Post by: Novus on Sun, 02 March 2014, 00:18:23
I've heard the Metro Vacuum ED500 is quite popular. Is it any good?
Post by: demik on Sun, 02 March 2014, 00:19:59
Post by: katushkin on Sun, 02 March 2014, 00:24:34
Although if you are soley looking for suction/blowing devices, the above is not helpful.
Post by: SpAmRaY on Sun, 02 March 2014, 00:26:56
The datavac
Post by: mkawa on Sun, 02 March 2014, 00:29:31
Post by: vivalarevolución on Sun, 02 March 2014, 07:31:50
Post by: fohat.digs on Sun, 02 March 2014, 07:59:00
street walkers
Sucking is always better than blowing.
Try not to drive grit deeper in than it already is.
Post by: Findecanor on Sun, 02 March 2014, 11:21:40
Post by: fohat.digs on Sun, 02 March 2014, 17:11:42
The household vacuum cleaner
Of course, this is the correct answer. I was just being flip before.
I even fabricated a small nozzle using mostly plastic tubing and duct tape, but there is little alternative to a multi-step approach with vacuuming first and wiping several times afterwards.
Post by: Lanx on Sun, 02 March 2014, 17:48:37
Post by: berserkfan on Fri, 14 March 2014, 15:10:58
datavac, literally use it as a leaf blower for the porch. i also used it to clean out my wifes computer, she was working in a chocolate factory and it was CAKED (lol) with powder, i took out to the porch and blew into it with the datavac, the snow became brown... kinda looks like an accident.
A different kind of human-made cake.
Post by: blackbox on Sat, 15 March 2014, 05:19:25
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CJHGLFK (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CJHGLFK)
A friend of mine has the non-esd version and it works great.
Post by: zeroni13 on Tue, 18 March 2014, 05:31:45
I recommend this one:Yes i have the non-esd version, works great for the price, but you can get better ones if you pay more.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CJHGLFK (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CJHGLFK)
A friend of mine has the non-esd version and it works great.
Here are the four main versions they are selling, with different wind speeds and specifications.
http://www.canlessair.com/Buy-Canless-Air-System-O2-Hurricane
The one i have (the cheapest one) works really well for cleaning anything, used it a couple of times on my radiator in my computer and it really gets all the dust out quick.
Post by: quickcrx702 on Thu, 27 March 2014, 18:06:21
It's slightly more than needed LOL, but it works very well. The original purpose I bought it for was for working on cars, but one day when I was in the garage looking for canned air I realized that I had something better. Actually my power supply fan spins so hard when I'm cleaning it with this that the LEDs actually light up. You also don't have to worry about freezing stuff. Axle nuts no longer require a six foot breaker bar either. You can also buy attachments for pressure washing, painting, etc.
Post by: kaz on Thu, 27 March 2014, 20:55:28
Post by: Techno Trousers on Thu, 27 March 2014, 23:02:01
I replaced all the moving parts in the light engine of my DLP TV a few weeks ago, and this did a bang up job of getting out all of the dust as I dismantled it. I'll never use a blower again.
As someone mentioned earlier, you don't want to force those microscopically sharp dust particles deep into your electronics and moving parts.
Post by: SeeThruHead on Sun, 06 April 2014, 17:00:50
Post by: compgeke on Mon, 07 April 2014, 00:48:42
Post by: blackbox on Mon, 07 April 2014, 14:39:03
Post by: Lurch on Thu, 17 April 2014, 11:03:14
I now feel like this is a mandatory purchase.
A co-worker was sent a sample of this "Cyber Clean" goo stuff that you mash into a keyboard and pics up a good amount of the dirt that's in there. Investing in a nice datavac is probably the best idea.
Post by: CPTBadAss on Thu, 17 April 2014, 11:30:34
Post by: tricheboars on Fri, 18 April 2014, 10:40:53
Post by: mkawa on Fri, 18 April 2014, 10:58:38
and yes, you can get all ESD safe tools for datavacs. i have the ESD safe hose and brush sold directly by metro vac. the ESD hose is, in addition to being conductive, much much nicer than the stock hose. love the thing.
