It is becoming painfully obvious by the amount of "acid eaten" computer mother boards in for repair, that this is now almost an epidemic.
Now, Having said that, technically speaking, Ni-Cads batteries used in computers contain "alkali" and not acid, but we will continue with the education.
Please note : Cadmium is a toxic substance, it usually does not enter the body via the skin, however if you do get the residue from the "off-gassing"
of the battery on your hands or fingers, wash it off immediately !. Do not eat food when touching the residue of the NiCad battery. It is the Cadmium which
can enter the blood stream by intestinal absorption via the stomach, after ingestion of food or water, or by dust absorption from the lungs after inhalation.
Toxicology studies revealed that usually only about 1% to 5% of what is taken in by mouth is absorbed into the blood, while about 30% to 50% of that which is inhaled is taken up into the blood.
Nickel is also a toxic substance, however it usually is found in most everyday alloys such as stainless steel and coinage, persons who react to the nickel content in coins should avoid this substance.
For further information on both of these toxic materials : Click here for more information
One of the by-products of charging Ni-Cad batteries is the "Off gas", and over a period of time, a certain amount of
this acid moisture leaks out via the "off gas" release holes and this is characterised by the gradual appearance of
a "fungus-ey looking" powdery mass that builds up at the ends of the Ni-Cads battery, slowly releasing the acid onto
the circuit tracks, devouring the circuit board, resulting in damaged computer mother boards, some non-repairable.
In recent times, we have seen the results of what happens to multi-layer circuit boards, such as the A4000 desk top,
where these are so badly eaten away under the simm sockets by acid that it has in fact eaten through the plated
through-holes eaten into the multi layers and followed down the copper tracks and eaten the copper tracks and followed
as if it were a mine shaft and is not viable to economically repair this type of damaged Printed circuit board,
total replacement is the only viable long term reliable option, as the acid would be extremely hard to remove
from within the A4000's multi layered circuit board . Prevention is better than cure, so please, do heed our advise, do it today ! , it may just save your valuable mother board.
Doing it yourself ?? confident ?..OK,..please read on..it's not difficult !
Do it yourself? Yes if you think that you are technically competent, then by all means, do it yourself, but do it
properly, clean off every last trace of acid and acid etched copper track work, realising that if you damage , or
come across damage track work, it will need to be touched-up with a trace of 0.5mm diameter "tinned" fine copper wire
which can be angled and bent into position, thus following and reinforcing the damaged circuit tracks, soldering as you go.
After soldering, remove all traces of flux, clean off with a thinners or acetate based solvent, making sure not to inhale the
neuro-toxins and any carcinogens that abound in hydrocarbon based solvents, or better still, use metho (methylated spirits).
Select a fresh 60mA Hr 3.6Volt Ni-Cad and solder to the legs only (keeping heat off the actual "Cells"), a red to the positive
end (+ve) and a black wire to the negative (-ve) end .
Using a 35mm plastic film container, poke two small holes in the lid, then push the two wires through these holes and
then pull then out, taking up the slack wire, then put the a battery in the container and place the lid firmly on the
film container and solder the red wire to where the positive (+Ve) wire was attached and then the black (-Ve) wire to
where the negative (-ve) leg of the old battery was attached.
Melt some clear hot melt glue over the two soldered wire for mechanical support / insulation and now you have a properly
installed Ni-Cad battery, all safely away from the other circuits, remember, Ni-Cads "off-gas as a by-product of charging.
Now mount the plastic container in a way so that it permanently stands upright (ie: with double sided tape on the base)
and adhere it in a position so that any gases that may escape will not eat into a circuit board directly above for instance,
use good judgment on the simplest but most affective way to mount it.
After the circuit board area that you cleaned is dry, inspect with a loupe (an eye piece) to carefully examine the area
and if you are satisfied that all is good, then and only then, cover it with a clear lacquer or use a clear nail polish,
this will seal it once again, keeping the air and any moisture off the exposed copper tracks et cetera.
The key is total clean-off of the acid and just as important, really close visual inspection, with a good loupe or magnifying
eyepiece, thorough inspection will lead to years of trouble free operation from the acid affected area, making sure to coat
the affected area with a sealing lacquer as outlined on this page.
If after reading this, you are not comfortable with the above task, please have your friendly technician do it for you.
Don't want to do it yourself, That's OK not everyone is a techo....now Moving right along..
Our advise is to have your friendly technician carefully remove this offending Ni-Cad battery, or if you are not
confident that this task can be performed to your satisfaction, send your mother board to us.
