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Cleaning sticker residue from EPROM chips (which solvent?)

ardent-blue

ardent-blue

Experienced Member
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Jan 2, 2015
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I just finished taking the stickers off of 22 AMD Am27C010 -120 EPROMs. Didn't get everything, and there is some adhesive residue left.

What common products will remove the residue?
 
My first try would be paint thinner (mineral spirits), then perchloroethylene. Since windowed EPROMs are cerDIP packages, you can't really hurt them.
 
Goo Gone works for me (mostly stickers on laptops), made from petroleum distillates and citrus.
 
Isopropyl alcohol, apply with whatever. The markings on CERDIP should be unaffected. I often just clean the window, that's really the only part where it matters, and the quartz is usually slick enough that any residue comes right off.
 
glitch said:
Isopropyl alcohol, apply with whatever. The markings on CERDIP should be unaffected. I often just clean the window, that's really the only part where it matters, and the quartz is usually slick enough that any residue comes right off.
Click to expand...

Hi test alcohol? You mean this bottle of 151 Rum can be used externally?

:drunk:
 
Goo Gone is what I usually use for adhesives/sticker residue. I then follow it up with Iso Prop. to get rid of the citrus residue. Works great. However try it out first to make sure it doesnt remove the marking.

If you don't have goo gone, you can use Mayonnaise. Yes the condiment. It gets rid of sticker residue too. Don't laugh until you try it. Just use Iso Prop after to get rid of that residue...
 
I keep a small bottle of 50/50 acetone and 70% isopropyl Alcohol on my workbench, great for removing flux after soldering and makes quick work of removing labels from Ceramic Eproms.

Not good however for anything with plastic. It also wipes the markings from all of the Remarked/Counterfeit IC's from China :)

- Gary
 
Chuck(G) said:
On a cerDIP UVEPROM, exactly what are you trying to avoid damaging? Short of HF, I don't know of much that will affect the encapsulation, though I'd keep acids away from the leads.

In the old days, I'd probably use Freon TF.
Click to expand...

Since I've never just sprayed it on, I don't know what effect it would have on the "window". Probably none, but, I do like to be careful.
 
Stoddard Solvent.
Sounds fancy, but I'm really just repeating Chuck(G)'s advice above - it's mineral spirits.
The same stuff is sold as barbecue lighter fluid, so it's cheap and easy to get hold of.

It works much better than any of the alcohols.

For paper labels without a coating, you can use a Q tip to saturate the label.
Leave it for a couple of minutes and it will practically fall off.

For coated paper labels, peel off the top plastic layer and then treat as above.


One useful aspect is that if you let the label dry out again, it can often be reused - useful for warranty labels :)

You can even use it to peel a label off a cardboard box without damage to either the label or the box.
 
I use the same to remove floppy labels. I wet them thoroughy, bundle them up and let the stuff soak in for a couple of days.

The labels come right off without any residue that can't be wiped off with a rag.

FWIW, WD-40 is largely Stoddard solvent also.
 
Chuck(G) said:
I use the same to remove floppy labels. I wet them thoroughy, bundle them up and let the stuff soak in for a couple of days.

The labels come right off without any residue that can't be wiped off with a rag.

FWIW, WD-40 is largely Stoddard solvent also.
Click to expand...

It's great isn't it? Makes even the toughest label peel off like a Post-it.

Another bonus is that I have never known it to damage any type of plastic.
Perfectly safe to use on ABS, which is what most computer stuff is made of.

I've even soaked ABS in it overnight.
I had to remove some of that extremely stubborn white double sided foam tape.

It takes longer to soak in because of the plastic foam, but once it penetrates, the foam just falls off.
Interestingly, it didn't do any damage to the foam either - just dissolved the adhesive.
 
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