Post by: blackbox on Fri, 18 April 2014, 17:56:15
my new datavac is 4hp (it's an MDV-3 modified). there is nothing can it can't blow the crap out of or suck into the bag. highly highly recommend a datavac.
and yes, you can get all ESD safe tools for datavacs. i have the ESD safe hose and brush sold directly by metro vac. the ESD hose is, in addition to being conductive, much much nicer than the stock hose. love the thing.
Nice that they have an esd hose. Weird that it is not standard when its called datavac.
Post by: mkawa on Fri, 18 April 2014, 20:47:32
Post by: osi on Sat, 19 April 2014, 09:16:22
It's a bit loud but works great. If you used canned air a lot, it's easily worth the investment.
Post by: aref on Sat, 19 April 2014, 16:34:10
Every so often I take my 87U apart and give it a more thorough cleaning. My K65 is an exposed keybaord,
the platen is just under the key caps, so there's no reason to disassemble the case for a thorough cleaning.
Post by: noisyturtle on Sat, 19 April 2014, 22:06:05
Post by: wthefourth on Mon, 21 April 2014, 22:30:24
Datavac is love. Datavac is life.
Post by: yuktsi on Mon, 21 April 2014, 23:12:17
Post by: Pacifist on Mon, 21 April 2014, 23:24:12
why can't we just use vacuum cleaner?
air can=out
vacuum cleaner=in
Post by: Lanx on Thu, 24 April 2014, 15:52:02
Post by: metal1091 on Fri, 25 April 2014, 09:00:19
Post by: Coreda on Fri, 25 April 2014, 09:39:37
i datavac and have my vacuum running at the same time to suck the massive amount of dust being blown away.
I'd like to try the DataVac, have heard good things about it for cleaning boards. Would prefer something as powerful that sucked air though. Just today tried using the vacuum cleaner to remove some dust build-up inside my PC case (the fans are currently set to exhaust) but didn't make a difference. If there were something I could use to effectively clean the hard-to-reach areas I'd consider continuing using an exhaust setup.
Post by: mkawa on Fri, 25 April 2014, 10:49:51
the problem with using a normal vacuum cleaner is that they can't blow with the pressure that the datavac does (3psi, insane flow), so they can't blow dust out of say heatsinks, and then they don't have esd safe vacuum attachments so you can't vacuum off of things.
Post by: Hypersphere on Fri, 25 April 2014, 11:39:27
Post by: Lanx on Fri, 25 April 2014, 22:38:44
i datavac and have my vacuum running at the same time to suck the massive amount of dust being blown away.
I'd like to try the DataVac, have heard good things about it for cleaning boards. Would prefer something as powerful that sucked air though. Just today tried using the vacuum cleaner to remove some dust build-up inside my PC case (the fans are currently set to exhaust) but didn't make a difference. If there were something I could use to effectively clean the hard-to-reach areas I'd consider continuing using an exhaust setup.
just buy one datavac (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J4ZOAW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001J4ZOAW&linkCode=as2&tag=420usa-20) it's 60 bucks and everyone household should have one just like every household has a vacuum cleaner.
like i said, i use it to dust, especially my new apartment, i have ****ing window like panes on my ceiling! wtf? all these crevices on my ceiling, there is no dust wipe on a pole that works well, not a datavac tho! i also have 3 ceiling fans!
you'll find a use for it eventually.
Post by: mkawa on Fri, 25 April 2014, 23:13:30
It is preferable to draw air away from the keyboard rather than to blow air onto it. In particular, beware of industrial-strength air compressors or "house air" in labs, etc., as these often contain oil mist from the compressor. If you are in a lab setting, you can use the house vacuum (with a trap) or a water aspirator pump (with a trap).most modern house-sized compressors are oil-less and use fluorinated polymer coatings on all motion assemblies. shop air that isn't driving air tools is generally assumed to be "clean and dry", and air that drives air tools is assumed to be clean and dry with lubricant aspiration. long ago, this may not have been true, but modern resins make it much cheaper to build filter, coalescer and lubricant aspiration assemblies that are compact and have high WPs.
anyway, the metro datavac series uses filtered air (more so with the mdv series, with fine toner bags and hepa filters available), and is low enough pressure that it doesn't need a coalescing filter. as for sucking vs blowing (sigh, go off and do your tittering kids..), sucking up small particles requires increasing pressure somehow, while blowing off small particles can be done with high velocity, so generally, blowing is better than sucking for clearing out obscured assemblies.
