I was working on an HP 438A Power Meter yesterday which was absolutely filthy inside. This thing must have been run 24/7 in a filthy environment over the years. I had to replace the fan, as usual, so I went ahead and pulled the power supply
unit out to clean the dust and crap out of it. But, really, there was a layer of thick dust all over the unit.
?
This got me to thinking… I need a better way of vacuuming and cleaning equipment that comes in that I won’t be fearful of damaging the cmos devices. Mind you I have a grounded ESD pad across my bench that equipment sits on when it is being
worked on and I always use a grounded wrist band on my wrist. I investigated some handheld vacuum cleaners and discovered a few models that are electrostatically safe. The cost was a bit of a shocker as they sold for around $375 USD!!! (They must be very proud
of their equipment.) What are the recommendations of the group for a hand held vacuum cleaner that would be safe to use around sensitive electronic equipment? I don’t mind spending $100 or so on something but $375 is a bit out of the question.