So apparently over the winter one or more alkalines in one of my 2chan RC TXs decided to explode and fill the battery compartment with white crusty crap and corrode the terminals as well. Whats the best method for clean up to get this TX back in service?

Ack! Sounds like the best thing to do is be VERY careful!

Here’s a couple of sites with tips:

http://alkalinebatteries.blogspot.com/2011/02/clean-up-after-alkaline-battery-leak.html

http://www.ehow.com/way_6059984_do-after-alkaline-battery-leak_.html

Sounds like you’ll want some lemon juice…

I was just going to answer to Bart’s question Bruce but you got it covered. Thanks

Dad used to pour coke into our toys when the batteries leaked. They’d never work again.

I had one leak in one of my TE remotes once. I took the remote apart, washed away the crystals with water, dried it out and polished the metal contacts with scotchbrite.

Coke is acid based, so chemically he was probably doing ok, but the extra gunk in it was probably not helping.

Greg

This happened to a couple of my old Futaba radios ages ago when all R?C transmitters had individual cells. They never worked the same again. I found the best solution was to remove the corroded contacts entirely and switch to rechargeable NiCd battery packs.

Of course a loss of signal on a train is not nearly as dangerous as on a model aircraft!

Leomn Juice…its a majical froot…Tis A Ok today!

Used to be (in the days before Alkaline) that the major battery makers guaranteed their products as leak proof. If they leaked and damaged a device you sent it to the battery maker and they would send you a new one. Of course, back then the majority of the devices were flashlights and portable radios. They probably realized as the electronics industry began to explode that they would go bust buying new products and dropped the guarantee.

It still wouldn’t hurt to write the battery maker. Might get a coupon for some free batteries.

My uncle Bill worked on cars, he used baking soda in water to clean battery terminals. One or two tabelspoons in a glass of water mixed and poured on the battery posts. The battery crap would bubbel off then he would rinse with clear water to neutralize the baking soda. The posts and battery looked as clean as a new one.

Not sure how this would work on a train controler but it would get rid of the battery crap.

Chuck

Different sort of battery, Chuck and not advised. From the web:

Also avoid any alkaline cleaner such as baking soda. An alkaline chemical cannot neutralize another alkaline. Worse, an alkaline cleaner may intensify the corrosive effects of the leak in some electronic components.