help > soldermask personally etched boards? > protective coatings?

[ulysses]

hey guys

is there a paint on product that protects the underside of a pcb after soldering?

is there a danger that boards i make personally will corrode in the future if i dont use some sort of protective coating?

cheers
ulysses

[Pushtone]

hey guys

is there a paint on product that protects the underside of a pcb after soldering?

Yes, Look for Conformal Coating products in spray, liquid and a handy pen.

http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/422ap.html
http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/4223.html


Before you can use a conformal coating the flux must be removed with another chemical.
http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/4140p.html

Some conformal coatings can be soldered through when doing repairs.
Other types need to be removed before soldering.


There is also a product called liquid tin that coats the traces.
http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/421.html
I know several forumites use this.

is there a danger that boards i make personally will corrode in the future if i dont use some sort of protective coating?

cheers
ulysses

Yes they will corrode. Yes they will still work in 50 years.
Only the surface will tarnish. Once the surface of the copper has a patina on it the corrosion stops.

I think it is more important to remove all solder flux than it is to prevent oxidization of the copper traces.

An amp tech I know once told me that a well know brand of power amps use PCBs that never were cleaned.
He fixed many that were making strange noises and buzzes just by cleaning off the flux.
Does flux become conductive over time, under high heat, and high voltage? I think this has been discussed before.

So it's not necessary to coat the traces, but there are products out there just for that purpose.