I recently bought Marantz PM5005. It has a lot of big air vents on wide are of top of the unit. I have never any equipment with such a wide air vents. Now my worry is how to prevent it from dust enter and deposited on PCB? How do you guys manage?
How to prevent dust on Amplifier/AVR?
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rikhav
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Nothing will happen
No where in the world you can prevent dust going inside it.
Cover it with thick cloth if you feel like when not in use .
Yes but if it's very humid in the part of country where you stay make sure to use it regularly
No where in the world you can prevent dust going inside it.
Cover it with thick cloth if you feel like when not in use .
Yes but if it's very humid in the part of country where you stay make sure to use it regularly
Love4sound
Well-Known Member
I cover my avr with a cloth after it cools off completely.
I cover the receiver with a cloth cover stitched slightly loose dimensionwise than the receiver after it has completely cooled down. Remove the covers while using the amplifier. In addition to that also wipe the receiver lightly with a micro fiber cloth after use. You can use the small manual blower used for cleaning camera lens aimed inside the vents of your amplifier. It may not remove all the dust but removes most of it. Use your amplifier regularly especially during monsoon. I have been doing this for years & it keeps your equipment looking pristine.
I am lazy in this regard and since also use my Denon receiver very frequently hence covering with cloth after use is not practical for me. I clean the dust particles from a microfiber glove once a week. I don't think there is any way to prevent minor dust going inside the equipment.
Srinivasa Rao
Active Member
I keep my Marantz receiver covered with a cotton cloth on top and sides after giving enough time to cool off and if it is a dedicated room, keep doors and windows closed as much as possible to prevent dust. I live in a developing extension area where house construction is the norm.
hifitoaster
Well-Known Member
Dust is no villian compared to moisture and power fluctuations. I never saw any amp dead due to dust.
Srinivasa Rao
Active Member
Moisture shouldn't be a problem as the Receiver gets warm enough when in use. When compared to lenses this is not a big deal. We use humidifier and baking in sun to keep our lenses from accumulating fungus and moisture.
hifitoaster
Well-Known Member
From where I come(kerala) , in monsoon season, the moisture levels are very high that, wood on speakers get fungus, paper cones sometimes in some cases also get fungus. Technicians at our place always says that moisture can cause condensex droplets on legs or small microcontrollers causing them to short. In this case before the warming up happens damage will be done. Also certain inductors corrode exposed to moisture. I am not sure if they are right altogether ,but after having complaints with denon , onkyo receivers (always with small processors or components like that ) at kerala and never at Chennai where I previously worked I kind of believe them. Also, joints on boards can corrode and can there by altering the circuit leading to damage. I heard the same story from more than one technician.
Old stereo amps with mechanical switches seems alright in this case. Not 100 percent sure, as I am no expert with working on boards.
In summer a lot of dust get settled. In monsoon when humidity increases the settled dust gets moisturised. It will cause harm, right?
sound_cycle
Well-Known Member
I had a similar amp, and tried out things similar to those outlined in previous posts (I only synthetic feathers and had no Broadway diva,, maybe my implementation was wrong).
I live and listen in a Dusty dry city, so the only thing that met my OCD was an annual flufe dust bunny rejection was covers off with a handheld vaccum cleaner.
It made no difference to the SQ.
Ciao
GR
I live and listen in a Dusty dry city, so the only thing that met my OCD was an annual flufe dust bunny rejection was covers off with a handheld vaccum cleaner.
It made no difference to the SQ.
Ciao
GR
rikhav
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How will you stop dust from entering the internals?
As all have suggested keep it covered with a cloth. That's the best you can do in a home environment and use it regularly.
It's time to stop over thinking and enjoy your music
As you rightly mentioned, moisture has been a real headache. If your AV room has an air conditioner, use dehumidifier once a month. I was able to get rid of the fungus and component failures also stopped
Fantastic
Well-Known Member
It might be a good idea to use two layers of cloth to make the covers. Dont' blow air to remove dust. Use a vacuum cleaner to suck in the dust. Don't wipe the top with a dry cloth . Lot of dust will fall in . Use a damp cloth and just place it over the top and pat it down. All the dust will stick to it. Then use another damp cloth to wipe it and pick up the remaining dust. You don't need to do this every day. Once in a week or two weeks should be fine if you keep the amp covered when not in use.
Dust is really the killer. Moisture condenses on the dust that settles on the boards and causes leakage currents which eventually leads to breakdown or faulty operation of the boards. I've even seen moisture attack the copper tracks on pcb's in spite of the board having the usual protective layer over the copper traces ( in Mumbai ! ... was a Nakamichi casette deck !). It pays to keep all your equipment covered " when not in use ".
Vacuuming the insides ( carefully !) with a brush to shake up all the remaining fine dust particles which could stick to the parts is a good idea. Maybe once in six months or a year depending on how dusty your environment it.
