Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/06/18/contact-cleaner-makes-old-swit.html
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Note: do not use on contact lenses
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Yes, yes it does!
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It also does a great job of cleaning remote controls that have had sugary drinks spilled on them. I worked at a locally owned RadioShack franchise in the late 90s, we would clean them for people when they came in. You can wipe it over the pads where the buttons land. It will quickly fix finicky buttons.
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If it’s simple metal to metal, sure, maybe. But be very careful of contact cleaner. You might kill your pot, or your fader, or the grahite embedded in the rubber of your device’s switch. You might wash away grease, and move dirt to a worse location. It’s a lot more complicated than just cleaning; I’m not qualified to go into it in more detail but 5 seconds of searching will turn up a lot more info.
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I bought into the hype around caig’s pro gold deoxit but it never did anything useful for me; mechanical cleaning (essentially rubbing oxidation off) on the other hand has solved lots of connection issues. When I looked deeper I found a lot of people on the internet who think contact cleaner is bunk.
Often just flipping a switch or turning a dial for a minute or so is enough. If it’s not, perhaps it’s time to replace the device anyway.
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good for Nintendo Switch “joycon drift” too
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CRC ? Not the “Chemical Rubber Company”, surely? they were done years ago, I thought, and in any case went full into publishing “The Rubber Book” and had stopped making , well, chemicals?
I was an electronics/computer tech for 40 years. I found WD-40 works as well or better than the expensive stuff.
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I’ve been repairing electric instruments, amplifiers, high end hifi and anything else that moves for over 50 years. I tried every contact cleaner known to man in that time. I quit looking after I discovered the Caig line of products. The Caig contact cleaners and preservatives contain Cramolin ( a high molecular weight paraffin). Nothing else comes close. Most contact cleaners also remove the lubricants. When these lubricants are washed away the controls become sticky. Sliders get particularly bad many techs replace them. Caig has specific products to restore the sliders. Caig cramolin also increases the current handling capabilities of contacts using cramolin paste. Improved current handling occurs because the Cramolin forms an airtight shield on the contacts. When the contacts close you normally have arcing just before closure. Cramolin stops arcing due to it flowing around the contacts at closure excluding oxygen. The current handling can increase by an order of 10 or more. I use it on all my new amps and guitars as soon as I open the box. You can use what you want but cheap is not good in this case. You mileage will not vary! High end hifi weirdos swear it sounds better. I’ve cleaned all the contacts on my test equipment with Caig spray. The internal distortion of the system dropped to near unmeasurable levels. Proof of Caig’s function. IMHO
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I came here to ask that very question, as mine’s been sent off to Nintendo once but is acting up again. Between me and the kids it gets used all day!
WD40 stands for water displacement 40th mixture. IMHO WD40 is only good for drying out ignition systems on cars. I’ve made a ton of money cleaning WD40 out of controls,switches,relays etc. WD40 is the best thing to use on car and outdoor locks. Better than graphite which builds up in the lock. Too much graphite buildup keeps the key from seating properly. But hey what do I know?
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It’s not designed for contact cleaning, mechanical cleaning etc. It’s a contact cleaner and preservative. Use these sprays for what they are made for, RTFM!
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Does it work on my contact list? There’s some old fluff in there that’s slowing things down.
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