I got a mate who used to smoke(Still does), to blow smoke though the fan vents of my old Abit system, was pretty cool. , and didn't damage anything at all, so if this is a once off thing or more, it should be fine. . Good Luck. Rob.
Just a point to consider... You don't want to use anything that leaves a residue on parts and heat sinks. Cig smoke and incense sticks have oils in them. Leaves a film on parts. Canned Smoke is designed to be sprayed in to the sensor chambers of smoke detectors. If it left a film the smoke detector would become overly sensitive and prone to false alarms. This stuff is made to be visable and thick enough to simulate real smoke, and then totally vanish. I hate to sound like an ad for the stuff, but it works and it's down right cheap.
well i dont were to buy it butyou may to check local bug stores or stuff like that and its a cool idea
I was gunna say, incense may work. You'll need a few sticks though, and plug your blowhole (if you have one in the case) until you turn it on.
Again, like I said before...Burning ANYTHING near your case is a bad idea. Even candles in the room can be a bad thing, because they all contain different types of oils. These oils can get on your equipment, and not only can they affect perfmormance, if enough of them get on your components, you may void your warranty (not that it typically matters too much). Just stay away from anything that can get on your components. True, dry ice ends up condensing the moisture in the air due to it's cooler-than-ambient temperature, but assuming that you're messing with air flow control, I'm guessing that the computer probably isn't on, and that you would be smart enough to let it dry before use (though the amount of moisture the system collects is pretty minimal). So basically, what I'm saying is that I'm sticking with my original opinion of using dry ice.
ok after reading all the suggestions I think the can smoke is the safest thing and it is cheap. I have a HTPC with a usb port inside the case. I am going to hook up a USB webcam inside the case. set up some lights also inside the case and blow smoke in the holes. some of you might be thinking what is the point. but like I said this is a HTPC and like all HTPCs they suffer from heat issues I have made some 80mm and 60mm fan holes in the case and added some real quite fans. now I need to test where the air is going in the case so I can adjust the fans to exaust or intake. with a camera in the case I can make the proper adjustments without having to rely on just temp sensors
Canned smoke - http://www.diynot.com/shop/CANNED_SMOKE/8450 ^^^ so this stuff is safe to use near sensitive electrical components then? Smoke detectors are just a little more 'industrial' than a brand new 6800Ultra
I am a sound techie at school (geek! ) and I use fog machines a lot... have you ever tried breathing while standing in the fog that creates? Lots of particles in there, plus, the thing works by burning oil. I'd also go for dry ice.... I need some for my nuclear-waste themed mod! How much does it cost, and where can I get it?
Feh, guys... all this stuff about bad oils and bad residues... snap out of it. People who smoke, smoke every day, even while on the computer. One little exposure for like 30 seconds to smoke isn't going to harm anything more than the oil from your fingers will. /me lights a candle right by his intake to prove a point
Yeah, but incense doesn't cause cancer. Well, I don't think it does.... in any case it sure smells better than cig smoke. But like you said, thirty seconds or so won't cause damage.
Would you bet your life... On a video card. Smoke detectors use a IR led and a IR photo diode or transistor. Controller circuits pulse the led at certain intervals and test to see if the light is a certain strenght and frequency. When the light level drops off the pulse rate picks up. When it reaches the lower limit it trips the signal output. Then it resets itself for 5 seconds and tests again. If it is still at the lower limit it trips the output and latches on. Dropping power to the device after clearing the sensing chamber resets the device. I disagree with the assumption that a smoke detector is "Industrial". It's a marvel of modern electronic technology. The sensing chamber contains some of the most sensitive devices you will find in the world today. And some even have self diagnostic circuits that would make a Xeon chip look pretty stupid in comparason. The advanced units can alert you to what is wrong if a internal problem occurs. Would you bet your life on a video card????? I have 4000 customers betting thier lives on a piece of technology far superior to any video card... If every home had a smoke detector, more would walk away from a fire than would be carried away... Sorry about the rant but I have spent over 25 years designing and installing high end security/fire and access control devices.
My intention was to say that they 'seem' more industrial to the uninitiated. Wasn't a question of under estimating it's importantance. I just wanted to know whether it was safe near pc components (the smoke that is). 'tis all.
It's ok... Sorry about the rant there. I guess it's just the guardian angel comming out. To make it simple, yes the can smoke is quite safe on any electronic device. Nap time guys, later...
