Non computer damaging smoke?

[DeathONator]

Uhh yeah, I am just wondering what kind of smoke I could run threw my computer that would be safe. Hmm any thoughts?

[eobard]

No thought here on the subject other than 1) Smoke, why!?!? and 2) I killed the other double post for you.

[Since87]

To observe airflow?

Any burning vegetable matter would be fine for the brief period this would take.

I'd avoid lighting a car tire on fire, and holding it near the intake.

Hope this helps. :D

[Mizzery]

Maybe some dry ice smoke (drop it in warm water) or get / rent one of those fog machines.

[eobard]

AIRFLOW! :bang head I've done this in the past myself and yet I didn't think of it just then. When I did it I just used an extinguised candle but I was just testing one fan's ability to resist the negative backpressure in my case. It was all or nothing for that, I don't know if lighting and extinguishing candles alot would be worth the trouble for setting up a whole caseflow design.


This all assumes you are trying to test airflow with smoke.

[Deathknight]

Ok this was posted almost an hour ago and not a single pot head has made a suggestion yet. Shocking. I guess it IS saturday night after all ;)

I think most any smoke in small quantities would be alright. It is DIRTY air though so I wouldn't turn your case into a smoking lounge...

[Carnil]

The mist produced by dry ice should be perfect.

[boffin2163]

u can get small smoke cartridges that ppl you to test gas installations maby you could try them

[four4875]

smoke bomb? ya know the lil round ones you can buy at most random stores. colorful smoke from them, i'd reccomend doin it outside, tho.

[Bensa]

Incense, thick and lasting smoke.

[L337 M33P]

Originally posted by Bensa
Incense, thick and lasting smoke.

Plus you get a nice smelling PC :D

I would say either dry ice in water (the "smoke" may not last long enough though) or if you can, get hold of a disco fog machine. The smoke isn't dangerous to you so I don't think it will be dangerous to your PC :)

[Fast420A]

Some people consider this a rated "G" forum and don't like the drug references. This is serious too.

eobard

[I.M.O.G.]

In an isolated incidence, the type of smoke doesn't matter a whole lot, but I would stay away from anything moisture related (dry ice, fog machine... ummm then again, doesn't dry ice just give off CO2? Maybe it's okay). Just minimize the amount you use though.

Prolonged exposure to smoke can cause hardware failure which most often propagates in the movement mechanisms of CD drives. Smoker with a dead CD-ROM? Open 'er up, remove all the gum thats accumulated, and it'll likely work like new again if the motor didn't burn itself out trying to plow through the sludge.

[xb-70]

I think that because Dry ice sublimes, rather than melting it should be ok to use (no moisture problems), its also thick enough to see good currents in your case. Just dont use it in an enclosed space it can displace the oxygen in the room leading to death ;)

[Tekime]

You know, I've tried diong this before with incense smoke and had absolutely no luck. The second the smoke enters my intakes it dissapates so rapidly that it becomes invisible.

I had the idea of using a bunch of small toothpick sized sticks with a bit of brightly-colored thread or string on the end to watch airflow. Would be a lot safer, too :)

[Restorer]

I've never tried it, but dry ice submerged in water to produce a thick fog might work. I doubt you'll have any condensation problems because the fog forms because of the colder temperature of the dry ice. As it passes through your case, everything it hits is warmer, so no moisture would stick. Just don't do it if you have extreme (e.g. non-air) cooling. :D

[Mizzery]

Originally posted by Fast420A
Quote removed for reason listed in orignating post.

eobard

Eww resin on the fans. ;) Always wondered if thats why your username is what it is.

I don't like using smoke in my computer. Smoke leaves ash and tar behind. I don't feel like taking apart my optical drives to scrape crap off the lens. Dry ice does not leave residure behind. Get a 5gal buck of warm water, cut a hole in the lid for a hose, drop some dry ice in ( a little at a time to get the flow you want) and pop the lid on the tub. The more dry ice or the warmer the water the faster the smoke will come.

[I.M.O.G.]

Originally posted by Restorer
I've never tried it, but dry ice submerged in water to produce a thick fog might work. I doubt you'll have any condensation problems because the fog forms because of the colder temperature of the dry ice. As it passes through your case, everything it hits is warmer, so no moisture would stick. Just don't do it if you have extreme (e.g. non-air) cooling. :D

Good point restorer. No condensation will form because everything the cold smoke touches will be warmer than the air/smoke.

On the other side of the coin however, once the smoke is gone, if it chills any component enough that is close to the intake, it is possible that the component will be cooler than the room air enough that it will then form condensation. Altogether unlikely, but I wanted to note it because your post made me think of something I hadn't thought of previously.

WELCOME TO THE FORUM! :beer:

[Fast420A]

Yes and no on the user name.

It originated when I had a Mitsubishi Eclipse with the 420A engine in it and that was my user name on the car forums and it has been ever since. Edited for same reason listed above.

eobard

Plus since I pay for the domain www.fast420a.com I figure that's a user name for a while.

[DeathONator]

Sorry for not replying in forever... I forgot about this thread.

Anyways I wanted to know the answer to this question for two reasons: Case air flow, and the main reason is I was thinking about adding a switch on the front of my case that said "Turbo Mode" and "Regular"... ok I haven't put much thought into the label for "off". But anyways when you flip the switch smoke starts coming out of the computer and I want to do something w/ lighting that will look crazy. I just want to be able to flip the switch and then make the computer look like it's frying. I really dunno how I could switch smoke on and off thou.

I didn't wanna say my plan but lets face it, you can't help me if you dunno what I want to accomplish.