One needs to remember that the moisture that settles on the dust isn't 'pure moisture'. It contains all the pollutants in the air. Most likely acidic too and thus cause corrosion of exposed metal parts just by being there.
Dust is really the killer. Moisture condenses on the dust that settles on the boards and causes leakage currents which eventually leads to breakdown or faulty operation of the boards. I've even seen moisture attack the copper tracks on pcb's in spite of the board having the usual protective layer over the copper traces ( in Mumbai ! ... was a Nakamichi casette deck !). It pays to keep all your equipment covered " when not in use ".
Vacuuming the insides ( carefully !) with a brush to shake up all the remaining fine dust particles which could stick to the parts is a good idea. Maybe once in six months or a year depending on how dusty your environment it.
One needs to remember that the moisture that settles on the dust isn't 'pure moisture'. It contains all the pollutants in the air. Most likely acidic too and thus cause corrosion of exposed metal parts just by being there.
Nothing can be done about the dust even after placing any number of cloth or even cleaning it regularly. It is also cumbersome to remove all the cables and reconnecting to avr again. I just leave it as it is and blow it gently with an air compressor bi-monthly with regulated speed.
Fantastic
Well-Known Member
It makes a big difference keeping equipment covered. Been seeing the difference for over 40 years ! The covers needn't be very tight. Loose fitting so that it goes over all the cable connections.
The best equipment from maintenance point of view belongs to a friend who has a loose cover for each equipment AND a large ( thick ) plain sheet that covers all the equipment . Just hangs down from the corners. His ( over ) 15 year old equipment looks like it was bought yesterday !
But then it's your equipment and you can treat it any way you want to ! All we need to know is that it doesn't like dust and that accumulates faster than you can imagine !
The other option is to have a dedicated cabinet with closed doors, front and back. All fully openable when the system is in use and with plenty of space for free flow of warm/hot air . Life of electronic components decreases with rising temperature !
The best equipment from maintenance point of view belongs to a friend who has a loose cover for each equipment AND a large ( thick ) plain sheet that covers all the equipment . Just hangs down from the corners. His ( over ) 15 year old equipment looks like it was bought yesterday !
But then it's your equipment and you can treat it any way you want to ! All we need to know is that it doesn't like dust and that accumulates faster than you can imagine !
The other option is to have a dedicated cabinet with closed doors, front and back. All fully openable when the system is in use and with plenty of space for free flow of warm/hot air . Life of electronic components decreases with rising temperature !
Fantastic
Well-Known Member
An observation on moisture . Most modern pcb's ( circuit boards ) have a protective coating over the copper layers making them reasonably resistant to moisture absorption. Boards are usually made of paper reinforced phenolic resin or glass fiber reinforced epoxy resin. Low cost equipment uses phenolic boards and more expensive equipment uses glass fiber boards which are much more expensive. Phenolic boards are more hygroscopic than glass fiber boards. While most modern boards have protective layers on the outside they would over time absorb some moisture . This could cause operational problems in some boards . The way to protect a board from such effects is to use the equipment regularly. This heats up the boards and out gasses the moisture . Leaving the boards unused ( cold) for very long periods of time could result in problems. Baking the boards is one way to get out the absorbed moisture but it takes a very long time and usually doesn't work well as the process is very slow. Most antique boards would probably come under this category. Whether it causes an unacceptable performance change depends on the design of the boards and their circuitry. Sometimes nothing seems amiss and at the other extreme, it could cause failure that's hard to fix.
So electronics that's exposed to air doesn't like dust AND moisture ! Dust ensures that condensed moisture stays on the board for longer periods of time , exposing it to the risk of irreversible damage. I've even seen unprotected glass fiber boards on expensive equipment become unusable due to moisture absorption. No amount of 'baking' could bring it back to normal operation.
So it pays to keep your equipment covered......could always put in a box/bag of dessicant in a sealed equipment cabinet to protect it in highly humid areas.....like they do for lenses ..... tungsten lamps to keep them warm and a dessicant to absorb moisture !
If you change your equipment often all this will probably be unnecessary ...for you !
So electronics that's exposed to air doesn't like dust AND moisture ! Dust ensures that condensed moisture stays on the board for longer periods of time , exposing it to the risk of irreversible damage. I've even seen unprotected glass fiber boards on expensive equipment become unusable due to moisture absorption. No amount of 'baking' could bring it back to normal operation.
So it pays to keep your equipment covered......could always put in a box/bag of dessicant in a sealed equipment cabinet to protect it in highly humid areas.....like they do for lenses ..... tungsten lamps to keep them warm and a dessicant to absorb moisture !
If you change your equipment often all this will probably be unnecessary ...for you !
The Marantz PM7000N offers big, spacious and insightful sound, class-leading clarity and a solid streaming platform in a award winning package.
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