I’ve needed to deoxidize my MDs several times. Learning how has saved me a few support tickets and lengthy round trips to the repair shop in LA.
My personal situation: If you boot up your MD and you get weird characters on the display, but Test Mode indicates everything is OK, you may be suffering from the same problem I have been. It apparently can be caused by a high-humidity environment such as my basement. I purchased a dehumidifier about a year ago and the issue hasn’t cropped up since.
Tools: DeOxit is your friend. You also will need a single hex wrench (not sure the exact size, but FYI the correct one will work on both the external and internal screws). It’s very helpful to use a magnetic wrench or at least have a magnetic pickup tool as well.
What I’ve done:
- Pull all the knobs off gently. Use your fingers and your patience.
- Use your hex wrench to unscrew the faceplate screws. Lift the faceplate off, then unscrew all the screws that secure the circuit board.
-Now it gets tricky.-
- Gently and slowly, lift the board up. It is attached to the lower section by several ribbon cables. The point where each cable meets it is is a plastic connector with the female side above and the male below. Each male side has several fragile metal pins extending upward.
- Grasp each connector gently and pull the female top straight upward. You can wiggle it a slight bit if it’s tight, just don’t overdo it. Disconnect all the cables this way and lay the top circuit board aside.
- Surround each set of metal pins with a thick absorbent cloth to protect the rest of the lower circuitry from the DeOxit.
- Spray each set of pins according to the DeOxit instructions. I find 3-4 quick blasts is enough. You can use a small piece of cloth to wipe the pins and soak up any excess fluid.
- I spray the insides of the female tops once as well.
- When I reconnect the cables, I usually slide each connector up and down once or twice to make sure the DeOxit has touched everything.
- Now do everything in reverse to reconnect the top and bottom.
Now that I’m used to doing the job, I can usually finish the process in an hour if I’m careful. Hope this helps!