Personal computing discussed
Moderators: renee, SpotTheCat, Nemesis
Sunburn74 wrote:Topic says it all. I have a silverstone FT02. Its the ultimate case. However, even it is not totally immune to dust. How do I remove dust from case fans and internal components effectively?
Sunburn74 wrote:So what exactly do I do with the vacuum cleaner? Just hold it above the open the case door?
cheesyking wrote:For boards etc you're supposed to think about static so could use an air duster (AKA "a can of air"), but these are a bit pricey if you use them a lot.
mdk77777 wrote:Yeah, too high a risk in my opinion.
High power vacuum cleaner might as well be a tesla Generator for the amount of static that is generates.
I'd stick with the canned air.
sluggo wrote:Gases do not take a triboelectric charge. If there's a triboelectric process taking place when using compressed (or uncompressed) air, it's due to the kinetic energy of the dust or other schmutz as it gets bumped about, and that's a function of velocity. Hence, there's no problem using a vacuum cleaner to suck airborne particles away from recently fluffed motherboard. You can even use the vacuum cleaner in reverse to blow the crud off, as long as you're careful about using a decent filter in the air stream.
Ryu Connor wrote:http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1326820690&sr=8-3
Yes, I know it says vacuum, but it's not a vacuum. It is a tiny air compressor. Think canned air on steroids.
DPete27 wrote:Take it outside and use a can of air. The breeze will whisp away the dust. Also, I always make sure to hold the fan blades from moving when the can of air hits them. I've heard that unpowered spinning fans create a generator effect with the fan motor and can cause harm to the system. I had a cheapo PSU die on me back in college when I liked to watch the fans spin real fast with the can of air pointed at them. Not sure if the spinning fans were the culprit for the failure, but thats what I'm crediting it to.
just brew it! wrote:sluggo wrote:Gases do not take a triboelectric charge. If there's a triboelectric process taking place when using compressed (or uncompressed) air, it's due to the kinetic energy of the dust or other schmutz as it gets bumped about, and that's a function of velocity. Hence, there's no problem using a vacuum cleaner to suck airborne particles away from recently fluffed motherboard. You can even use the vacuum cleaner in reverse to blow the crud off, as long as you're careful about using a decent filter in the air stream.
But once the air stream hits the things you're trying to dust off, it'll be full of dust again! Or is the primary concern with elecrical charges that get picked up by the dust on its way up the vacuum hose, and not electrical charges the dust from inside the computer picks up as it swirls around?
Regardless, I imagine that if static charges from swirling dust was *that* much of a concern, using the standard "Dust Off" cans of compressed gas would be problematic as well. (Obviously they're not, since almost everybody uses 'em...)
sluggo wrote:In a previous life I took a field strength meter around to electronic rework stations to weed out static generators. I expected to find the compressed air nozzles to be the worst offenders, but the cello tape dispensers were the champs. Up to 15kV from those, depending on the width of the tape and how hard one pulled.
kitsura wrote:Am I the only one who uses water to wash the fans. Any PCBA worth its salt should be able to stand some water.
DPete27 wrote:Also, I always make sure to hold the fan blades from moving when the can of air hits them. I've heard that unpowered spinning fans create a generator effect with the fan motor and can cause harm to the system.
just brew it! wrote:Non-permanent adhesives are really weird, when you think about it; residue-less ones like on sticky notes even more so. Scientists have been trying to figure out, and duplicate, things like gecko feet for a long time; there are some wild atomic-level phenomena involved. (I love that the Air Force is sponsoring this research: once upon a time, the DoD gave us the internet; someday soon, maybe spiderman boots)sluggo wrote:I believe it. I recall reading an article a couple of years ago about some scientists who discovered that unrolling Scotch tape in a vacuum generates nanosecond-scale bursts of X-rays, so there must be some unbelievably intense electric fields being generated (albeit over a microscopically short distance) as the adhesive peels free!In a previous life I took a field strength meter around to electronic rework stations to weed out static generators. I expected to find the compressed air nozzles to be the worst offenders, but the cello tape dispensers were the champs. Up to 15kV from those, depending on the width of the tape and how hard one pulled.