Cleaning
How dust shortens hashboard life
Dust is not only cosmetic gray on a shroud. On mining shelves it packs into heat-sink fins, rides the felt edges of cheap filters, and creates insulating blankets that force chips to run hotter for the same workload. Over months, that heat accelerates paste dry-out and nudges VRM components toward earlier failure.
Where particulate actually settles
Open-air frames pull room air across every board. Coastal and industrial neighborhoods around Ulsan add fine grit that clings when humidity rises. Look at the leading edge of sinks first, then the quiet corners behind PSU cables where eddy currents drop lint. Those corners survive weekly “blast and hope” sessions because the nozzle never stays long enough.
Why air alone falls short
Compressed air moves loose fluff. It also drives grit deeper between fins if you spray at a steep angle. Workshop practice starts with dry brushes and vacuum capture at the edge of the shelf, then controlled solvent only on surfaces the manufacturer allows. Fans come off when felt ridges block the intake—leaving them spinning through a dusty blast just redistributes the problem.
A lifespan-minded cadence
Operators who photograph intakes monthly spot compression earlier. Pair those photos with a temperature note from a consistent probe point. When the delta creeps upward without a workload change, schedule a staged clean rather than waiting for thermal throttling. Our Hardware Maintenance Workshop drills that sequence on demo frames so the habit sticks before summer load.