Post by: OverKill on Sun, 27 April 2014, 15:49:53
Post by: blackbox on Mon, 28 April 2014, 00:42:27
http://www.canlessair.com/
agreed, I have mentioned their products earlier in this thread.
Post by: Novus on Tue, 02 September 2014, 15:57:38
I waited 6 months just for this to go on sale so i could save 10-15 bucks.
Metro Vacuum ED500 DataVac 500-Watt 0.75
YES!
Wait what's the difference between the Metro Vacuum ED500 DataVac vs Metro Vacuum ED500P?
Post by: jacobolus on Tue, 02 September 2014, 16:07:50
I love this Amazon review:
Quote
[...] ordered what I thought was... well... a vacuum. I was pretty surprised when I hooked it up and a VERY powerful burst of air shot out of this thing. Perhaps I wouldn't have been so surprised had I not been trying to vacuum glitter from my son's art table. On the bright side, I now know what figurines in a snow globe feel like.
Post by: dgneo on Wed, 03 September 2014, 20:10:50
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=43537.0
The datavac
How the hell have I not heard of this yet?! This looks amazing! I'm used to being able to use my Dad's compressor, this looks like a great alternative.
Post by: Coreda on Thu, 30 October 2014, 02:21:38
Post by: osi on Thu, 30 October 2014, 08:33:59
So received my Datavac (I know, finally). Is there anything regarding safety of system components I need to know before I use it? Would rather take some precautions, as I'm unsure how pressurized the air is.
Just watch for overheating of the data-vac while in use. Nothing out of the ordinary for safety issues. Enjoy!
Post by: Coreda on Thu, 30 October 2014, 20:27:20
Had to wear headphones to block some of the noise, this thing is pretty loud up close.
Overall happy with the purchase. The force of the air was satisfying to use, and cleaned a few other things with it, too. Will be using to more easily clean my keyboard in the future as well.
Post by: Lanx on Tue, 04 November 2014, 15:21:28
I have heard of using the datavac on a PC fan will mess it up if it spins the wrong way? This is the only negative I've ever heard, and as a precaution, i point the tip away from the fans. Specifically the power is so awesome that ppl just point the datavac at the fan and let it free spin like crazy and this causes "something".
What i do is just put my hand on the fan so it doesn't spin, i don't know if it's true, i've seen a few "omg my fans broke after datavac (vacuum cleaner)" so that's what i do.
Post by: evolveS on Tue, 04 November 2014, 15:27:57
Post by: i3oilermaker on Tue, 04 November 2014, 15:31:09
Post by: Coreda on Wed, 05 November 2014, 06:32:59
*WARNING*
I have heard of using the datavac on a PC fan will mess it up if it spins the wrong way? This is the only negative I've ever heard, and as a precaution, i point the tip away from the fans. Specifically the power is so awesome that ppl just point the datavac at the fan and let it free spin like crazy and this causes "something".
What i do is just put my hand on the fan so it doesn't spin, i don't know if it's true, i've seen a few "omg my fans broke after datavac (vacuum cleaner)" so that's what i do.
Wish I had known this beforehand - I even asked for precautions... -_- Still, I'll keep it in mind next time I use it. Apparently it can damage fans as they are spinning much faster than designed for, as well as dirt can be blown into the fan bearings.
Post by: jorgenslee on Wed, 05 November 2014, 06:46:36
*WARNING*
I have heard of using the datavac on a PC fan will mess it up if it spins the wrong way? This is the only negative I've ever heard, and as a precaution, i point the tip away from the fans. Specifically the power is so awesome that ppl just point the datavac at the fan and let it free spin like crazy and this causes "something".
What i do is just put my hand on the fan so it doesn't spin, i don't know if it's true, i've seen a few "omg my fans broke after datavac (vacuum cleaner)" so that's what i do.
Wish I had known this beforehand - I even asked for precautions... -_- Still, I'll keep it in mind next time I use it. Apparently it can damage fans as they are spinning much faster than designed for, as well as dirt can be blown into the fan bearings.
