Re: Static is [not] your friend - vacuuming PC?

From: Watson A.Name - \ (NOSPAM_at_dslextreme.com)
Date: 10/28/04 

Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 01:21:12 -0700

"Floyd L. Davidson" <floyd@barrow.com> wrote in message
news:87lldsnrre.fld@barrow.com...
> Sammo <noone@no-where.com> wrote:
> >In terms of static, how safe is it to clean inside a home PC by using
> >a vacuum cleaner?
> >
> >Some people like this website suggest that it is unwise.
> >http://www.dansdata.com/sbs3.htm
>
> The web page descriptions are indeed fairly funny, if you know
> what they are talking about. But I highly suspect anyone with a
> limited background in Electro Static Discharge will be more
> confused than not.
>
> >If my PC is switched off but remains earthed (to the mains earth) and
> >I am careful not to do physical damage to the PC with my home vacuum
> >cleaner, then surely there is no problem with static?
> >
> >Am I overlooking something?
>
> Yep. Quite a lot.
>
> *Moving* *dry* *air* around is a great way to build up a static
> charge on any component that is an insulator.
>
> Hence *compressed* *dry* *air* and *vacuum* *cleaners* are not
> good ideas. In fact, compressed air might be worse because it
> can forcefully blast dust into places it wouldn't otherwise go.
>
> If you get enough charge (a few thousand volts, for example, is
> common), it will then break down the insulation between the
> charge and the next nearest object that is either also holding a
> charge or is able to dissipate the charge (e.g., a conductor).
> The current flow when that happens is what kills your computer.
> And it isn't just that specific current, but also any current
> induced into other conductors as a result of that current.
>
> The way to get the dust out of a computer case safely is to use
> a damp rag to manually pick up dust. It shouldn't be so wet
> that it drips moisture (though that isn't necessarily bad
> either, see below), but needs to be damp enough that dust will
> stick to it and static cannot build up on it. I personally
> prefer to have a large bowl of water mixed with a little
> household cleaner (such as 409 or Mr. Clean), in which the dust
> rag (a well worn bathroom wash cloth or a thin dish towel, is
> nice) is washed as it get dirty. The soapy water in the bowl
> should be changed somewhat regularly too, i.e. when it gets so
> dirty that as much dirt moves from the water to the rag as from
> the rag to the water!
>
> Which type of soap to use does make a difference. The idea is
> something that will dissolve any grease film or other coating
> that might be present, but even more important is that it be a
> good water dispersant. Automatic dishwater soap is perhaps the
> best in that respect.
>
> Note that there aren't many things which can actually be damaged
> by water itself. Disk drives or CRDOM/DVD drives (things with
> moving parts) can be damage by water. But keyboards and
> motherboards can be totally immersed in water without damage.
> Any time that a system is *really* dirty, or is taken apart for
> other reasons, it makes sense to literally wash the device in a
> kitchen sink with a solution of soapy water, and then rinse it
> off with a water spray if you have one of those handy spray
> hoses meant for cleaning dishes.

You've gone just plain NUTS. I have to replace a few keyboards every
month because some bozo spilled a bottle of Dasani water in it. Coffee
is even worse. The little rubber dimples in the rubber pad collect the
water, and they will *never* dry out unless you pull the keyboard apart
and let it dry. And the cost of labor is greater than the ten dollars a
new keyboard costs. And if you pull one apart, you may never be able to
get it back together. Don't believe me? Try it sometime with a defunct
keyboard! The really funny part of all this is the deviant behavior the
user will display when you ask him or her if they spilled something in
the keyboard. "Who, me? Never!" and I pick the keyboard up and the
wter drips out of it. Yeah, right. >:-(

Floyd doesn't tell you but he lives in an igloo in a god-forsaken part
of Northern Alaska where the ground is frozen all year long. His harsh
cleaning methods aren't recommended and are a lot of hooey, IMHO,
because the rag will damage the pins of the chips in a circuit board.
It's insane to use anything but compressed air.

> If the water supply is very hard (filled with minerals) and will
> leave a residue, use a final bath of rubbing alcohol. Otherwise
> a very dilute solution of automatic dishwater soap is probably best.
> (It will leave a very thin film of water dispersant, loaded with
> water, on everything. That will help protect against static and
> it will also reduce dust build up because of reduced static build
> up.)
>
> After such a dunking it takes considerable time to be sure that
> the water has dried completely. In places where the humidity is
> low that will happen in a day or two anyway, so just put it on
> the shelf and wait. Otherwise one method is to use a kitchen
> oven on warm, leave the door partially open and put the device
> inside the oven for several hours.

Nuts! Totally nuts! That's an excellent way to ruin it! You'll bake
the circuit board!

> But *don't* use compressed air, vacuum cleaners, plastic brushes,
> or synthetic cloth to clean a computer. And don't do it on a
> day when the relative humidity is 10% either.

Which is ALL the time where you live! You've gotta be _kidding_ with
this post!

> --
> FloydL. Davidson <http://web.newsguy.com/floyd_davidson>
> Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@barrow.com

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