I brought over the weekend 2x can of air / air dusters which I intend to give the old PC a good clean (although it is not to bad tbh).
Thing is I have never used one before and instructions on the can seems pretty vague. I have had a look on the old interweb for advice but wondered if anyone had tried such a thing before and could advice to the best use for them.
Do I need to ground the machine before I start to avoid any chance of static build up?
Is there an advised distance to use it from? e.g 24"
Does it create an liquid issues that I need to be aware of?
I assume the PC should be cold before use but does it really matter?
etc...
ok, 1st tip. Take the PC outside, otherwise, when you blast it with the air duster, you'll end up with a room full of fine dust!
Otherwise, just keep the can upright and you shouldn't have any issues, just don't get too close to any components with the jet of air.
Even if you do get some 'liquid gas' out, it won't harm anything and will evaporate almost instantly. I've used many of these products over the years and the biggest issue is the dust cloud you create hence the first tip!
My tip is don't spray too close. If it is still liquid when it hits the dust you end up with 'mud' which then dries and hardens around the component you were trying to clean.
Don't spray it for more than a few seconds at a time, unless you fancy freezing your hand off :)
i use in conjunction with hoover nozzle.
I just use a hoover.
Unplug the PC, take it in the shower, wash it out. Leave it in the airing cupboard. Job done.
*May not work for all PC's. Please check with your PC supplier before using harmful things like soap.
Quote from: Benny;376853Unplug the PC, take it in the shower, wash it out. Leave it in the airing cupboard. Job done.
*May not work for all PC's. Please check with your PC supplier before using harmful things like soap.
You forgot to add that conditioner is important.....gets the tangles out of the cables
Lets remember which forum this is posted in folks, thanks.
I have a can of air, although I'm reluctant to use it. I'm more concerned about disturbing anything I.e I don't want random bits of fluff flying around my rig. I tend to take the particular component out and just give it a 'blow'. I tested the can of air and found that it seems to leak a bit so I tend to stay away from it now and use a cotton bud instead to wipe any dust away. Whilst the rig is turned off of course, and earthed.
Quote from: Sparko;376861I have a can of air, although I'm reluctant to use it. I'm more concerned about disturbing anything I.e I don't want random bits of fluff flying around my rig. I tend to take the particular component out and just give it a 'blow'. I tested the can of air and found that it seems to leak a bit so I tend to stay away from it now and use a cotton bud instead to wipe any dust away. Whilst the rig is turned off of course, and earthed.
Get in there ya nancy-boy, puff & suck is the preferred option.
Quote from: smilodon;376859Lets remember which forum this is posted in folks, thanks.
Fair point. I'm a once a month hoover man, the only thing I struggle with is the heatsink on the graphics card. That said, it still works. Someone should design a self compacting hoover module that sits in a drive bay.
As an aside, I've used air cans with no issue, I'd concur on holding it at a reasonable distance so you don't dislodge anything.
oh, and a good point to add. If you can, keep your PC off the floor. At work, any PC's that are sat on desks rarely have dust problems. However, PC's sat on the floor under desks I end up having to de-dust them every six months or so.
cheers for the pointers and unfortunately the weather is not being my friend atm with getting to clean it outside. Am thinking perhaps the garage is an ok alternative (open the door, take out car etc). I currently have all computers on the desks rather than floor but with 4 cats this does create extra dust issues although not a major issue atm but thought taking action sooner rather than later a good idea.
Might take a before and after photo to show the difference. (providing the after photo is not my machine in flames)
I think most of the tips from others covers it.
Tho ive been asked frequently if its okay, to use a vacuum cleaner to clean the inside of a PC with. Not adviseable, the static electricity generated in the tube is enough to fry most bits ;) Just a friendly warning if anyone got that idea :)
Quote from: kregoron;376894I think most of the tips from others covers it.