We Bly urge you to remove the cover off your computer and check out your computer's 3.6V Ni-Cad battery
and as a precaution, replace it now. If the Ni-Cad is more that 3 years old, then totally remove the Ni-Cad and
replace it with a fresh new one, replacing it into a empty 35mm film container with a red and black wire protruding
out via two small holes in the 35mm film container lid. The two wires, the positive and the negative must be
carefully soldered to the two pads on the mother board, and carefully to the two ends of the Ni-Cad battery inside the
35mm film container , the correct way of course , +ve to +ve and the -ve to -ve .
This puts an end of ( potential ) circuit board damage problem forever.
This will alleviate any future acid leaks, the 35mm film container acts as an isolator as well as an insulator and
can be adhered to facing upwards or sideways with double sided tape or hot-melt glue, which ever is convenient for you.
We suggest that this procedure by carried out only by a qualified technician or a person with a good technical expertise
background and good experience in multi layer soldering techniques.
Please Note: This price does not include repairs to an acid affected area, replacing tracks one by one is an exacting
technical service and may take several hours to perform, depending on how extensive the acid damage is to your mother board.
As mentioned, very little cadmium enters the body through the skin though using suitable rubber gloves is however highly recommended.
However, once cadmium enters the body, it is very Bly retained for some time, therefore even in low doses it may build up
significant cadmium levels in the body if exposure continues for a long time, be safe always, wash it off immediately.
It is suggested that the dead Ni-Cad be replaced by a new one mounted in a sealed 35mm film container for safety reasons and naturally potential corrosion considerations as well.
In disposing of the Ni-Cad battery, please consult your local E.P.A.( Environmental Protection Authorities) on how to handle and dispose thoughtfully
of this toxic substance and to keep it from ever entering such valuable resources as the water table, the lakes or the rivers.
Line "ZAPS" collectively known as "transients", spikes, surges and other fluctuations
in the electrical power supply can spell disaster for all types of electrical equipment,
especially for all computers, desk type or lap tops and other related peripherals.
The results of such transients range from irreparable damage to subtle operational problems
the next time your computer crashes or hangs for no apparent reason, consider the
possibility of an anomaly in the power supply and not your operating system.
The cause of these transients is so widely varied. Lightning strikes are the most
dramatic and devastating examples of electronic and electrical , along with other naturally
occurring electrical activity eg: Static Electricity.
In fact as much as 80% of electrical equipment problems have been shown to be the
direct or indirect result of lightning and over voltage surges. When you consider that a
lightning strike within a one kilometre radius of your home or office can generate up to a
120 million volt surge in power cables and telephone lines, it's not hard to see how
problems can arise.
On a more mundane level, any piece of electrical equipment sharing the same circuit as
the device you are using can cause a spike or surge when switched on or off. Offending
appliances can simply be household or office items such as vacuum cleaners, fridges and
freezers and anything else that utilises an electric motor or electro magnetic switching.
Even equipment on a different circuit can be the source of problems by inducing voltage
irregularities in neighbouring power cables.
As such business travelers and home workers alike need to very beware. Hotel cleaning
staff will not generally check who is plugged in next door when cleaning a recently vacated
room, and your lap top could easily be drawing power from the same circuit as the maid's
hotel vacuum cleaner.
Similarly, your state-of-the-art home office could be easily affected by the fridge in the
kitchen, along the hall or downstairs. If you have ever seen a light bulb dim momentarily
when appliances such as these are switched on, imagine what it's doing to your computer.
As well as the spectacular and terminal equipment failure that can be brought about
by lightning strikes, a consistently poor power supply can dramatically reduce the life-span
of an electrical device.
Regular and albeit small, irregularities in the supply it is claimed, can place additional
wear on the transformer in your equipment, leading it to develop faults long before it otherwise should.
If traveling outside your office, we suggest a high quality mains surge protection device, see below "SURGE PROTECTORS" .
It's also worth checking your insurance for the cover provided in the event of damage or
faults caused by lightning strikes. Some companies exclude cover or place additional excesses where
equipment is not adequately protected against such eventualities, to minimise their exposure to heavy claims..
Please don't be misled : Quick acting circuit breakers, Overload protected Power boards, fast-blow wire fuses and other such " waffled about "
misused terminology as safety devices, "yes" these do have there "place" in the big protection scheme of things, however
THEY DO NOT SAVE ELECTRONICS FROM DYING AS A RESULT OF A SPIKE ON YOUR MAINS these are only there to stop
you overloading a single 10amp power outlet, for example putting a 3 bar 1200 watt (5 Amp) electric heater and a 1000 watt (4.16 Amps) jug
then trying to switch on a 850 watt (3.54 Amps) micro wave oven will not protect you against lightning strikes only an overload on that feed
line to that 10 Amp power point or GPO ( General Purpose Outlet ).
A spike or transient can occur in a nano second (1x10^ -9) to a micro second (1x10^ -6), the thermal spring
mechanism that provides movement to trigger the cut-off within a circuit breaker takes anything from 1 to five
seconds to react to an overload only, not a spike !
