removing potted components?

[cowanrg]

hey guys, i found a circuit that im trying to work with, but there is a big plastic block in it. i unscrewed it to find that its been potted, filled to the brim with epoxy. there are 3 wires going in, and 3 coming out, and im very curious whats in there... whats the best way to get rid of the epoxy without ruining whatever is in there. (i am assuming its not a sensitive IC, its a pretty small block, 2"x1"x1".) one side appears to have a small inductor or transformer in it.

i did some searching and found that acetone or heat would probably work. is there a way of telling what kinda of epoxy (or if it is epoxy?), and what would work best?

thanks guys.

 

[dkimble]

What kind of circuit is it? Often you can figure out what is in it by looking at the rest of the circuit. Or you can try to measure differences in output with various inputs. This can get awfully complicated, though!

Dave Kimble

 

[cowanrg]

its a very simple circuit... it has another "thing" that i suspect is a dc to dc converter... but i am not sure yet.

i am a little hesitant to reveal the circuit because im working on it for a patent, and im taking apart a few other circuits to find out what i can and cant use, etc...

i just need to remove the potting if possible.

 

[bobcat190]

I found a link that might be of help to you. I hope so Bob.

Here the link

 

[cowanrg]

cool, thanks!

i think freezing and chipping away will probably be the best solution... maybe melting the epoxy next. either way, it will be work.

 

[tubes n' hornz]

Ever thing of going to your Dentist and having them x-ray it ???

 

[Magura]

Depending what type of epoxy it is, you can heat it up by boiling it and it becomes soft enough to be removeable.

Magura

 

[cowanrg]

haha, that could be expensive! but i dont think it would tell me values right? i would want to know values.

Ever thing of going to your Dentist and having them x-ray it ???

 

[Brian Donaldson]

Dentist

No values, but he could tell you if it needs a root canal or something. Has it been flossing.

Sorry, I amused myself though.

 

[cowanrg]

hum.

well, i kinda half tried the compressed air thing. yes, upside-down it does freeze, but even after icing the whole thing, and giving a good whack with a hammer, it does nothing. i think melting it would be best. or using a solvent of some sort to melt it away.

 

[Magura]

Watch out for solvents.....ic's and the like are potted in epoxy as well, just a variant thats stable at higher temperatures......dont wanna risk washing the little fellas off the board as well...hmm...the board is ultimately also epoxy.....


Magura