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RAM contact spray?
Ath:
Oh, and even a sticky-note would live long enough to clean 4 DIMM's (yes, it's normal for the paper to get thorn by the sharp edges of the connector). And I usually have plenty of those lying around.
4wd:
^Now that's a new one ... I usually just use one of those large rubber pencil erasers.-Stoic Joker (February 14, 2015, 08:26 AM)
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Back when we were having an argument ... discussion of alternative methods of contact cleaning :)
Stoic Joker:
^Now that's a new one ... I usually just use one of those large rubber pencil erasers.-Stoic Joker (February 14, 2015, 08:26 AM)
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Back when we were having an argument ... discussion of alternative methods of contact cleaning :)
-4wd (February 14, 2015, 10:17 PM)
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See, I told you I was old - That was only 6 years ago...and I forgot already. :D
MikleB:
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[ WARNING: Do not buy this linked item for use on a computer's circuits! Read till the end to find out why. ]
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Funnily enough I had forgoten myself that these puffer dusters are usefull for printed circuit board cleaning, as I had come across this tip years ago for gently blowing out contacts on the back of Hi-Fi gear (To stop crackle in the sound.) and it was mentioned there that internal use is also recommended to stop heat build up. (Reminds me I must blow out all my Hi-Fi gear... I live in a slightly dusty area and haven't done it for years. and it should be done regularly.)
(not sure how long the link will last, but...) Something like this? They call it a 1-handed puffer duster.
-Stoic Joker (February 14, 2015, 01:07 PM)
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This looks like a eBay store add and will most likely be there for years... 137 sold when I looked suggests an eBay store, and the price is attractive (US$10) but for me in Australia the US$52 postage puts it out of the question ( :().
If you want this kind of a thing in a hurry then any camera 'Puffer Duster' will do the trick and they are all priced around the same. Just head off to a camera store and they should have one.
They are recommended for cleaning camera lenses and the internals (The lens well that opens when you change lenses on reflex lensed cameras... Both film {Single Lens Reflex} and digital {Digital Single Lens Reflex} cameras are 'interchgeable lensed' cameras and are called reflex types as the internal mirror mechanics is called the "reflex" mirror system, and this area may contain dust that can be shaken loose when wielding the camera about or just taking a picture as the mechanism operates and shakes the dust loose and thusly it can float inside within the light path for hours, and for film cameras, also occasionally clean the film roller guides and shutter in the rear also {Shutters are not in the lenses... those are apertures, which is a common source of confusion [Shutters open and shut to let the light through, like your eyelids. Appertures control the amount of light addmited to the film, like your eye's iris].}.) of any dust within the camera as they do not touch the lens as even lens cleaning cloths will over time pick up body oils, so they (Cloths.) should be used sparingly and replaced whenever they start to look a little grubby or don't clean as effectively as you would hope. NEVER touch or use anything but a blower to clean the mirror as this is of the front surfaced kind (Household mirrors are rear surfaced... Silver coating on the rear.) as they only blow off what is already there.
{NB: The above service message was brought to you by my desire for you to take cleaner pictures! ;D}
I would have bought the eBay one as my camera one is all rubber (No problem with that, they all work on the same principal as an eyedropper.) but I prefer to leave it with my camera kit and a good second one would not go astray but in this case the postage price prohibits this. Nice sturdy design though being partly metal. ¿?¿?... :o I just realised that the fact that they are metal could be a problem if dropped onto a motherboard as even when powered off voltages flow within a motherboard and they could short and fry components :down:, so my recommendation would be to go for an all rubber one. :Thmbsup:
EDIT after doing more research on the item in question:
There is no information regarding this on the the originally linked page but the nozzle may be entirely metal, as I discovered one to have when I did a general eBay search looking for other suppliers that may ship at a better price as I like the item and thought that I may try to acquire one and exchange it for my camera one.
I did find one shop with a little higher price and a fairish shipping but still too pricey when combined as I could pay half the total at my local camera store for a second one. This site had a picture of the item with the nozzle clearly being made of metal and a lengthy description including that the nozzle is metal. So even more reason to avoid for circuit board usage. Even if the original posted link's
item looks a bit different it may just be a painted nozzle and also be metal itself. I went on about this previously as the top definitely is and maybe the bottom also is metal on the original one.
I wouldn't chance it for the usage that this thread is aimed at either way even if the price was reasonable. Not even for my camera. So consider carefully if you think you would like one.
A clear case of buyer beware (As eBay generally is not a good place to rush any purchase.) and the need to do a thourough investigation on items one would like to purchase (At least sometimes with a second search on eBay, more information may be gleaned from a second seller's description, it sometimes is a nice place to go shopping {As opposed to go buying!}.).
