Horizontally mounted motherboards

[4D Karaoke]

To anyone who has the rack mounted MTU computer, and for that matter, any other PC with a horizontally mounted motherboard:

Beware of any loose hardware that may fall on your motherboard and cause an intermittant or permanent failure. I experienced a potential disaster when hardware from my video connection fell onto my motherboard. Luckily, the system wasn't powered up. Upon further inspection of other hardware inside my computer, I found extra screws for board additions (PCI) that were on the verge of falling out. Take a minute and check yours out and recheck them yearly. Use a thread sealer, light epoxy, or tamperproof solution to insure hardware from falling out.

Davey G.

[ddouglass]

Good information Davey! Its a good idea to clean your fans and vacuum out the dust (carefully) at that time too.

[goonie227]

If I Tip Mine The rong Way the wiring harnes hits the cpu fan so this was a good tip

[kilith]

Originally Posted by ddouglass

Good information Davey! Its a good idea to clean your fans and vacuum out the dust (carefully) at that time too.

LOL never NEVER use a vacuum around the inside of your computer!!!!!!! That is 100% static electricity!!! Only use a can of high pressure air. Trust me that is enough to clean your fans. I have replaced to many peoples computer motherboards because they said they cleaned out their case and then I asked them how and they said with their hose and vacuum...

once again:

Never use a vacuum to clean out any part of your computer. It could cause static electricty damage to the components of your computer and you would never know until there was a failure.

I am a computer technician (well that is what I went to college for but became a DJ/KJ lol go figure no jobs in that field after I graduated)

[kilith]

Originally Posted by kilith

LOL never NEVER use a vacuum around the inside of your computer!!!!!!! That is 100% static electricity!!! Only use a can of high pressure air. Trust me that is enough to clean your fans. I have replaced to many peoples computer motherboards because they said they cleaned out their case and then I asked them how and they said with their hose and vacuum...

once again:

Never use a vacuum to clean out any part of your computer. It could cause static electricty damage to the components of your computer and you would never know until there was a failure.

I am a computer technician (well that is what I went to college for but became a DJ/KJ lol go figure no jobs in that field after I graduated)

I am going to change this to never use a vacuum to if you get a special and right type of hand held computer vacuum and are careful then yes... DO NOT USE YOUR HOUSEHOLD VACUUM It will cause a lot of static electricty.

[4D Karaoke]

A-Ok on the vacuum cleaner. I used an approved one that was mine from work before they forced me to take early retirement (Yes, I'm an "Old Fart"!) from Agere Systems (formally Lucent, formally AT&T, formally Western Electric) -LOL- . I kinda prefer the compressed air deal. Good note about vacuums to those that aren't aware of this situation. Thanks.

[mindonstrike]

Kilith is it static charge on the vacumn that is being tranfered to the computer when you make physical contact or is it being created by the fast moving air?

I've been vacumning mine for years but I never let the hose or attachement come in physical contact with anything inside the case.

Sam

[kilith]

Originally Posted by mindonstrike

Kilith is it static charge on the vacumn that is being tranfered to the computer when you make physical contact or is it being created by the fast moving air?

I've been vacumning mine for years but I never let the hose or attachement come in physical contact with anything inside the case.

Sam

I am guessing by what I was told over and over in computer class in school in 200-2002 and for what I read on the internet when I search for it, that it is the movement of the air. The thing is you might now know it now and it could take months or years before it could just one day fry.

If you are holding it 2 feet outside of your case I doubt anything would ever happen but if you are sticking that hose inside of the case (even if not right on the motherboard) you could be causing damage. It is best to go out and buy a battery powered vacuum. If you look at computer vacuums they can start at 28 dollars and work their way up to a fully ESD-Safe vacuum which is over 300 dollars.

I guess the best way to test your vacuum to see how much ESD if has is use a balloon and how it away from the end of the hose for a little while and then see if when putting the balloon near your head if it raises your hair up. If it does then you are probably causing damage to your computer.

[horseshoe]

If it was movement of the air, why wouldn't blowing it do the same damage?

I would suspect that it is contact with the components that causes the problems. Vacuum cleaner ends are usually plastic or rubber, and that is a great concern about static electricity. Especially one that had been used to clean a carpet before being used on the computer.

I would think a metal wand on the vacuum, that has a grounding strap on it, would work fine. But then again, what the heck do I know. Maybe a garden hose would work better if you only used half pressure....LOL