Yeah, you should hold the fan while using a blower to avoid damaging it. I have damage 2 case fans before and 1 laptop cpu cooler fan.
This is what I am using as an alternative to compressed air can
(http://g01.s.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1QosSFVXXXXXZXXXXq6xXFXXXW/221605316/HTB1QosSFVXXXXXZXXXXq6xXFXXXW.jpg)
Cons:
Needs Extra Hand
Pros:
Runs on Muscle
Unexpected workout
Full Control on blowing power
Post by: heedpantsnow on Wed, 05 November 2014, 06:48:59
Post by: heedpantsnow on Wed, 05 November 2014, 06:53:28
Post by: Coreda on Wed, 05 November 2014, 19:52:24
So I have a funny story about canned air...anyone want to hear it?
<.<
>.>
:p
Post by: NeedAFix on Wed, 05 November 2014, 20:09:28
Post by: heedpantsnow on Wed, 05 November 2014, 20:55:24
I could never find canned air anywhere. There were these "computer cities", basically 3-10 floors of a large building with nothing but little shops selling anything you could think of having to do with computers (and some not. like sex.). I looked high and low and could never find any canned air. It was maddening. When I asked what they used to clean the insides of their computers, they said "I don't know we haven't had them that long". They tried to sell me little brushes. Also crappy little USB powered vacuums. None of that worked. So I just used my home vacuum for a long time.
So I had to go to Hong Kong for some meeting. Flying into HK airport was crazy expensive (and also dangerous in the days of the old airport with the approach path between buildings!). So I would fly into Shenzhen, then catch a bus or train across the border to Hong Kong. Ended up being approx 1/3 the price. While I was in HK I went to some of their computer cities. They had some cool stuff. Mech keyboards, high-end servers, etc. Lots of stuff you didn't see in my end of the Middle Kingdom. And then I found it...canned air.
I grabbed 4 cans. Paid the shopkeeper whatever crazy price he wanted. They were imported from Singapore, 3M brand. Not cheap. But I didn't care. I ran out of the shop with a maniacal laugh reminiscient of Newman and his precious Soup Nazi soup. People looked and people stared. But they did that anyway.
So, fast forward a few days, I'm in the Shenzhen airport. The meeting is over and I've just gotten off the bus from Hong Kong. Checking in my luggage to head back to my city. The guy behind the counter takes my bags and sends them through the conveyor to the Magical X-Beam Dangerous Goods Finder (English name on it, I kid you not). Poor guy didn't speak English, but he totally freaks out when the alarm bells start going off. He tries to pantomime that he needs to open my luggage, I tell him "no problem" in Chinese. You could see the color return to his poor face when he realized that he didn't have to continue Pictionary with the foreigner.
He rummages through my bag, and with a squeal of delight (like Yoda finding Luke's light) he victoriously pulls out My Precious...the canned air. He tells me it's dangerous. I tell him, "how is it dangerous, it's just air". He says, "the Magical X-Beam Dangerous Goods Finder says it's dangerous". I said, you sir are smarter than the machine you don't need to listen to it. We go back and forth for about 15 minutes. He's saying no. I'm spraying the canned air in my face saying "no problem"! I'm used to talking my way out of stuff, figured this time was no different. Line behind me gets longer and longer. Natives getting restless. Thankfully it was the days before cell phone cameras!
So finally he is exasperated. Enough is enough. He pops off the top of one of the cans of air. He pulls out his lighter, and proceeds to light the stream of gas jetting from this full (and full pressure) can of air. A fireball blasts out over the heads of the angry mob in line, flames glistening off of our sweaty brows and singeing our stray hairs. I bet it shot 10-15 feet. The whole terminal went silent in wonder. You could hear a pin drop. He says flatly, "Dangerous. Have a nice flight." I was defeated.
Post by: Coreda on Wed, 05 November 2014, 21:17:55
Post by: kmiller8 on Wed, 05 November 2014, 21:20:31
(http://i.imgur.com/sdByHat.gif)
Post by: heedpantsnow on Thu, 06 November 2014, 12:13:41
Try thisShow Image(http://i.imgur.com/sdByHat.gif)
Dude how old were you when that was taken?
