Spilled a whole bottle of isopropyl alcohol into my fuzz pedal build at 2 AM

I was testing my first fuzz face clone on my workbench last night and knocked over a 16oz bottle of 91% iso right into the open enclosure. It dripped through every pot hole and soaked the board before I could even say "no way." I let it dry for 20 minutes, plugged it in, and it actually worked but now it smells like a hospital when I play. Has anyone else had a near disaster like this turn into a working pedal?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifersmith17d ago

Actually I'd be careful with that. Isopropyl alcohol can leave residue behind even after it dries, especially if it wasn't 100% pure. That gunk can cause intermittent shorts or weird noise down the road. I'd give the board a good rinse with distilled water and a soft brush to be safe, then let it dry fully for a day before plugging it in again.

linda30516d ago

Yeah I learned that the hard way with an old PS4 controller I tried to clean. I used 91% isopropyl and it left this white film all over the board after it dried. Took me forever to scrub it off with a toothbrush and some 99% I had to order online. Now I just stick with 99% and even then I still hit it with compressed air and let it sit for like 48 hours before plugging anything in. The distilled water rinse sounds smart actually - I might try that next time since it cuts through any leftover flux or gunk way better than alcohol alone. Just gotta be super careful about drying it completely.