Is this the same board from the earlier images?? If so I hadn't imagined that Vinegar could remove the gold plating.? Overnight in white vinegar was quite excessive and has visibly damaged the board.? We sometimes assume everyone knows basic procedures.? Please be sure to ask if you? are unsure or use the internet to seek out tutorials.? This is a common problem and there is a lot of information available.
When you?neutralize the battery electrolyte on?a board the idea is to use a mild acid (if the leakage was from a NiCad or alkaline cell).? You want the chemical reaction between the acid and the base (electrolyte).? Full-strength white vinegar has a PH of approximately 2.5, which is?a bit?too strong to put on a board and much too strong to leave in contact with a board any longer than necessary to assist mechanical removal of the residue.??I usually dilute the vinegar with?at least 2?parts water for 1 part vinegar when working on boards.? It should be applied with an acid brush or?similar?where there is residue and gently scrubbed until clean then immediately rinsed and dried thoroughly.? I clip the bristles off to?about 10cm or less?so you can scrub?harder. If there is solder resist on the board the electrolyte?can get under it and travel as much as 250mm or even more in some cases.? You will see discoloration and will need to remove the resist coating to neutralize the electrolyte.?You can buy a pen to re-coat the traces if needed.?Sometimes the traces are etched?and will have to be repaired.? The electrolyte can also travel up component leads and get inside components.? It is usually better to just replace any part that has corroded leads for best reliability.? You would not apply the vinegar (or vinegar/water diluted solution) to a socketed part, at the least you would want to remove the part so nothing is left trapped?between the leads and the socket.??In this case the vinegar was in contact with the component leads and traces long enough to visibly etch/corrode them.? It may even have leaked inside?some of the parts after etching the plating?from the leads.??There?could be vinegar residue trapped in between the IC legs and the socket. and the connections could be corroded.? This is not good, the board may be ruined or unreliable if not ruined.? Sorry for the bad news and the long post.
Clay
