How to clean the Mac Studio from dust?

[now i see it]

The dust comes from fabrics. dried skin (you’d be appalled at how much human skin is in house dust) and outside air dirt.
But the primary culprit for house dust (that eventually grow into dust bunnies) is shedding fabrics.

The best way to keep a computer clean is to keep the air in the room clean. That means running a HEPA air filter in the same room pretty much continuously.

Think your MacStudio is noisy? Listen to a HEPA room air filter for a while.

 

[eicca]

I turn mine upside down once a week and vacuum the inlets with a cordless vacuum. Same method I use to vacuum my control surfaces, my A1048 keyboard, and my midi controllers. Probably this vacuuming is doing literally nothing but in my mind it's helping.

View attachment 2009309

Not to derail the thread, but how do you like those IN-8s? I just got a pair of LP-8s after one of my KRK's went haywire and I'm utterly in love.

 

[MajorFubar]

Not to derail the thread, but how do you like those IN-8s? I just got a pair of LP-8s after one of my KRK's went haywire and I'm utterly in love.

Love them. I opted for the IN-5s because the room is just not big enough for the IN-8's. Couldn't be happier.

Sorry OP

 

[MajorFubar]

A squirt of compressed air from time to time is the best way.

Vacuuming isn't a good idea though.

How is using a pressurised can of air, which by its nature blasts any dust-particles further inside with a force of about 145psi, a better idea than vacuuming.

 

[Sharky II]

He's probably worried about static.

 

[MajorFubar]

He's probably worried about static.

Maybe I'm missing something but to me vacuuming it seems no more dangerous [in terms of static] than dusting it, which surely we all do. The Studio, like all Mac desktop devices, is grounded anyway via a three-pin plug, which must go some way to dissipating static. I probably also neglected to say that I only vacuum my Studio when it's switched off, but that's because I assumed that was kind of a given, considering it has to be turned upside down.

 

[Feek]

How is using a pressurised can of air, which by its nature blasts any dust-particles further inside with a force of about 145psi, a better idea than vacuuming.

A vacuum will generate static. You don't want static around your computer. If you give it a good squirt with compressed air, you're blowing dust through the computer and out through the vents. You don't even need to use a can of air, just pick it up and give it a good blow through. Keep doing it until no dust comes out the other side.

If you take a computer into somewhere for a repair and they clean it, you can guarantee that the first thing they do is give it a squirt with compressed air to remove the dust.

I use compressed air to clean computers on an almost daily basis, not just using a can but using a cylinder of compressed air that's charged at some ridiculously high level, far in excess of 145psi. It works brilliantly.

 

[MajorFubar]

I use compressed air to clean computers on an almost daily basis, not just using a can but using a cylinder of compressed air that's charged at some ridiculously high level, far in excess of 145psi. It works brilliantly.

That to be fair is going to be quite a critical difference than an off the shelf can of compressed air, which will do nothing but mostly just blow the dust further inside. It's certainly not powerful enough to expel it through the computer and out through the exhaust vents.

 

[Feek]

That to be fair is going to be quite a critical difference than an off the shelf can of compressed air, which will do nothing but mostly just blow the dust further inside. It's certainly not powerful enough to expel it through the computer and out through the exhaust vents.

So sorry but that's wrong. I have a mechanical hard drive in an enclosure hanging off the back of my iMac at home which has a small fan blowing through it just to keep it cool because the room it's in is always warm. Every few months, I take it outside and give it a good blow through, literally holding it to my mouth and blowing. It's about the same volume as a Mac Studio and giving it a good huff a few times blows clouds of dust out. I just keep doing that until no more dust comes out, it normally takes ten to fifteen good blows.

A can of air is perfectly good, or alternatively just blow the dust out with a good blast of human lung air. You don't need to get it absolutely dustless, just remove the majority.

 

[velocityg4]

A vacuum will generate static. You don't want static around your computer. If you give it a good squirt with compressed air, you're blowing dust through the computer and out through the vents. You don't even need to use a can of air, just pick it up and give it a good blow through. Keep doing it until no dust comes out the other side.

If you take a computer into somewhere for a repair and they clean it, you can guarantee that the first thing they do is give it a squirt with compressed air to remove the dust.

I use compressed air to clean computers on an almost daily basis, not just using a can but using a cylinder of compressed air that's charged at some ridiculously high level, far in excess of 145psi. It works brilliantly.

I just fail to see how that is an issue for the Studio. Unless someone is physically opening it and vacuuming the interior. Where there is risk of contact between the circuit boards and charged vacuum cleaner. Most of the advice about this assumes someone is vacuuming the interior. I'd expect any discharge to the case exterior would go straight to ground.

 

[MajorFubar]

I just fail to see how that is an issue for the Studio. Unless someone is physically opening it and vacuuming the interior. Where there is risk of contact between the circuit boards and charged vacuum cleaner. Most of the advice about this assumes someone is vacuuming the interior. I'd expect any discharge to the case exterior would go straight to ground.

