dust on pci cards?

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blankbandit

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okay, so i hear dust is like cancer for computer components. i swapped sound cards recently and i noticed a lot of dust on my cards. how do i get it off? can i wipe it w/ a cloth? can i used those pressurized air blower can things?
 
blankbandit said:
okay, so i hear dust is like cancer for computer components. i swapped sound cards recently and i noticed a lot of dust on my cards. how do i get it off? can i wipe it w/ a cloth? can i used those pressurized air blower can things?

Yes, that pressurized air in cans works very well for cleaning any dust, it also works well for things such as cleaning your keyboard, dust off of your desk, etc.

You can also wipe it off with a cloth, but only if you are careful and arent stupid enough to bend one of the parts on one of the cards! :D
 
well the thing is, i used the air can but it just blows off the immediate dust. there';s still visible dust there but i was just worried bout esd and wiping w/ a cloth.
 
hehe .. equip yourself with some canned air and maybe a cotton swab for smaller components, if its hard to reach i would maybe risk taking out the card if it can handle it.. =\
 
MicroBell said:
Use a new clean paint brush (2 or 3 inche size)...works wonders and doesn't effect the componets. I use the paint brush first to losen up the caked on crap...then hit it with air.

Cloth..could catch a diod or something and pull it away from the board....so I would advise not to use that. Don't use a paint brush that has been used already if you can avoid it.

That's what we were told to do when I was in computer repair.. You can get kits that come with special brush's for fine computer parts. I'm sure you could find some if you did a search on google.
 
rookie1010 said:
i thought cloth would generate esd, and would "aid" in frying ones components.

Hence why you use a plastic bristle brush... I bet you can even find ESD safe ones on the internet.
 
I use the amazing red rag. You know it's good for everything. That's right... the amazing red rag!

You find them sold in auto stores ( i work on cars alot ). They're made of cotton, and don't easily shred or tear. If i'm wiping something, i use them. They don't cause ESD either. If i'm cleaning something that requires more attention to detail, i use toothpicks or qtips wrapped with the end of my amazing red rag. LoL.

If i'm cleaning contacts, metal (like the inside of a dusty case), or something that really requires it, i use alcohol. It evaporates easily and quickly and its safe for general use, although i wouldnt suggest it to someone who didn't know what they were doing. I really only bring out the alcohol when i really really have to.

I've cleaned out dozens of computers, cards, chips, fans, and non computer equipment, over the years. I've never used those fancy can's of compressed air, and the few times i've looked for it in a hurry at my local stores, they never have them. For me it's always been... yep you've guessed it... the amazing red rag LoL. Well that and a little creative ingenuinity! :)
 
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