Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Caution
You should make sure your cleaning solution is designed to clean computers or electronic
assemblies. In most cases, this means that the solution should be chemically pure and free from
contaminants or other unwanted substances. You should not, for example, use drugstore rubbing
alcohol for cleaning electronic parts or contacts because it is not pure and could contain water
or perfumes.
•
Contact cleaner/lubricants
—These chemicals are similar to the standard cleaners but include
a lubricating component. The lubricant eases the force required when plugging and unplugging
cables and connectors, reducing strain on the devices. The lubricant coating also acts as a
conductive protectant that insulates the contacts from corrosion.
A unique type of contact enhancer and lubricant called Stabilant 22 is currently on the market.
This chemical greatly enhances the connection and lubricates the contact point and is much more
effective than conventional contact cleaners or lubricants. It is especially effective on I/O slot
connectors, adapter-card edge and pin connectors, disk drive connectors, power-supply
connectors, and virtually any connector in the PC.
Note
This chemical is available in several forms. Stabilant 22 is the concentrated version, whereas
Stabilant 22a is a version diluted with isopropanol in a 4:1 ratio. An even more diluted 8:1-
ratio version is sold in many high-end stereo and audio shops under the name Tweek. Just 15ml
of Stabilant 22a sells for about $40; a liter of the concentrate costs about $4,000! Although
expensive, only a little is required in an application. See
www.stabilant.com
for distributors.
•
Dusters
—Compressed gas often is used as an aid in system cleaning. You use the compressed
gas as a blower to remove dust and debris from a system or component. Be careful when you
use these devices because some of them can generate a static charge when the compressed gas
leaves the nozzle of the can. Be sure you are using the type approved for cleaning or dusting off
computer equipment, and consider wearing a static grounding strap as a precaution.
You should use compressed gas only on equipment that is powered off, to minimize any chance
of damage through short circuits.
Closely related to compressed-air products are chemical-freeze sprays. These sprays are used
to quickly cool down a suspected failing component, which often temporarily restores it to
normal operation. These substances are not used to repair a device, but to confirm that you have
found a failed device.
Note
The makeup of many of the chemicals used for cleaning electronic components has been
changing because many of the chemicals originally used are now considered environmentally
unsafe. You can check the safety of specific chemicals by consulting their Material Safety Data
Sheets (MSDS) at
www.msds.com
.
Most of the companies that produce chemicals used for
system cleaning and maintenance have had to introduce environmentally safe replacements. The
only drawback is that many of these safer chemicals cost more and usually do not work as well