^^^ this. I didn't want to state the obvious. Sometimes it's best to just let it go. Nearly 30 years I've been on BBS's and forums and at no time during those three decades have I witnessed anyone with an entrenched opinion admit they might be wrong, especially when they kick off with a "well i'm an expert and you're not" kind of post. I just let it flow by now, and carry on doing my own thing.

 

[Killerbob]

I am sure that removing that rubber ring, to open up the Mac Studio, will void your warranty... I'd love to blow out my Mac Studio regularly, but as long as I have an active warranty, I will only be using a vacuum to remove dust from the desktop.

 

[jakebrosy]

They actually tried a variety of filter methods, and almost all made it worse (the filters clogged very quickly, then no airflow, after only a couple of weeks - and too much trouble to keep up maintenance on the office computer. It worked longer with no filters, and just dismantle to clean every 90 days turned out to be their best solution.

We do onsite work in some pretty dusty/sandy areas and, for Mac minis, we wrap them in nylon panty hose. 90% of the gunk gets stuck on the hose and, because we use either white or black hose, you can see when it's dusty.

Also, the tornado-level fans give a clue...

If we decide to take the Mac Studios in the field I imagine we'll work up something similar.

 

[designerdave72]

I have seen the dust issue first hand on a display model at an Apple Store and some horrific photos and posts about the Mac Studio and it's attraction to draw in dust, I have invested in a 'monitor riser' to help combat the dust issue and the area of the riser highlighted in red is what I envisage to lift it from the surface of the desk to hopefully combat this issue.

Other than under desk mounting (and vaccuming!) - which I am not inclined to pursue - does anyone else have any ideas to slow down the intake of dust? Or are we stuck with it?!

 

[Shazaam!]

Apple Mac Studio Air Filter

Most foam used for packing material is "open cell" which means that air can pass through it. You can test that it doesn't offer resistance to air flow by simply blowing air through it.

Most motorsport air filter manufacturers like UNI sell sheets of it — their BF-1 offers the smallest cell size and therefore the best filtration.

Cut to size and place the foam under the Mac Studio as a base — its weight will compress the foam enough to cover the air inlet holes if the foam is over 1/2-inch thick. Air now needs to flow though the foam to reach the Studio air inlets.

In my experience, there's not an enough air flow restriction to raise the internal Studio temperatures a measurable amount at idle fan speeds. I'll do a another temperature check if I can ever get the M1Max to run at higher fan speeds.

Clean with compressed air and reuse.

 

[MacGizmo]

Good God, I live in Arizona (the dust capital of the U.S.) and I don't see that much dust and gunk in my computers. Of course, I don't have a cat... so there's that.

 

[majus]

I too live in the dust bowl, so I am thinking about gutting the old G5 sitting in my garage and installing the Studio, along with any peripherals, inside that. By doing so I can put disposable foam filters at the front and back of the case to help with dust control. If needed I can leave the G5 fans operational too.

 

[Kim Larni]

I made a wooden platform, and put narrow strips of air filter material around it. Used 2-sided tape for the filters, easy to replace when needed. The wooden base protects if I would manage to spill coffee etc. Monitoring the temps now, but seems there in no increase, so all is fine. I ordered some black 5mm thick computer filter material. Will swap that when it some day will arrive.

 

[pshufd]

I run a HEPA filter in the basement where I run the studio. I have to turn it off when I am recording though.

 

[Kim Larni]

I swapped the filter I used to this one: https://www.dustend.com/

 

[designerdave72]

I swapped the filter I used to this one: https://www.dustend.com/

How does that work?

 

[Kim Larni]

How does that work?

It works fine. Studios temps are the same with the filter than without one. I cutted around 1 cm wide strips from that material. Used 2-sided tape to get them in place around the wooden base. Think you can use that filter material without a base, just cut a long strip with suitable thickness and wrap it around the Studios base.

 

[Shazaam!]

I highly recommend using thicker filter material to assure a larger filtered flow area all around and from below. As the filter material collects dust, the resistance to air flow will increase causing temperatures to rise — so more filter material will extend the cleaning interval. It will also offers less flow resistance as the fans speed up to handle higher internal temperatures.

Shown are two layers of UNI Filter BF-1 material often used to protect motorsport engines.

Uni Filter - BF-1 BF1 12" X 16" X 5/8" 65-PPI Green Fine Foam

Uni filter ATV air filters keep out all the dirt, dust, and mud providing superior engine protection. The principle of how foam air filters work is simple, open cell polyurethane foam is wetted with specially developed filter oil. The sticky filter oil.

www.amazon.com

 

[dlopan]

Good God, I live in Arizona (the dust capital of the U.S.) and I don't see that much dust and gunk in my computers. Of course, I don't have a cat... so there's that.

NM is just as bad. I have dust everywhere. No cat but a dog but she doesn't shed much. I have to blow my macpro 5,1 2 times a year.

 

[DPUser]

A Thing of Beauty? No. But my Mac Studio sits in a machine closet, and this home-built filter should keep its internals protected while still allowing good airflow. I've noticed no increase in fans speed or temp since putting the filter in service.