invading varmints was Re: powering up older machines - is it safe?

[Roy J. Tellason]

On Thursday 05 June 2008 18:57, Chris M wrote:
>  I arguably my first vintage computer invaded by
> apparently teeny tiny critters once! I had the box, a
> TI PC, stuck in my parked van for a winter anyhow. I
> fired it up one day, and nothing happened, and the fan
> would only budge intermittently. I opened it up and
> *something* doo doo doo doo, tore up all sort of paper
> and insulation to make a really suave pad! Thing is
> the opening were pretty small. I have trouble thinking
> it was done by insects, but I cannot imagine a rodent
> fitting through any of those openings. It was skeery!

I used to walk past this business that dealt with such critters, and this sign 
in a window detailed some surprising facts,  like how a rat could fit through 
a hole only a half inch in diameter.  I'd suppose that if we were talking 
about a mouse that'd be even smaller...

> --- schwepes at moog.netaxs.com wrote:
> > I've had the issue twice.  The first time was a Heathkit stereo where
> > a bad capacitor killed the transformer and the second one was an Acer
> > 286 that had a mouse problem, biological kind. bs
> >
> > On Wed, 4 Jun 2008, Tony Duell wrote:
> > > > I can understand worrying about something that's not been used for
> > > > a few years, but if you check everything that's not been used for
> > > > just a few months, when do you have time to actually _do_ anything?
> >
> > > Well, if I am using a machine every day, I don't check it every time
> > > (there's no point, the PSU could fail in the time between checking it
> > > and reconnectin it to the logic :-)). But if I get a machine out that
> > > I've not used recently, then, yes, I do check it.  It doesn't take me
> > > long. I've probably done it before, so I know what to unplug, where to
> > > connect the dummy load (if needed) and the meter, and so on. In come
> > > cases, I've built up test units, in which case it takes even less time.
> > >
> > > And 10 minutes, or so, spent checking the PSU is easily a lot less than
> > > the time it would take me to sort out the damage caused by a
> > > malfunctioning PSU.
> > >
> > > -tony

-- 
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space,  a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed.  --Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
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Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James 
M Dakin