Cheers
MikleB:
G'day again.
I thought I best start a new, more on topic reply as my previous post started off as more of a reply as to how long the 'Small Bellows Puffer Cleaner' would be available mussing of Stoic Joker [On February 14, 2015, 01:07:16 PM] and just grew out of proportion and a little off topic. ;)
A few thoughts on readily available cleaning solutions (As in liquids.) and methodologies for cleaning any kinds of electrical contacts.
Isopropyl alcohol has been mentioned before and commercial spray contact cleaners often use this and aren't too expensive and usually come with extension pipes that attach to the nozzle for hard to reach places and if I recall my chemistry, it is also what is used in nail polish remover. (Use only the non-oily kind... If you need to clean a bit more thoroughly that a spray. IE: If their is a smoker in the household for example... as the smoke will leave a decent amount of residue over time, and this could be the case. A small bottle will last for years and should be available from a Chemist/Drug Store, but may not be at a discount drug supply chain (In Australia, a store name that comes to mind is 'Priceline', a discount chemists that would have nail polish remover for sure but probably only the oily kind for the person that doesn't like that dry out their hands, and not the non-oily kind. You know the kind of shop I mean to avoid if you wish to find this product.), that pushes brands but has no real base product diversity if you get my drift. A few drops on a tissue or cotton ear bud and a quick but firm wipe will do the trick nicely.
I use Isopropyl alcohol but I have liters of the stuff as I used to grab it from work (My father's plastics business had a print shop and it was used to thin the inks.) and it cleans gooey grime off everything (Metals, Perspex, glass, brickwork [Great to remove glue and felt pen marks.], etc, etc...). Love it. Actually, one might be able to buy a small amount from a local to you, packaging printer or maybe just about any printer as I suspect that it is fairly commonly used throughout most of the commercial printing trades. The fumes are a little strong and may induced a little light headedness.
Just be a little careful using it on most plastics like CD covers, Hi-Fi display panes, etc... (Nooooo! It will eat into them! But soft plastics. like the formulations that are used in say bread wraps, carrier bags, etc... {That's what the business was.} or children's plastic toys and those based on this type of plastic are fine with it.). It is fairly cheap and in my experience better than Methylated Spirits. Also, it is benign to circuit board formulations and the bond between the board and the metal contacts and evaporates fairly fast and if the amount of grime needs a bath to loosen it (How such system would continue working till it reaches this state is puzzling in itself, but some industrial installations are very dirt generating and machinery manufacturers do use reseatable/replaceable componentry for areas other than PC related items.), a little poured into a plate and dipping only the contacts that requires cleaning into the pool of liquid will facilitate loosening up heavy coatings.
Methylated Spirits has always worked fine in my experience and it may have a residue but this is far less than that left by nicotine or if the electronics are near a kitchen (Open plan houses with kitchens adjacent to family rooms come to mind.) and thus may be contaminated by cooking oil fumes. If I'm asked to attend to a friends Hi-Fi gear at their homes and if they have some I will use this in a snap, or recommend that they get a little and do it themselves latter (Glass cleaner is my second choice in this circumstance but may be a bit 'iffy' inside electronic circuit areas, but is OK for RCA plugs and such.).
Erasers, the ink ones at least if they have a fairly fine granularity, are great for getting rid of small areas of corrosion when used gently. The pencil ones are sometimes OK but may be too gentle and Art Gum erasers are just about useless for this purpose. If you dare, try a little toothpaste as this has very fine polishing grit (Yes it's true.) in the formulation (This will also remove fine scratches from CDs, DVDs Blue-Rays and may restore playability if not overdone, and also the jewel case covers of CDs.), but it will then need a carefull wash with a water dampened cotton ear bud, finishing off with alcohol as an aid in water dispersion and drying. If you have heavy corrosion, a diamond cleaning stick (Available at good jewelers for a few dollars... Made from glass fibers, and surprisingly, benign enough not to remove gold, hence it's use in the jewelery trade is absolutely the bees leg joint. Will last for years. And the significant other's jewels will gleam into the bargain and they'll think you really care about their appearance and may be all the more frisky for it! If' that's a good thing in your books. ;D).
Finally a blow off with a good commpressed air blast or more gentle puffer, as the case may require, just before reinsertion and that B person is your uncle.
{Another post covering all the bases that I can currently think of or have experienced... Cleanliness being next to godliness as the saying goes. And no I haven't been sniffing the Isopropyl alcohol as I am sick of the stench it, very long term familiarity breeding contempt and such is it's current effect on me. Yechh! :sick:}
Cheers and hopefully someone can find this rant usefull and not too off topic. :)
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