#fixit

TLDR: advice for cleaning stinky PC case and components? A couple of months ago, I trashpicked a gaming tower from a neighbor whose teenager had switched to a laptop, because the tower had some problem that kept it from booting up. It was stored in a (dry) basement for 4-5 years. I lugged it home with the vague intention of converting it to a home media server (since I don't want to add that duty to our mail server). On first testing, I found that its 8-yr-old Intel motherboard seemed to have failed -- I reckon due to inadequate cooling, since the "Deepcool" case had no fans (until I added some) or liquid cooling system, and the CPU fan wasn't properly installed. Other components seemed ok (including the room-decor LED light strips the prior owner had haphazardly duct-taped around the case interior). Anyway, I shoved it under a desk and didn't touch it again until the other day, when I disassembled it fully and installed a cheap Gigabyte board and AMD5 CPU. And it boots, NVIDEA GPU works, storage seems ok. BUT IT SMELLS. Like a singed basement troll, with hint of stink bug. Mildly toxic. Not quite like stale tobacco. My spouse immediately complained about it. I had already finished a can of compressed air dusting off various parts, wiped down exposed boards and fan blades, but it didn't help much. I'm going to open and clean out the PSU next. Any tips on cleaning techniques are appreciated! #fixit #DIY #Repair #PCmasterrace #PCgaming #ElectronicsRepair

#OttowaCanada - July #RepairCafe Saturday, July 11 • 10 AM - 2 PM Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre, #OttawaON (no ticket required; FREE EVENT; listing for info only) "Throw it away? No way! Fix it at the Repair Café! Venez faire réparer vos articles au Café de reparations! Join us on Saturday, July 11th, 2026 at Richelieu-Vanier Community Centre (300 des Pères-Blancs Avenue) from 10am until 2pm. Repair Cafés are opportunities for all Ottawa & area residents to feel purpose and belonging – whether as a visitor or volunteer – to save money, learn new skills and foster a culture of repair! Repair Cafés directly divert items from our local landfills and reduce our environmental impact, while allowing our community to engage in accessible climate action! Repair Cafés are an international concept that has come to the National Capital Region with the goal of reducing landfill waste, teaching new skills, and building community! Our past Repair Cafés have been very successful with volunteers fixing dozens of items and sharing their knowledge around everything from darning socks to re-wiring kettles. It's first-come, first-served, so please be prepared for the chance of extended wait times. Though we work as quickly and efficiently as we can, the popularity of these events is increasing and we can never tell what kind of wait there may be for us to see your item. We ask for your patience and kindness - remember, we are all on this repair mission together! :) This event is held in collaboration with the the City of Ottawa and is FREE OF CHARGE. This listing is for information purposes only. All registration occurs onsite. You DO NOT HAVE TO REGISTER via Eventbrite, but a donation to support these great initiatives is always appreciated and helps cover expenses for volunteers. Note that if you kindly donate it does not mean you get to skip the line or show up as we are closing down with the expectation that someone will see your item. Support provided from EPRA enables us to safely recycle any items that are not able to be repaired at the Repair Café." FMI: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/july-repair-cafe-no-ticket-required-free-event-listing-for-info-only-tickets-1982462479643 #OttowaToolLibrary #RepairCafesOttowa #FixIt #RepairCafes #RepairCafesCanada #ReuseRestoreRepair #SolarPunkSunday #RightToRepair #BuildingCommunity

#BostonWeekend Fri REPAIR 3-7pm #FixitClinic at #BU #BostonUniversity - free #RepairCafe bring some broken stuff https://www.boston.gov/calendar/fixit-clinic-boston-university #boston #fixit #RightToRepair #mending #visibleMending #boston