Question Anyone successfully deodorised a power supply?

[mikeymikec]

I want to re-use an ATX power supply that's only about 3 years old but it came from a computer that was in a car-related workshop. Does anyone here have any experience of getting rid of a smell from a PSU?

 

[igor_kavinski]

Is the smell really that bad?

 

[mikeymikec]

Is the smell really that bad?

Obviously there are worse smells, but I think this one is going to take a while to work itself out of the system on its own (if ever).

 

[igor_kavinski]

Opening it up and putting it in the path of lots of direct sunlight with a fan blowing over it could help the aromatic compounds disperse, provided you place it somewhere you know where there's not much chance of something bad getting inside it.

One other possible option is hot hairdryer but obviously not hot enough to melt something inside.

 

[WelshBloke]

I (a long time ago) bought a Windows home server box on eBay.
It was fine but the home it had been in was obviously full of chain smokers as the inside was full of dust stuck to nicotine and tar.
I used A LOT of isopropyl cleaning that.

 

[BoomerD]

Pop the cover...douse it thoroughly with contact cleaner?

(make sure to show the video when you restart it...we demand entertainment)

 

[Jimminy]

Submerge it in a bucket of diesel fuel for an hour. Then do the same with a bucket of lacquer thinner. Blow it off good with 150 psi air compressor.

Then spray it down real good with febreeze.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Man, I didn't know this forum had PSU haters

 

[mindless1]

I want to re-use an ATX power supply that's only about 3 years old but it came from a computer that was in a car-related workshop. Does anyone here have any experience of getting rid of a smell from a PSU?

What does a car related workshop PSU smell like? Oil, exhaust, or tears from those that came in to get a cheap repair that didn't work out that way?

Besides just putting it in an area were you don't smell it and pointing a fan at it for a while (better still if it's running to power that fan... DOUBLE FAN!! lol, you'd need to determine the type of contaminant to use the least aggressive solvent possible to remove that.

Often when I want to clean a part exposed to oil or tobacco tar, I use a mild ammonia solution or Mr Clean with ammonia already in it, but it should not be used on anything aluminum, which your PSU probably has as heatsinks in it. Granted the issue there is stripping off the anodization, so it's only cosmetic, but it could be alarming if you exposed black anodized heatsinks to ammonia and they ended up looking half bald. It's a mild effect so if you worked quickly, it shouldn't be too bad, just get a cup of cleaner and a paint brush and brush the solution onto the PSU, area by area, rinsing an area at a time.

You'd need to be certain that after the last rinse, there was no water pooling up on the PCB that causes any water soluble flux residue to form acidic pools. This can also be solved by scrubbing on the PCB ehough, but a rinse agent or drop of detergent added to a final rinse bath should solve that, or add some rubbing alcohol to the final rinse, breaking the surface tension of the water so it doesn't pool up.

I would at least remove the fan first, don't want to chance anything getting into the bearings, and it could take a long time to dry out any moisture that gets inside of any switches, days of having a fan pointed at it after shaking out all the water you can.

It would be a lot easier to just live with the smell for a while - you'll get used to it and it will dissipate over time, and put an air cleaner and/or scent making widget in the room to alter the scent. The scent making widget could be an electric skillet cooking bacon, that could distract almost anyone.

 

[DyeHardX86]

I want to re-use an ATX power supply that's only about 3 years old but it came from a computer that was in a car-related workshop. Does anyone here have any experience of getting rid of a smell from a PSU?

Get some dessicant like food grade silica and fill it leave for 24 - 48 hrs

I want to re-use an ATX power supply that's only about 3 years old but it came from a computer that was in a car-related workshop. Does anyone here have any experience of getting rid of a smell from a PSU?