Just out of curiosity:
I know it's a widely held bit of wisdom that one should never use a Shop-Vac with a dusting attachment to clean a PCB, because there is a risk of a static discharge causing all kinds of death and destruction.
It is also a widely held bit of wisdom that one should never use water to clean a PCB, because the tiny little bits of mineral (unless we're talking about distilled water) could be conductive, and thus cause a short, again causing all kinds of death and destruction.
My own experience, as well as that of those who I think of as legitimate experts in the field find the point about water to be such a low risk as to be safely ignored (assuming the PCB is properly dried).
On the other hand, I have very little experience or information on the vacuum thing.
Has anyone ever actually seen a PCB destroyed by a static discharge from a vacuum cleaner?
I ask because I recently invested in a small Shop Vac with the teeny attachment set for use in cleaning pinball playfields. It sure looks like it would be a great way to get rid of the loose stuff on dirty PCBs, and to keep them from crusting over in the first place.
If the collected wisdom here says it's a real risk, then I won't do it. On the other hand, if this is another "Old wives' tale", it would sure be a nice way to keep a board clean without even the need to remove it.
I know it's a widely held bit of wisdom that one should never use a Shop-Vac with a dusting attachment to clean a PCB, because there is a risk of a static discharge causing all kinds of death and destruction.
It is also a widely held bit of wisdom that one should never use water to clean a PCB, because the tiny little bits of mineral (unless we're talking about distilled water) could be conductive, and thus cause a short, again causing all kinds of death and destruction.
My own experience, as well as that of those who I think of as legitimate experts in the field find the point about water to be such a low risk as to be safely ignored (assuming the PCB is properly dried).
On the other hand, I have very little experience or information on the vacuum thing.
Has anyone ever actually seen a PCB destroyed by a static discharge from a vacuum cleaner?
I ask because I recently invested in a small Shop Vac with the teeny attachment set for use in cleaning pinball playfields. It sure looks like it would be a great way to get rid of the loose stuff on dirty PCBs, and to keep them from crusting over in the first place.
If the collected wisdom here says it's a real risk, then I won't do it. On the other hand, if this is another "Old wives' tale", it would sure be a nice way to keep a board clean without even the need to remove it.