Tho ive been asked frequently if its okay, to use a vacuum cleaner to clean the inside of a PC with. Not adviseable, the static electricity generated in the tube is enough to fry most bits ;) Just a friendly warning if anyone got that idea :)
I'm just using the nozzle to collect the dust I blow out with the air-can, I guess that's ok as I don't touch any components with it, and the PC is off.
I use a toner vac that has rubber hoses so no static problems :)
Unlike a photo pack for lighting, which runs at 4800 watts, unlike a good guitar amp...you'd really need to create a static chrage. Rule one..Unplug unit..then discharge by turning unit on/ off..this will disapate the charge...
The static they are talking about happens when dust and elec mix..I remember getting a lift on a concrete floor with a Fender Amp from a discharge...get a wrist band called a ground strap..it's an urban myth that a vacuum will kill a computer...but it might kill you, you are the ground.
It's an urban myth that a vacuum will kill a computer.
Rubber won't conduct...er..enough dust gathered will send the charge...I myself don't use dusty items..lets here from some guitar players using Hi Wat.
Use wood..it's not true that wood cannot conduct electricity..sap is after all ember.
DUMP THE CHARGE, worst mistake anyone makes.
I can hammer a nail into a living tree and use it as an antenna, the Sap (ember) becomes my source.
Myself , I'd shut unit down, then hit power button, move unit to a safe place. Remove said video card and inspect. I smoke so i would have a q-tip with some elec cleaner..I would dismount the heat sink..then I would proceed to clean (By air) and carefully use q-tip to clean fan blades (Becareful) upsetting a single blade could cause noise and improper function.
After this is done, use a good Machine oil ( if yah notice theres a sticker on the back, go dead center), blow on fan to insure movement (your breath should be enough), should turn freely.
Re-install..
Then annoy people with can of air..lol
My father has an air compressor. I take my PC over there once a year and air-blast it.
Quote from: ArithonUK;376921My father has an air compressor. I take my PC over there once a year and air-blast it.
That's a wet compressor, used in automotive, let me guess compressor and a vavle...you drain it after using..not advisable for electronics. Good for car parts
Quote from: ArithonUK;376921My father has an air compressor. I take my PC over there once a year and air-blast it.
I should learn to more acceptable, when people make suggestions, i'm getting old..so..FREE AIR at ArithonUK..you gonna tell your Dad we're coming over.
Well computer cleaned and much better than it was before.
Powered back up and all working well with nothing going pop except for an odd sound coming from one of the fans (not the CPU one or Graphics thank god) so as Atomant said might have got just slightly dislodged.
Powered off, little check and power back on, much less of a noise then 1 min later stopped completely so success. So if my machine makes an odd sound over the Lan weekend and your sat next / opposite me then it is likely the fan (hopefully) and nothing about to go bang.... Famous last words :blink:
Main point learned from the whole exercise is as Tut mentioned the can gets cold very quickly while using so short bursts and small clean/new brush used on out side plastics and internal plastics not connected to motherboard or other main units.
So......you've got a bite and here it comes.
I used to fix SMT stuff back in the day, I never wore an earth strap, I never took precautions and aside from the odd grab of a capacitor that hadn't discharged (and yes, it hurts), I never fried any components with static. I've built PC's, back in the day when nicked car stereo's and Reebok pump were all the rage, and never had an issue. I vacuum my PC, it's turned off, but I've never, ever had a problem and I really get stuck in with the hose.
Unless you are Captain Sparky, just dust blow it and suck up the expelled mess with a vacuum cleaner.
-------
Cue a story from someone about the day the fried a CPU with a static discharge.
Ask Oldbloke about the 'Static Danger' training video at BT. Hillarious.
"WEAR A BAND OR STATIC WILL KILL YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY"
Quote from: Benny;376930So......you've got a bite and here it comes.
