Computer Ventilation

[Guest]

Just a tip. every now & then my system shouts out nebuliser required.

Some time ago I thought the fan was giving up poor little thing was groaning.

Opened up & hoovered out all the junk. Put it all back together & not even a little squeak now.

So every 6 months it get the feather duster.

My little dittie Jersey Testament, Stewart Proverbs verse 10.

Laurie

[Dave Ward]

Laurie,
it's amazing the dust bunnies that live in the base of computers. Mine resides in my living room, which is pretty clean, but it still hoovers up the dust! I find that grime accumulates on the leading edge of the fan blades - it not only makes the fan inefficient, but can unbalance it - making it noisy it's also a good idea to make sure that any cable/wires don't obstruct the air flow. I have in the past used the airbrush to blow through the case, but only when seriously dirty. Also, when the case is open, I take the opportunity to check that all the components & cables are seated properly. Parts can back out of their sockets with heating/cooling, and cause faults which can be a devil to locate!
Dave

[Tim Marlow]

The static generated by a computer will also attract airborne dust particles, so it’s a very worthwhile tip Laurie/Dave, thanks.

[Guest]

Parts can back out of their sockets with heating/cooling, and cause faults which can be a devil to locate!

The Apple III, in the early 1980s, apparently had that a lot. Officially recommended fix: lift up the computer from the desk a short distance and drop it back onto it (bottom first, of course). This would re-seat any chips that had come loose from the heat.

[Tim Marlow]

This technique is still in use at the MOD training facility on Salisbury plain run by one of the major computer network companies. It’s actually written up as an SOP, with defined lift height and everything!

[Dave Ward]

The DIMM memory chips were the worst offenders in backing out - this could result in intermittent faults, which in no way pointed to the memory! I spent a fair few hours troubleshooting the computers I built ( as a sideline in the 90s ), until I realised this! That was always the first thing I tried, taking the memory chips out & refitting.
The sideline became less & less profitable as system prices dropped, and I gave up in the early 2000s.
Dave

[minitnkr]

I remember a "drop" procedure for car batteries to remove accumulated scale from internal plates that could cause "bad cells".