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O.T. Cleaning computer
What are your thoughts about cleaning
the inside of computers with anti-static brushes, compressed air, vacuum? I've always been leery about brushing the motherboard etc because it seems so delicate. Thoughts? Robert |
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O.T. Cleaning computer
On Fri, 30 Nov 2018 04:00:23 -0800 (PST), Mark Twain
wrote: What are your thoughts about cleaning the inside of computers with anti-static brushes, compressed air, vacuum? I've always been leery about brushing the motherboard etc because it seems so delicate. Thoughts? Robert I've never given it a thought or had any problems. Once a year I haul the desktop outside and hit all the nooks and crannies with compressed air (and then let it sit for a day to allow any entrained water evaporate - I don't have a dryer on my air compressor - but if you use a aerosol product you may still get condensate (water) to form on parts since that stuff is cold coming out of the can, and if the dew-point and temperature cross paths...) If I have it open for things like component tinkering, I use a paint brush and a vacuum cleaner to slurp up the gradoo. (old TV servicing trick) If you are worried about static damage, the single most important thing you can do is avoid touching a charged body (presumably your body) to a component without first touching the grounded case of the computer to equalize the charges. And not recommended for components, but very effective, a strip of something like masking tape can be useful in picking up dust from things like ventilation holes in the case. I'm an electrical engineer so things like static equalization is second nature when I get my hands on CMOS devices, but I don't spend money for specific tools that are supposed to be "static-safe" because the tools matter a lot less than good technique. |
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O.T. Cleaning computer
On Fri, 30 Nov 2018 14:01:26 +0100, "R.Wieser"
wrote: Mark, What are your thoughts about cleaning the inside of computers with anti-static brushes, compressed air, vacuum? My personal favorite is using a vacuum, simply because that has the least chance of pushing dirt into tight spots where you can't get at it anymore. I've always been leery about brushing the motherboard etc because it seems so delicate. I would not want to suggest to use brillo (steel wool) or a horse brush, but there is nothing wrong with using a feather brush (plumeau) on a motherboard. Or even a (clean! :-) ) paintbrush (as I sometimes use for "stubborn" dirt). It might *seem* very delicate ('cause the components are often very small), but you might be amazed about the ammount of force needed to get one off or break it. Regards, Rudy Wieser I use water (clean de ionized) and a tooth brush for those hard to remove laundry stains. The thing has to be off and the BIOS battery has to be removed and the caps discharged. The technique works very well on electronic components providing you keep it away from things like unsealed switches, relays, motors, potentiometers, connectors and the like and give it plenty of time to dry in a warm oven or vacuum oven if you have access to one. It must be dried soon after it is washed and connectors take a long time to dry. Dry soon after wash is necessary because dissimilar metals can form electrical potentials in electrolyte solutions. It is the only technique that works for things like insect poop which can be found on things like circuit boards for outdoor equipment and salt spray on marine equipment. Things like the drive circuits for AC compressors with variable speed drive? That stuff (insect gradoo) is hygroscopic semi-conductive and with surface mount components and close lead spacing, can cause problems during times of high humidity. Water with dish detergent is great for cleaning, but you do have to develop some techniques to use it safely and effectively. You can't just spray it in a device, but have to take out the boards out and then pay attention to drying before applying power or batteries again. |
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O.T. Cleaning computer
Mark,
What are your thoughts about cleaning the inside of computers with anti-static brushes, compressed air, vacuum? My personal favorite is using a vacuum, simply because that has the least chance of pushing dirt into tight spots where you can't get at it anymore. I've always been leery about brushing the motherboard etc because it seems so delicate. I would not want to suggest to use brillo (steel wool) or a horse brush, but there is nothing wrong with using a feather brush (plumeau) on a motherboard. Or even a (clean! :-) ) paintbrush (as I sometimes use for "stubborn" dirt). It might *seem* very delicate ('cause the components are often very small), but you might be amazed about the ammount of force needed to get one off or break it. Regards, Rudy Wieser |
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O.T. Cleaning computer
Mark Twain wrote:
What are your thoughts about cleaning the inside of computers with anti-static brushes, compressed air, vacuum? I've always been leery about brushing the motherboard etc because it seems so delicate. Thoughts? Robert Static electricity is generated by dust-filled air moving past other items. Whether the airflow is with positive pressure (compressor), or with negative pressure (vacuum cleaner), there is the possibility of generating static electricity. If your tooling scrapes across the surface of a motherboard, it can knock off SMT capacitors and resistors. That's not good. While bypass caps (like the broadside caps under the CPU), a lot of those can be knocked off, the caps used for AC coupling PCIe lanes, losing those ruins functionality. Your main enemy would be the notion of "scrupulous cleaning". Trying to get every last bit of dust. Gently blow out the "excess" of dust in the case and call it a day. The dust will come back, unless you've made major changes to airflow conditions or something. It's not worth "scrubbing" stuff, only to have the dust come back five minutes from now. To give you an example of what can happen, I took a cleaning cloth, moistened with isopropyl, to clean the fan blade on the CPU cooler. I pulled a little too hard on the hub, and some "spring" on the hub of the Coolermaster fan was moved out of place. The fan was ruined, as I couldn't get it to go back. I had to replace the fan with a Vantec Stealth that was the same size. I do clean dust out of heatsink fins. As you can get quite a bit of blockage there, depending on fin spacing. I have a vacuum kit but due to the small diameter of the hose on that, it doesn't have a tremendous airflow. And it's enough to clear a blockage, where they exist. My other heatsink, there's no dust on it, as the fin spacing is large enough to make it "self-clearing". With the system off, you can visually inspect for a dust plug. On a Windows 10 system, turn off the power at the back, so that the system doesn't wake up while the vacuum is shoved through some fan fins. There's always a risk you might damage something. Dusty systems seem to continue running. Paul |
