Tips to clean Avr

[Love4sound]

Dear Fm’s

I am really surprised to find so much dust inside my 4500. It’s a year old but when ever it’s not in use I cover it completely with a towel. Can I use a vacuum cleaner and blow the dust away or should I use a soft brush and wipe the dust gently or do both?

 

[avtar2008]

I was also looking to clean my AVR for some time and will be taking some suggestions from this thread.

I was thinking to place an air filter on the top grill to prevent dust and mount some PC fans to compensate for airflow reduced due to filter.

 

[raghupb]

Do the vacuum thingie to blow dust away. Keep the nozzle at least 2-3 inches away from components.

If you can get an ostrich feather duster, it'll be the best solution.
The feathers actually pick up fine dust, unlike other dusters.
They are washable too.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[anilpatel]

Thanks for starting the most important but most ignored topic.

 

[Haribabu]

Blower and old paint brush or tooth brush in some
Places where paint brush can’t reach. Don’t apply any liquid on pcb

 

[Gamerps360]

Ideally I use paint brush of different sizes that goes and covers most of the places around the circuit. Never used a blow dryer... As the ProFx guys didn't recommend.
But yes that also should do but we have to make sure to keep the dryer at a comfortable distance from the components.

 

[Love4sound]

There was so much dust inside so I don’t think a brush would have been enough. I have a vacuum cleaner that also has a blower. I covered the nozzle with a cloth which reduced the force as it’s very powerful. Now almost all the dust has been blown away. Actually the level of dust that was inside is not clear in the image and there was so much present. I have also ordered paint brush to clean the transformer as u can see in the image it’s not the powdery kind of dust that can be blown away. As Raghu suggested tried for ostrich feather but couldn’t find small size in amazon and the large ones costs around 4-6k

 

[raghupb]

There was so much dust inside so I don’t think a brush would have been enough. I have a vacuum cleaner that also has a blower. I covered the nozzle with a cloth which reduced the force as it’s very powerful. Now almost all the dust has been blown away. Actually the level of dust that was inside is not clear in the image and there was so much present. I have also ordered paint brush to clean the transformer as u can see in the image it’s not the powdery kind of dust that can be blown away. As Raghu suggested tried for ostrich feather but couldn’t find small size in amazon and the large ones costs around 4-6k

That's daylight robbery. In US it costs 10-12 USD for a small size pair.
Cheers,
Raghu

 

[Vinod.R]

I usually clean my avr bought in 2004 with a broad paint brush, soft cotton cloth and also tooth brush for hard to reach places. Will provide details later in this thread. Not had any harm done so far, by GOG.

 

[Nitin K]

There was so much dust inside so I don’t think a brush would have been enough. I have a vacuum cleaner that also has a blower. I covered the nozzle with a cloth which reduced the force as it’s very powerful. Now almost all the dust has been blown away. Actually the level of dust that was inside is not clear in the image and there was so much present. I have also ordered paint brush to clean the transformer as u can see in the image it’s not the powdery kind of dust that can be blown away. As Raghu suggested tried for ostrich feather but couldn’t find small size in amazon and the large ones costs around 4-6k

Hi Navin,

In India most of the stuff is expensive. With that money maybe you can buy an Ostrich itself & have as many feathers as you want.
On a serious note you can use a camera lens blower with a soft brush for the inside components & microfiber cloth for the outer surface.

Rgs,
Nitin

 

[RRR]

In India most of the stuff is expensive. With that money maybe you can buy an Ostrich itself & have as many feathers as you want.

Super sense of humour sir!

 

[unleash_me]

Can I use a vacuum cleaner and blow the dust away or should I use a soft brush and wipe the dust gently or do both?

I use a small and inexpensive, yet powerful blower called xpower something. See if you can find similar ones locally.

 

[Love4sound]

I use a small and inexpensive, yet powerful blower called xpower something. See if you can find similar ones locally.

Ok but for now I managed using my vacuum cleaner that also has blower. Guess that will do.

 

[OM_2K19]

Ok but for now I managed using my vacuum cleaner that also has a blower. Guess that will do.

Just a point of caution, refrain from using any kind of brush. These boards contain sensitive SMD components, you may end up physically damaging them.

 

[Love4sound]

Just a point of caution, refrain from using any kind of brush. These boards contain sensitive SMD components, you may end up physically damaging them.

I am going to use the brush only to clean the transformer part. Got all the dust removed using blower

 

[OM_2K19]

I am going to use the brush only to clean the transformer part. Got all the dust removed using the blower

Cool...

 

[Vinod.R]

Whenever cleaning the insides of any AVR, or any electronic component, general precautions and common sense should be adhered to.
1) Make sure all electrical connections/plugs are disconnected.
2) Many AVRs become structurally weak after disassembly. Move half open AVRs carefully if need be.
3) If one needs to disconnect some connection to reach hard to reach areas, a photo on the mobile prior to disconnecting would be helpful in reassembly.
4) Keep all dust removal, blowing within reasonable limits. Don't be too fastidious. Many people mess up trying to over-clean.
5) Keep all screws in the same order so that one knows which screw goes in which slot during reassembly, sometimes screws of different sizes are used.
6) Write down your settings in case the AVR gets reset during cleaning.
7) after cleaning and assembly, reconnect just the avr to see if it is alright. It is a pain if it does not work properly after it is slotted and connected to speakers and player in the rack.
8) panels outside can be carefully cleaned with a slightly damped cloth after removing excess dampness.
Some points that I could think of. I am sure there are many more.

 

[spirovious]

First blow air to remove dust inside cabinet ,then use soft brush(may be makeup one) to remove PCB dust and again blow or suction with care.

 

[rpmahale]

Its better to send avr to authorise service Center for cleaning purpose. It is advisable to send avr to service center once in two years. I sent my Denon AVR-2113 twice to ProFx Mumbai for cleaning. They charge just Rs. 1200/- for cleaning of dust,moisture , cleaning of jumpers, switches etc. This will ensure long life of avr and avoid sudden failure.

 

[Vinod.R]

Its better to send avr to authorise service Center for cleaning purpose. It is advisable to send avr to service center once in two years. I sent my Denon AVR-2113 twice to ProFx Mumbai for cleaning. They charge just Rs. 1200/- for cleaning of dust,moisture , cleaning of jumpers, switches etc. This will ensure long life of avr and avoid sudden failure.

But many a time, not all service centres are honest. Many of them just keep the AVR and return it and charge simply. Thats another problem.