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Mac Mini M4 owners, how is the internal dust situation with your Mini?

N

neomorpheus

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 17, 2014
341
336
As the ritle says, how dusty are your Minis?

Inspired by a similar thread but for the Studios, since its almost impossible to take them apart for a proper cleaning, their owners have resorted to stands, air filters and even a motorcycle filter, just to keep the dust out.

But i dont see such a thread here (mods, if it does exist, kindly delete this one).

So I ask, hows the dust situation and how are you mitigating it?
 
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Don't know about the dust in my rather new Mini, but is there any harm in using a vacuum cleaner every now and then?
 
Dutch60 said:
Don't know about the dust in my rather new Mini, but is there any harm in using a vacuum cleaner every now and then?
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Vacuums cause static which can destroy electronics. This is why pressurised air cannisters exist. Taking the base off a MM4 isn't that difficult and a soft non-static brush is probably all it needs occasionally if you have a dusty environment.
 
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Dutch60 said:
Thank you. Didn't know that sucking air/dust causes static.
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You will probably see videos where people brush dust off computer internals and hold the vacuum a few inches away to catch the airborne dust. That seems to work. The problem is that the dust particles bouncing in the plastic nozzle causes a static build up and holding the nozzle close to any electrical part runs the risk of static sparks jumping over and blitzing something.
 
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weckart said:
You will probably see videos where people brush dust off computer internals and hold the vacuum a few inches away to catch the airborne dust. That seems to work. The problem is that the dust particles bouncing in the plastic nozzle causes a static build up and holding the nozzle close to any electrical part runs the risk of static sparks jumping over and blitzing something.
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Ok. Thank you for this explanation. I think, maybe the deciding factor here is the distance from nozzle to an electric part. I could imagine a strong (vacuum) cleaner not holding it "close to" an electric part, could do it. But then again it still would be a risky operation, I guess (who's to decide what's "close", or too close, right?).
 
There are dusters designed for electronics which blow air over the components rather than vacuuming the dust up. I have used those for years without any issues. If a machine is unusually dusty, I will clean it outside on the deck. Unlike pressurized air canisters, these dusters do nor produce any residue.
 
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Not if you have one like this...

phaser.jpg


(just kidding)
 
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My 2014 Mac Mini has been running 24/7 in a cabinet for eight years, without fail.

Should I have been disassembling and dusting it this entire time?

I live in the desert.
 
Lots of concern about vacuums and static. The fact is that there is a potential for static, not a definite there will be static and it will destroy electronics. I’ve worked in pc and laptop repairs for over 20 years and have used nothing but a vacuum for dusting with a soft bristle attachment. Zero issues ever after thousands of components. The secret, ground the vacuum handle and wear your grounding strap.
 
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Dutch60 said:
How do you ground it?
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Well my vacuum has an earth so probably doesn’t need the extra ground, but if you didn’t have an earth (the plug is only two prongs), just get a long enough bit of wire and strip about 20-30mm of the sheathing off. Spread the copper strands out and hold against the vaccum hose or metal handle if there’s any metal and wrap electrical tape around it well so it’s secure. Can add a cable tie over the hose/shaft/cable a bit up from the tape for extra support and so it doesn’t pull out easily. On the other end of the wire attach an alligator clip.

When you need to vacuum the inside of a case, attach the clip to the case chassis (must be metal part) or any earth connection inside (if there’s is one). Attach your ESD wrist strap to same point if using one.

By having the case, vacuum and you all joined, you cannot have a difference in electrical potential and there cannot be a buildup or discharge.

You could also earth (different from ground) the case and vacuum hose, which I do. Though I am not giving electrical advice on here as each country has different requirements around earthing and what works in Australia might not work in the US or elsewhere so consult an electrician in your country. I’m not being responsible for something silly.

The above grounding method works well though. Even holding the hose in one hand and having the other hand on the chassis is usually enough to remove any electrical potential and eliminate the chance of any discharge, just don’t let go of the case. Important thing is all 3 things are always in contact, I just find having the wire easier if you do it often.
 
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Perhaps consider cleaning your enviroment more instead of the computer. When I take the covers off anything old, what I usually see is a very thin film of sitting dust, especially for my more silent when actually working computers (i.e. not Macs) with a lot of internal volume.
 
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seggy said:
Perhaps consider cleaning your enviroment more instead of the computer. When I take the covers off anything old, what I usually see is a very thin film of sitting dust, especially for my more silent when actually working computers (i.e. not Macs) with a lot of internal volume.
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You beat me to it. 👍
 
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i just dust and vacuum my desk. swiffer the surface every now and then. That's it. Just keep the room generally clean and that will go a long way to minimizing dust in general.
 
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I clean my desk every day and that very small amount of dusk is ofcourse removed very easily. It’s because I see that little dusk, that I’m more worried about the possibility of dusk building up inside my Mac Mini, my Mac Studio Display and my Eizo. In short…the dusk I don’t see.
But maybe I’m just too cautious .

Maybe using covers for monitors and Mac Mini when not in use, could help (although that maybe can create other problems (?)
 
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weckart said:
Vacuums cause static which can destroy electronics. This is why pressurised air cannisters exist. Taking the base off a MM4 isn't that difficult and a soft non-static brush is probably all it needs occasionally if you have a dusty environment.
Click to expand...
I've vacuumed my (2107) Mac by first powering off, the unplugging it. Done it several times, no problems. But Im only vacuuming the little air slots on the bottom, not opening it up.
 
Dutch60 said:
Thank you. Didn't know that sucking air/dust causes static.
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It is TRUE. Also, not a good idea to let fans spin freely when dusting. That can easily burn out a fan. I hold the fan when dusting. That fan has only ONE job to do, and I do not want to mess that up :)
 
Put your Mac Mini in a vertical position instead of horizontal. The air is sucked in from the bottom and expelled out the top. It's easy to clean where the air get taken in in this position, to keep the dust down. The metal sides of the mini also have more opportunity to dissipate heat in this position, so it runs cooler.

Sturdy heavy metal stand twenty bucks on Amazon. Or it was until the Trump tariffs...
 

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