Anti-static handling and vacuum cleaning

[Adrian C]

I'm running about the country and overseas like a mad fool slamming memory inside some really dirty workstations, and employer has seen fit to supply new dimms packed roughly in clear clipseal polythene bags. :-(

I'm of the old school thoughts of handling these devices, earthing meself, no body contact with contacts. blah de blah...

These bags ain't the pink polythene type but feel similar to the touch. What's the difference?

Another engineer (me slave on the job) is somewhat ignorant of all of this and throws these things around like sweeties, and worse just clips them into motherboards caked with dust. When I cornered him about that, I got a lecture about the dangers of vacuum cleaning creating static - which I do know about.

But faced with a machine disabled by crap in the socket and also blocked heatsinks, I've no choice but to request a hoover from maintenance and do a cleanup. Then the machine boots...

So, I'd like a cheap portable anti-static vaccum cleaner, and would be nice if it was something that can also cope with toner powder. Anyone make one at reasonable price below £300?

[Andy Burns]

Not sure about this one handling toner

manufacturer certainly does tonervacs too, so you might be able to compare specs

[Hugh - Was Invisible]

The method of choice is to use a can of compressed air often known as an air duster. Not all that practicable in some areas. I makes a mess even when I do our home PCs. Vacuum cleaners do carry a static risk. No idea whether there any specifically designed not to produce static.

[Tired]

Get a blower not a sucker, an air compressor will do, or a dozen cans.

[Lee]

If it's moving the air that causes static, what's the difference between blowing or sucking? I use a vacuum with an earthed "tip" doubt it makes any difference to the static though ;) I used to worry about static, but I'm of the opinion these days that as long as the parts are in a built circuit it's not the issue it used to be. I'm still careful with component parts though some habits are hard to shake :)

[Rob Morley]

The pink ones are doped with something to make therm slightly conductive, and pink so you can tell.

Google suggests these for starters:

[Rob Morley]

Because we really want all that accumulated muck blown everywhere.

I think that's a reasonable compromise, in that it presumably prevents a build-up of charge on the nozzle. It could however allow sudden earthing of a charge that had accumulated on the component being cleaned.

I'm at best only semi-observant of ESD precautions, and I don't think I've ever had a catastrophic failure as a result of mishandling - whether long-term damage has been caused is of course much harder to determine.

[BigWallop]

Why not just use a wrist strap from the vacuum nozzle to the casing of the machine you're working on? That brings everything to, roughly, the same potential and lowers any possible ES Discharge.

I also invested in a pair of these

(well, not exactly these, but close to) because I was working down to component level on a few things. They are great for umpiring tournament snooker as well. :-)

--- Posted via news://freenews.netfront.net/ - Complaints to [e-mail]

[Mike Tomlinson]

En el artículo , Adrian C escribió:

Forget the vacuum cleaner, go with cans of compressed air. Take the machine outside to do it.

It'll do a much better job than any vacuum and it's kinda satisfying seeing the clouds of dust blow out and away.

The only drawback is that the cans are f'ing expensive for what they are and don't last all that long.

[PeterC]

Pump-up garden sprayer? Something that I haven't seen advertised for ages: cans that can be pumped up with a bike pump (care - some pumps are capable of 10 Bar).

[robgraham]

Going slightly sideways on this one - what earthing mechanism is possible for vacuum cleaner piping ? I use one of those cheap multivac things in the workshop to clean up shavings and dust from the wood turning lathe and am for ever getting a belt if I touch the metalwork - OK don't touch anything but it would be nice if there was an easy way to ground the nozzle, etc. Rob

[Andy Burns]

[Andy Burns]

duster and the comments from people who tried to use it as one seem to be disappointed with their attempts ...

[Adrian C]

[Chris Whelan]

[...]

"Proper" anti-ESD industrial plastic hose uses wire spiralled around the hose, and embedded in it. You can simulate that by stripping flex, winding the bare flex spirally around the outside of the hose, then taping or cable tying it in place. You then need to earth the end of the flex. Aim for a spacing between turns about the same as the diameter of the hose.

I've done this loads of times as a temporary solution in a factory situation where operators got static shocks from conveyed powders.

Anti-ESD vacuum cleaners use hoses made with conductive particles embedded in them; I doubt they would be available separately.

Chris

[Adrian C]

Ah, I've seen the convac hoses are available seperately (£10). Forget toner ability for the moment (I'll buy a convac cleaner for that some other time), I'm going to mod a decent hand held mains cleaner with this and other ESD measures.

Thanks

[The Medway Handyman]

Don't know how much, but this is the machine for the job.

[PeterC]

Possibly sprays the air rather than giving a jet. The garden sprayers are adjustable - I'll see if mine will work next Spring.

[The Medway Handyman]

>Googles; your budget.

[Daniel James]

However: I'm not convinced that blowing is any better than sucking from a static PoV ... if you blow a gas (such as air) fast enough through a nozzle of any kind you will get some ionization of the gas and some charge build-up on the nozzle. Possibly not enough at the volumes and pressures that we're talking about here to damage circuitry, I don't know (and it will depend). Using a vacuum cleaner and earthing the nozzle is probably at least as safe ... and when the jumper plugs come off the board you'll know that they're in the dust bag and not half-way down the garden!

Whether sucking or blowing, the main thing to watch out for is back-emf from any fans that are set spinning by the airflow. If you spin a fan fast enough it can certainly generate enough potential to damage the circuit it's plugged into.

Cheers, Daniel.