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Is it safe to clean a power supply?

gojira
By gojira
in Power Supplies
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I want to clean an old oem gateway power supply by cracking it open and using a vaccum to suck the bunnies out. I've heard stories about folks shocking themselves while in the process of doing this, and even tales of death. Do I gotta worry about anything while doing this sheit?

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discharge it completely first

i shocked the hell out of myself once

 

the heatsinks carry current. IDK why they would do this, but it's true.

We can't Benchmark like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to shove more GPUs in your computer. Like the time I needed to NV-Link, because I needed a higher HeavenBench score, so I did an SLI, which is what they called NV-Link back in the day. So, I decided to put two GPUs in my computer, which was the style at the time. Now, to add another GPU to your computer, costs a new PSU. Now in those days PSUs said OCZ on them, "Gimme 750W OCZs for an SLI" you'd say. Now where were we? Oh yeah, the important thing was that I had two GPUs in my rig, which was the style at the time! They didn't have RGB PSUs at the time, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big green ones. 

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I'd use a dry brush to clean the dust or compressed air if I were you.

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Don't. Capacitor discharge is a real risk. Also don't vacuum any computer components, it can cause static buildup which is dangerous to electronic components. Use compressed air either from a store or from a compressor. (if your vacuum has a blower mode that would work too.)  

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Don't. Capacitor discharge is a real risk. Also don't vacuum any computer components, it can cause static buildup which is dangerous to electronic components. Use compressed air either from a store or from a compressor. (if your vacuum has a blower mode that would work too.)  

I don't, but I think I have some medical equipment that I can use to blow the crap out. Thanks!

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I just use a brush.

Haven't been killed yet so i must be doing something right

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Just used compressed air, for getting the dust out. Nothing more, to be on the safe side.

The time you enjoy wasting, is not wasted time. 

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Just used compressed air, for getting the dust out. Nothing more, to be on the safe side.

Compressed Air, Brush, Compressed Air, Brush.... Which one to choose?

Where I hang out: The Garage - Car Enthusiast Club

My cars: 2006 Mazda RX-8 (MT) | 2014 Mazda 6 (AT) | 2009 Honda Jazz (AT)

PC Specs

Indonesia

CPU: i5-4690 | Motherboard: MSI B85-G43 | Memory: Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB | Power Supply: Corsair CX500 | Video Card: MSI GTX 970

Storage: Kingston V300 120GB & WD Blue 1TB | Network Card: ASUS PCE-AC56 | Peripherals: Microsoft Wired 600 & Logitech G29 + Shifter

 

Australia 

CPU: Ryzen 3 2200G | Motherboard: MSI - B450 Tomahawk | Memory: Mushkin - 8GB (1 x 8GB) | Storage: Mushkin 250GB & Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB
Video Card: GIGABYTE - RX 580 8GB | Case: Corsair - 100R ATX Mid Tower | Power Supply: Avolv 550W 80+ Gold

 

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Compressed Air, Brush, Compressed Air, Brush.... Which one to choose?

Why not both?

The time you enjoy wasting, is not wasted time. 

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If you want to open the PSU

-Disconnect the power cord

-Press the power button a few times until you're sure there's no power inside

-Open the PSU

-Excerise extreme caution, try not to touch anything

-Don't use both hands

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discharge it completely first

i shocked the hell out of myself once

 

the heatsinks carry current. IDK why they would do this, but it's true.

 

The heatsinks could cause a static discharge. This can give you a noticeable shock.

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discharge it completely first

i shocked the hell out of myself once

 

the heatsinks carry current. IDK why they would do this, but it's true.

I was pretty f*cked up, I've got shocked once. That day nobody was near me, so I had to be calm..... Went to bed directly. Again be careful with PSU, it ain't joke.....

Where I hang out: The Garage - Car Enthusiast Club

My cars: 2006 Mazda RX-8 (MT) | 2014 Mazda 6 (AT) | 2009 Honda Jazz (AT)

PC Specs

Indonesia

CPU: i5-4690 | Motherboard: MSI B85-G43 | Memory: Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB | Power Supply: Corsair CX500 | Video Card: MSI GTX 970

Storage: Kingston V300 120GB & WD Blue 1TB | Network Card: ASUS PCE-AC56 | Peripherals: Microsoft Wired 600 & Logitech G29 + Shifter

 

Australia 

CPU: Ryzen 3 2200G | Motherboard: MSI - B450 Tomahawk | Memory: Mushkin - 8GB (1 x 8GB) | Storage: Mushkin 250GB & Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB
Video Card: GIGABYTE - RX 580 8GB | Case: Corsair - 100R ATX Mid Tower | Power Supply: Avolv 550W 80+ Gold

 

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If you want to open the PSU

-Disconnect the power cord

-Press the power button a few times until you're sure there's no power inside

-Open the PSU

-Excerise extreme caution, try not to touch anything

-Don't use both hands

 

This will generally be a safe way of doing it. When you're pressing the power button while the power cord is unplugged, you'll see fans trying to spin up and perhaps some of the LED in the system (like power LED, LEDs on the motherboard and fans) flashing. This discharges the capacitors in the power supply, and these are what causes the risks of electrocution.

Compressed air and a brush, preferably with a rubber handle for added safety, and you'll be all good.

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just use a can of compressed air, opening the unit up can do more harm than good

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