On Wed, 14 Jun 2017 06:50:59 +1000, Trevor Wilson
wrote:
I have no idea why any
sane person would use compressed air on any product, unless required by
very specific circumstances. It is a daft idea. A soft brush and a
vacuum cleaner is a far superior and gentler way to do things. Even
better, there is far less chance that the dust will end up inside pots,
switches and other mechanical components.
I have an air compressor at home, in my palatial office, and a small
one in my car. It was one of the best purchases I ever made. Lots of
benefits:
1. It totally eliminated black nose disease, where the dust found
inside computahs, test equipment, and flea market junk does not end up
being inhaled and producing a disgusting black goo when ejected by
sneezing.
2. I blow out EVERYTHING that arrives in the office that has even the
possibility of containing dust. The result is that I only have to
vacuum the office perhaps every 2 months.
3. I don't worry much about static electricity, but I do watch the
relative humidity. If it drops below about 20%, I start throwing
lighting bolts of static electricity. At that point, I take
precautions, like discharging myself, wearing anti-static shoe
coverings, and generally avoiding anything risky. So far, I've only
blown up a few things in 30+ years, none of which involved an air
compressor.
4. I have an electrostatic voltmeter for measuring static buildup.
Something like these but home made:
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=electrostatic+voltmeter
I don't guess, I measure.
5. I frequently wash PCB's and equipment. Getting them dry takes
some time. So, I speed things up by blowing the water out from under
components and in inaccessible locations. Without compressed air, a
keyboard wash takes about a week to dry completely. With compressed
air, 24 hrs will usually do the trick.
However, there are disadvantages:
1. Everyone in the building asks me to put air in their tires,
especially the bicycle riders. I have 100ft of air hose so that I
don't need to drag the compressor outside.
2. An air compressor and air tools are noisy but I'm good at ignoring
complaints from the neighbors.
3. I have to remember to drain the condensed water out of the tank or
I end up spraying rusty water on everything. I could get a
filter/dryer, but don't want to spend my life cleaning them.
Incidentally, I've convinced some friends and competitors to buy air
compressors for their office or shop. All have been very successful.
--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060
http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558