Anyone cleaned contacts for a Sony ICF-2010 have tips or advice?

[modrachlan]

I've acquired yet another Sony ICF-2010. I've bought and sold many 2010/2001Ds over the years. Soldered a battery connection on one, and the antenna connection on another, etc. For this one, the main issue seems to be the front panel soft buttons are intermittent like they don't make good contact. I have to hit the memory button twice, the keypad seems to hit enter before I'm ready to enter, etc.

I realized I've never come to terms with the task of cleaning contacts on this beast. Does anyone have any advice or tips? The rotary connection are pretty straight forward, I can get de-oxit into them easily, but expecially the memory buttons and keypad, I'm just not sure. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Arkmood]

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Simplistic Approach - without disassembly:
Had 2010s (super portable receiver), due to age/use - gunk would form between/around Memorypresets buttons/case, applying compressed air or toothpick dipped in alcohol to clean outer edges of keypad buttons - fixed (some) intermittent keypad issues.. Disassembly is detailed/takes time/technical knowledge.

 

[a417]

CRC 5103 Quick Drying Electrical Contact cleaner is what i've traditionally used on devices with gunky switches or fouled pots.

 

[GB46]

I'd warn anyone against using a kind of putty to pick up dirt around the keys. There's some stuff like that on the market, I forget what it's called, but it's like a sticky kind of gel, which you're supposed to press against the keys to lift up the dirt. Well, I tried that and found that bits of the gel remained behind on the keypad, sometimes working their way inside. I wrecked at least one key contact on a laptop computer using that.

The cleaner I use contains isopropanol, isobutane and propane. It has worked very well for cleaning the decoder mechanism of the tuning dial on my portable. The brand is NexXtech, which is made in Canada for an electronics retailer named "The Source", the outfit that replaced Radio Shack Canada. It's probably not available in the U.S., but maybe Radio Shack has the equivalent product.

 

[a417]

but maybe Radio Shack has the equivalent product.

RIP the Rat Shack.

CRC 5103 is basically the same thing.

 

[modrachlan]

Simplistic Approach - without disassembly:
Had 2010s (super portable receiver), due to age/use - gunk would form between/around Memorypresets buttons/case, applying compressed air or toothpick dipped in alcohol to clean outer edges of keypad buttons - fixed (some) intermittent keypad issues.. Disassembly is detailed/takes time/technical knowledge.

Thanks a million- I did this to the keypad and the weird intermittent problems went right away. In the process of doing the same to the preset buttons. I still have a ways to go