[Sterculus]

Try buying some sort of party fog machine, then if u put it inside your case and have a relay that powers it (being your switch), when you flip the switch the smoke machine turns on and smoke starts coming outta your case.
Be careful that the smoke machine doesn't fill up your case with condensation.

[Sterculus]

Try buying some sort of party fog machine, then if u put it inside your case and have a relay that powers it (being your switch), when you flip the switch the smoke machine turns on and smoke starts coming outta your case.
Be careful that the smoke machine doesn't fill up your case with condensation.

[Ravsitar]

Fire Extinguishers will also work (cause they are co2). They are also conviently located outside most dorm rooms :p

[Nick Burns]

But you can't take the fire extinguisher unless you have a fire to put out. That means that you have to start a fire in your dorm room:)

[cack01]

what the pros use:
http://www.labsafety.com/store/product.asp?dept_id=7774&pf_id=7177&cat_prefix=2WA

[xb-70]

what the pros use:
http://www.labsafety.com/store/prod...&cat_prefix=2WA
w00t, good link there neat stuff, especially the disposable smoke matches, not bad for 10 bucks.

[Mizzery]

I'd only use a chemical fogger if you route the fog so that it exits the case without filling it up (like a tube out the back) cause it will get things wet.

Also, the fire extinguisher might not be such a good idea if its a dry chemical one cause that will leave powder all over stuff.

I can't think of anything good for a smoke on demand application that you want, except for a small chem fogger w/ tube.

[penquissciguy]

You want to be careful with the party foggers too. The "liquid smoke" these things use is oil-based, so it isn't very pleasant to inhale in close quarters for very long. It will, as mentioned before, gunk up the inside of your computer when it cools. Another vote for dry ice for checking case flow, as long as the lower temp of the vapor isn't an issue.

Ken

[Mac]

Originally posted by penquissciguy
You want to be careful with the party foggers too. The "liquid smoke" these things use is oil-based, so it isn't very pleasant to inhale in close quarters for very long. It will, as mentioned before, gunk up the inside of your computer when it cools. Another vote for dry ice for checking case flow, as long as the lower temp of the vapor isn't an issue.

Ken

i dont think he just wants to test for airflow, i think he wants it to be a cool effect to his computer. ie when he hits a switch the computer innards fill up with smoke.

this just doesnt seem safe though, i wouldnt do it much if at all.

[cack01]

Originally posted by Mac

be a cool effect to his computer. ie when he hits a switch the computer innards fill up with smoke.


That would freak me out too much. What would happen if you forgot to turn in off, you come back the computer is filled with smoke? You would need a new pair of underware thats what. :)

I was actually looking at buying a fogger yesterday (not for computer use). From what I've seen, they are all pretty bulky, and from what I read, they use heat to make the fog so it make not be great for temps.

[DeathONator]

Yeah, I would just want to do it like at a LAN party every once and awhile to freak people out. But it may be too much work.

[JKeefe]

My thoughts:

1) Dry ice melting at room temperature is called sublimation - the CO2 goes directly from a solid phase to a gas phase. The smoke you see from it is mostly CO2, not water, although it may contain small amounts of water. It is also not that cold, as the dry ice must reach the temperature of the water it is dumped into in order to sublimate into the room air.

2) Fire extinguishers are a bad idea. CO2 extinguishers have extremely cold discharge do to the fact that they are under pressure. Have any of you ever discharged a fire extinguisher? I have (yes, to put out a small to medium sized fire); it sprays particulate everywhere. I discharged a chemical extingusher. The stuff gets into the air, into your eyes, into your mouth. It burns. It makes you cough (but not as much as the smoke does...)It tastes horrible.

3) Fog machines are big; the one I have is about a third the size of my case, maybe 12" x 6". It gets hot when generating fog. I'm not sure how it works, but I know you fill it up with fogging fluid before you use it, which looks just like water. I imagine that it is mostly water.


Moral of the story: Water vapor or other particulate matter inside your computer case is a bad idea. Dry ice is safe once sublimated, but it is at -100C before it melts, and that is definitely not safe. It is a pain to handle and probably doesn't belong in a computer case.

[da-gokesta]

heat up a piece of metal on a stove then use a spray bottle to spray kerosene on the outside of it, it produces a nice thick white smoke. its the same thing used in airplanes for sky writing

[Obsidian]

6 parts sugar
1 part Salt Peter

Melt them at low heat
Stick something for a wick in it and let harden
Light and enjoy

I'm amazed noones mentioned this yet. Dont anyone read banned books anymore :)

[marklar]

I know just what you need.

There used to be a piece of Scalextric (http://www.scalextric.com) track for the start line that let you 'rev up' the car and smoke came out of the back.

The track used a packet of some oily substance and the rotation of the wheels to produce smoke. All you'd need to do is hook up a small motor to the mechanism controlled by your switch.

I couldn't find it on their site but I didn't look that hard.

BTW, I think your 'turbo' feature takes 'geeky' to a new level. Mind you I just read about Scalextric RMS (http://www.scalextric.co.uk/pages/rms_abt.aspx) and now I want to be a kid again so I'm not exactly my cool myself. Maybe my mum will buy it for my birthday.

[Mizzery]

Originally posted by Obsidian
6 parts sugar
1 part Salt Peter


Where do you find your potassium nitrate?

[Big_Baller]

Originally posted by Nick Burns
But you can't take the fire extinguisher unless you have a fire to put out. That means that you have to start a fire in your dorm room:) Well AMDs can get pretty hot ;) .... ever seen the video where THG takes the Heatsink off of certain cpus to see if the temp protection kicks in? The ones that didn't put out quite a bit of smoke. Wheres theres smoke theres fire.