This chapter covered safety and preventive maintenance practices. Preventive maintenance is a necessary part of every PC technician’s job, because it insures that a PC operate for longer time periods. Preventive maintenance can also be though of as proactive maintenance, because it involves fixing problems before they occur. The idea behind a PM schedule is to set aside some time to routinely open the computer, inspect it, clean it, and fix any items that may need attention.
Cleaning the PC removes dirt that could make mechanical parts bind or operate erratically and helps provide good air flow, which is vital to keeping the internal components of the PC from being damaged.
The main products needed to perform preventive maintenance are:
Compressed air or a vacuum
Lint-free cloth and swabs
Liquid cleaning solvent (volatile) and lubricating contact cleaner
Properly disposing of environmentally hazardous materials is the responsibility of the technician. Among the items that require special disposal procedures are:
Batteries
Empty cleaning solvent and compressed-air cans
CRTs and electronic assemblies
Toner cartridges
Ozone filters
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) are available for any hazardous material and provide information about the hazards and how to properly dispose of these items. If you need an MSDS for an item, talk to the environmental or purchasing departments at your company.
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) can damage the components of a PC. Special ESD gear minimizes the risk of damage caused by ESD. When working with any of the internal components of a PC, always wear an ESD grounding strap. The resistor that is built into the strap provides protection from energized equipment, but you should never remove energized computer boards with an ESD. Never wear an ESD grounding strap when working with the internal components of a monitor, as you may receive a deadly shock.
VOCABULARY
Before proceeding to the next chapter, review the following terms and definitions.
Term
Definition
Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT)
The portion of the monitor where the picture is generated. It is essentially a large vacuum tube that is powered by 25,000 volts of electricity.
Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)
EMI usually occurs when you run cables too close to an electric motor or fluorescent lights. Also, placing a monitor placed too close to another powerful electrical device may disrupt the monitor’s performance.
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
The release of built-up static electricity. Humans can store more than 30,000 volts of static electricity. An example of ESD is shocking another person by touching them after walking across carpet.
ESD prevention gear
Special safety equipment you wear when working with electronic equipment; the gear limit ESD.
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
Fact sheets that define hazards, proper storage, and disposal techniques for environmentally hazardous materials.
Ozone filter
A filter in a laser printer that is designed to capture the ozone generated in the regular operation of a laser printer. Special requirements exist for the disposal of ozone filters.
Preventive Maintenance (PM)
A type of proactive maintenance that encompasses a set of routinely performed checks and repairs on equipment, analogous to changing the oil in a car.
Static electricity
An electrical current that builds up and is stored. Static electricity is generated by friction, such as walking across carpet.
Volatile liquid
A liquid that evaporates quickly. Rubbing alcohol and acetone are good examples of a volatile liquid.
IN BRIEF
If you want to...
Then do this
Open a monitor and adjustments
Remove your ESD grounding strap. Wearing ESD gear while working on high-voltage equipment, such as the CRT or high-voltage power supply of a monitor, could result in deadly shock.
Replace an I/O card in a PC
Power the system off and put on your ESD gear. When working with the components of a PC that are located inside the case, always wear ESD equipment.
Dispose of a laser printer toner kit
Review the MSDS sheet for the toner. The toner used in copiers and laser printers is considered a hazardous material and requires special disposal procedures.
Clean a mouse
Clean the exterior of the mouse with a cleaning solvent, the open the mouse ball ring and clean the ball with warm water or the cleaning solvent. Remove any dirt, dust, or lint with a lint-free cloth or swab. Be sure not to use too strong a solvent or you will damage the plastic parts.
Blow the dust out of the inside of the PC case
Power down the system and remove the cover. Do not remove the interface cards until after you have blown the dust out of the case. Dust and debris can fall into the expansion slot connectors and cause poor seating when boards are re-installed.
Order Your SQL Fundamentals CD Today! Learn how to use SQL Server, understand Office integration techniques and dive into the essentials of SQL Express and Visual Basic with this free SQL Fundamentals CD.
You've Deployed SharePoint...Now What? This one-day free online conference delivers the technical knowledge needed to kick MOSS up a notch. In one information-packed day, independent SharePoint experts will present practical, real-world information and provide take-away, ready-to-use solutions
What Would You Do If You Ran Microsoft? ITTV's 2008 inaugural video contest, "If I Ran Microsoft..." is your chance to tell it like it is. Be goofy or be serious, but don"t miss this chance to have fun, win prizes, and go viral in a major way.
Maximize Your SharePoint Investment This web seminar discusses how true bi-directional replication of SharePoint content from one server to another enables branch offices to maintain access to current SharePoint content.
Windows IT Pro
Register
