Dean Kukral wrote;
>I would be worried about the static electricity that might go along for the
>ride.  (I suspect that the risk is relatively small to a mb installed and
>grounded inside a case.)

The risk of static electricity  inside a box is not "relatively small". If
you are referring to the voltage of an ESD incident it is small compared to
other electrical voltages we encounter.

"Most people have been exposed to an over voltage discharge. A handshake,
for example, in a room with low air humidity sometimes produces a spark when
hands touch. This effect is amplified if the hand shakers are standing on a
carpet. Walk in leather-soled shoes on that carpet and body capacitance can
charge up to 25 kV."

While the voltage looks small don't be misled by the fact that any component
inside a case on a mother board will be affected by any ESD of any
magnitude. The voltage difference in the case and the person who is probing
around in the case is different. This is why some authorities recommend
wearing a conductive wrist band. There is the other side of the equation too
however I won't delve into that now.

>Compressed air from a can should be much safer, albeit more expensive.
>Personally, I would prefer just to blow the dust off rather than
>subject the pc to risk.

While compressed cans of "air" may be more expensive to the method Dale
Mentzer is using in his endeavor to recycle "Components" and give them an
extended life there are those out there that only need this method
occasionally. I do the compressed air method because it is quick, and
removes a lot of the dust more efficiently than other methods I've tried. I
use low pressure. It doesn't take 80psi to remove dust. Bottom line, it is
fast and efficient. Cost vs. vacuum. It is more efficient due to the fact it
will remove more dust and debris. If you do a lot of preventive maintenance
on client systems you have to get in and out quickly in order to be
efficient. We all have our own method to accomplish this task.

>After all, for most computers the dust is not going to be that big of a
>problem.

Well, not exactly. Dust and dirt as shown in this article will kill a system
faster than a blink of an eye.
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=60403472

Block a cooling fan on a CPU or Power Supply and your computing fun comes to
a quick end. You may not happy about it because you will have to spend money
to correct it. Some people can't afford to go here and this is why it is
important that the case be opened and inspected according to the environment
is which it is operated. If the case is on the floor, check it more often.
If it is on a desk then inspect it accordingly. If it runs all the time then
I would do a visual check monthly. One can always look at the exhaust fan on
a power supply as an indication of how dusty things are. There was a
discussion on the list years back where I shared about a case I was
presented that quit. I looked at it and knew it was hopeless. When I opened
it I pronounced it dead. Dust coupled with nicotine shorted out major
components. So, getting back to the statement of, "dust is not going to be
that big of a problem." I disagree with this assessment.

>A good lungs' puff gets rid of most of it.

This is both a health hazard and not efficient. You take a deep breath,
exhale and disturb the dust and at the same time you expel spittle. One will
do this more than once and in the process will inhale the very dust you are
trying to remove. It will get in your eyes, and lungs. This is a health
hazard. How do I know? I've done it. When I do a system I wear protective
gear. Mask and goggles. I also wash my hands after the process. There were
times I didn't and I rubbed my eyes and they became so irritated and red.
What is in the dust? I don't know but I have respect for it today.

> (The CPU is the part most prone to overheating, and it has a
>heat-sink and fan on it, so dust is not a problem; the video card and
<chipset may be hurt a little by dust, I suppose.)

No comment.

Sincerely,

Frank Suszka
netTek Computers
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