Cleaning w/ Tooth Brush, Static?

fractal33

Active member
I usually clean the underside of my boards with IPA and a toothbrush. Just put together another Muzzle and I was about to clean it, but I started wondering if this is a bad idea because the THAT retrofit module is hard soldered to the board. Is there any reason to worry about static buildup from cleaning with a toothbrush?
 
I’m not going to pretend to be an authority on the subject, but static is usually more of an issue in dry heat, not a wet environment. All I know for sure is that I have done a few CMOS (that as I understand it are especially susceptible to static damage) builds without any extraordinary precautions without deleterious effects. The wisdom of the interwebs on the subject usually go something like “just don’t pet your cat/dog while wearing wool pajamas before touching your IC”. Besides, when was the last time you got shocked by your toothbrush🤣
 
I’m not going to pretend to be an authority on the subject, but static is usually more of an issue in dry heat, not a wet environment. All I know for sure is that I have done a few CMOS (that as I understand it are especially susceptible to static damage) builds without any extraordinary precautions without deleterious effects. The wisdom of the interwebs on the subject usually go something like “just don’t pet your cat/dog while wearing wool pajamas before touching your IC”. Besides, when was the last time you got shocked by your toothbrush🤣
Yeah I think I'm probably just being paranoid because the humidity has dropped significantly, and my "workshop" is mainly a carpeted area. Can't wait to rip this carpet up in January.

I went ahead and scrubbed it already. Hopefully, no damage was done, but I haven't been able to try it out yet.
 
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