freebsd-questions Digest, Vol 654, Issue 6

[Dave B]

On 16/12/16 14:21, Tim Daneliuk wrote:
> On 12/16/2016 08:14 AM, Dave B via freebsd-questions wrote:
>> Check the health of the cooling systems in your notebook.
> This. Like I most of us, I am the "IT Repair Department" for friends and
> family.  You have no idea how many computers I have "fixed" simply by
> blowing the dust out of the cooling path and off the motherboards.
> Mac laptops, especially, seem to be built to very tight cooling tolerances.
>
> Recommend taking the unit apart and then going outside to blow the dust
> out of the guts of thing.  Never use a vacuum cleaner to do this because -
> unless specifically designed for electronics - vacuum cleaners will generate
> a lot of static electricity which is deadly to solid state parts.
>
>
Even using an air-duster-in-a-tin can create static charges.  (Any air
movement over a surface can.)  But in practice, it's not a problem is
used sensibly, within a largely complete PC, or on a laptop exposed but
not dismantled main board.   (individual assemblies, RAM sticks and
such, then the static can do damage, but much less so, when they are
installed in a socket.)

More a problem, is that it is sometimes possible to blow dust into the
internals of fan motors and cause problems, but even that is rare.  Try
not to let fan's spin too fast either.  Some can generate quite a bit of
voltage, and that could do something as it finds it's way back into the
machine.

I'm always amazed at the amount of otherwise good hardware that is
chucked away, just for the want of a bit of maintenance.  UPS's are a
prime example, a good clean out and new batteries, and often they are as
good as new.

Seasons Greetings etc.

Dave B.