I used to fix SMT stuff back in the day, I never wore an earth strap, I never took precautions and aside from the odd grab of a capacitor that hadn't discharged (and yes, it hurts), I never fried any components with static. I've built PC's, back in the day when nicked car stereo's and Reebok pump were all the rage, and never had an issue. I vacuum my PC, it's turned off, but I've never, ever had a problem and I really get stuck in with the hose.
Unless you are Captain Sparky, just dust blow it and suck up the expelled mess with a vacuum cleaner.
-------
Cue a story from someone about the day the fried a CPU with a static discharge.
I've never worn a anti-static band, and never had a problem either. I've been building my own systems since they went to 586...so I'd probably be 7-8 when I actually started playing with parts obviously not paying thorough attention to electronics good practice.
The one time I've burned a component out before its time when building was when I put an over size CPU cooler on without enough clearance to my ram. As soon as I stood the computer up and tried to power it on. Something shorted.
TL: DR: I've never had problems with static, but have killed a computer with a direct short.
Quote from: atomant;376915Unlike a photo pack for lighting, which runs at 4800 watts, unlike a good guitar amp...you'd really need to create a static chrage. Rule one..Unplug unit..then discharge by turning unit on/ off..this will disapate the charge...
The static they are talking about happens when dust and elec mix..I remember getting a lift on a concrete floor with a Fender Amp from a discharge...get a wrist band called a ground strap..it's an urban myth that a vacuum will kill a computer...but it might kill you, you are the ground.
It's an urban myth that a vacuum will kill a computer.
urban myth..
Right when the vacuum cleaner runs, a static charge is generated when the air and dust runs past the plastic tube, a charge as high as 600 - 800mv can be generated with ease.
modern motherboards is safeguarded up to around 200-300mv, so the risk is there alright..
Quote from: Benny;376930So......you've got a bite and here it comes.
I used to fix SMT stuff back in the day, I never wore an earth strap, I never took precautions and aside from the odd grab of a capacitor that hadn't discharged (and yes, it hurts), I never fried any components with static. I've built PC's, back in the day when nicked car stereo's and Reebok pump were all the rage, and never had an issue. I vacuum my PC, it's turned off, but I've never, ever had a problem and I really get stuck in with the hose.
Unless you are Captain Sparky, just dust blow it and suck up the expelled mess with a vacuum cleaner.
-------
Cue a story from someone about the day the fried a CPU with a static discharge.
From what I have seen over my life......Static damage is very person dependant.......I've worked with 3 people who we never let anywhere near anything static sensitive as they blew everything they touched if not fully strapped up and everything done absolutely by the book.......wasn't worth the hassle so we had the "normal" people fix anything sensitive and banished the static freaks to somewhere less sensitive.
Strangely one of them got a shock from a 5v fuse holder one night ...... When I touched it I could feel nothing......we got one of the other oddjobs over and he got a shock also.......we dismounted it and meggered it and compared to a new one and the holder was lower resistance than it should have been - so......if you can feel 5v then you are a freak of nature and shouldn't go near anything sensitive ;) .....if you're normal then just take the basic precautions and discharge yourself regularly to something earthed.
Quote from: Niel;376967....if you're normal then just take the basic precautions and discharge yourself regularly to something earthed.
I try my best bud...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk and technology
Quote from: Niel;376967From what I have seen over my life......Static damage is very person dependant.......I've worked with 3 people who we never let anywhere near anything static sensitive as they blew everything they touched if not fully strapped up and everything done absolutely by the book.......wasn't worth the hassle so we had the "normal" people fix anything sensitive and banished the static freaks to somewhere less sensitive.
Strangely one of them got a shock from a 5v fuse holder one night ...... When I touched it I could feel nothing......we got one of the other oddjobs over and he got a shock also.......we dismounted it and meggered it and compared to a new one and the holder was lower resistance than it should have been - so......if you can feel 5v then you are a freak of nature and shouldn't go near anything sensitive ;) .....if you're normal then just take the basic precautions and discharge yourself regularly to something earthed.
I wouldn't stand anywhere near that chap in a lighting storm..hehe.