664]

What is BIG BATH?

[Punkity]

Big Bath is a contact cleaner without any lube in it. It looks pretty environmentally/personal-health friendly. Google "Big Bath" "Contact Cleaner" and a few sites will pop up. It is made by GC something or other.

[Electro-Voice 664]

Cool, found it. Thanks

[Uncle Dub]

I have been trained that it's best to use a contact cleaner with lube for things that move like pots and faders (10 years in R&O for various companies), isopropyl alcohol is OK for contacts and stuff that doesn't move, but you want a bit of lube on your moving parts.

I still have some of the old environmentally unfriendly Cramolin R-5 De-Oxit, which is great on all pots and faders, they may make an environmentally approved version now. Tuner Cleaner I hear is much the same thing (I'm not up on all the US terminologies).

On one hand whilst you have it in pieces is a good time to clean it all up, but for 16 channels with what, 4 band EQ and a half dozen sends, plus trim and faders, thats a lot of cleaner, maybe try the stuff you get from Ace Hardware if you really want to go at it, but on the other hand, if it ain't broke....

Mmm, Soundcraft, I learned on an 800B, one of these days I'll get one for posterity (and the pretty nice EQ).