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O.T. Cleaning computer
Mark Twain wrote:
What are your thoughts about cleaning the inside of computers with anti-static brushes, compressed air, vacuum? I've always been leery about brushing the motherboard etc because it seems so delicate. Thoughts? Robert For over 11 years I've gently used a paint brush and vacuumed up the dust. And, I'm still standing. Touches wood. Oh, I've always earthed myself to a radiator before I take the desktop into the garage. |
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O.T. Cleaning computer
On Fri, 30 Nov 2018 04:00:23 -0800 (PST), Mark Twain
wrote: What are your thoughts about cleaning the inside of computers with anti-static brushes, compressed air, vacuum? I've always been leery about brushing the motherboard etc because it seems so delicate. Thoughts? Once a year I take my PC outside, ground it, tape the ventilators so they can't spin and take a leaf-blower to it. My 1997 and 1998 PCs still works fine, as do all my more modern ones. The only MB that died on me was a SOYO with leaking capacitors, and that was over a decade ago. I might just be lucky - so take care. []'s -- Don't be evil - Google 2004 We have a new policy - Google 2012 |
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O.T. Cleaning computer
Mark Twain wrote:
What are your thoughts about cleaning the inside of computers with anti-static brushes, compressed air, vacuum? I've always been leery about brushing the motherboard etc because it seems so delicate. Thoughts? Robert Things I've learned from scada systems work: Regular synthetic or hair brushes create static. Get a couple of antistatic brushes off of ebay. Don't use the anti-huff and puff compressed air stuff either. It has a bitterant which will leave deposits on everything. PVnRT: expanding air gets cold and condenses moisture on things. Ground everything first, including yourself. I often stick a wire in my boot and let it drag on the ground. An air compressor works well if if has a drier and deoiler. Computer fans explode violently at about 30,000 rpm. |
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O.T. Cleaning computer
I want to thank everyone for their
thoughts and suggestions. I myself have used a clean soft paint brush and vacuum to clean out my computer but I never touch the motherboard etc because I'm afraid of screwing something up. Robert |
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O.T. Cleaning computer
The last time I had the 8500 open I did want
to clean the heat sink on the 8500 but the fan is right on top of it so I need to remove it but one screw seemed tight and I didn't want to put any pressure on it to remove it so I left it alone. So how do I get around that? Try again? Thanks, Robert |
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O.T. Cleaning computer
In message , Mr Pounder Esquire
writes: [] Oh, I've always earthed myself to a radiator before I take the desktop into the garage. Good idea, but voltage is relative - it's more important that you touch (an exposed metal part of) the chassis before touching anything inside - in theory, it probably doesn't matter if you're at 1 kV, if the chassis is also at 1 kV. (Well, I exaggerate for effect, but YKWIM.) If the chassis and you are both grounded, even better. Often achievable by leaving the mains lead (US: line cord) plugged in, assuming it's a 3-pin plug. (The kV reference reminds me of an anecdote a colleague told me, from well before computers. He was working with highish voltages; after turning things off, he carefully grounded a capacitor terminal. Then touched its negative terminal ... [I told you voltage is relative!]) Have you ever disagreed with a petition, but been frustrated that there's no way you can *show* that you disagree? If so, visit 255soft.uk - and please pass it on, especially to twitter, facebook, gransnet/mumsnet, or any such. -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf By most scientific estimates sustained, useful fusion is ten years in the future - and will be ten years in the future for the next fifty years or more. - "Hamadryad", ~2016-4-4 |
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O.T. Cleaning computer
Mark Twain wrote:
The last time I had the 8500 open I did want to clean the heat sink on the 8500 but the fan is right on top of it so I need to remove it but one screw seemed tight and I didn't want to put any pressure on it to remove it so I left it alone. So how do I get around that? Try again? Thanks, Robert I see two levels to work at. https://i.postimg.cc/W4jYgKmQ/8500-cooler.jpg If you remove the four spring-loaded retention screws, all that will do is give you access to the bottom of the heatsink. And that isn't where the dust would be. It's more likely to be up close to the fan, where it blows down through the fins. If, on the other hand, you try to separate the fan from the heatsink, can you actually do that ? Some fans use metalwork screws that "bite" into the aluminum heatsink fins. That tends to kick up metal filings, which can fall down on the motherboard. And if instead, that's actually some sort of rivet I'm looking at, and not a screw, that spells trouble too. If you do pull the heatsink assembly off the processor, you'll have to check the paste or thermal interface material (TIM) before reassembly. Some Intel heatsinks had a black brittle material screened onto the heatsink, and that stuff melts a bit and flows. If you disassemble that a couple of times, it'll get quite messed up and difficult to seat properly again. Then it's time for AS3 or AS5 or similar paste material. Little chores like this are fine, as long as you have the materials handy for reassembly. I still have a little bit of AS3 left (it's a paste with boron nitride, but it's also got some silver particles in it). Paul |
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O.T. Cleaning computer
In your image (2) are actually screws and
those were the ones I was attempting to unscrew because I could see that the spring loaded ones were not what I needed to remove the fan. Hmmmm I never thought of metal filings dropping to the motherboard. I think I should leave well enough alone. As I said I don't want to mess things up. Robert |
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O.T. Cleaning computer
I meant (rivets) not(2) of course..
Maybe I can get a set of anti-static brushes that can get in-between the fan blades to clean/loosen the dust and then vacuum? I don't think they thought much about maintenance when they build computers. .. Robert |
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O.T. Cleaning computer
In passing... had (4) power outages
today all while I was online! Thankfully the 8500 came back up OK each time. Robert |
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