Introduction: USB Vacuum Cleaner
I made this vacuum cleaner for my pc keyboard since buying a mini vacuum cleaner is so un-diyish
Using bigger vacuum cleaners is always risky as keys could get stuck in the cleaning device, so a low power dust eater is the way to go.
Step 1: Things You'll Need
1 plastic bottle less than 1.2 litre
a DC motor 3 volt
USB cord
straw
duct tape
sharpie and paper cutter (careful with these!)
soldering iron
I didn't make a vacuum fan as I got it(and the DC motor) from my brother's broken bubble-making toy. You could make your own using a liquid vaporizer and sim card or buy a bubble maker at any dollar store or use a laptop internal replacement fan from a shop (costs 10$). The pictures in the instructable are pretty much self-explanatory.
Step 2: Fitting the Fan
Take the USB cord and cut the end which doesn't connect to the computer. You would have four wires (normally red, black, green, and white). Before soldering the red and black wires, check the polarity of the motor, where the fan rotates on the side of the cups (more suction power). Use the soldering iron to make the connections permanent and while the iron is hot make a hole in the cap using it. Now the only tricky thing in this easy 'ible. Cut the side of the bottle to the length of the vacuum fan casing (as shown) and another hole on the other side of the bottle having the same shape as that of the exhaust. Insert the vacuum fan carefully, you might like to cut the slit a bit more than the fan casing.
Pull the USB cable out and tape the slit and the other side so that no air leaks. I used paper on top of the slit and tape as the slit was not able to hold the bottle effectively.
Step 3: Finishing Up
Put the straw inside the cap and also install a net/mesh on the exhaust. I used polythene with holes in it as the idea was to make a low-cost vacuum cleaner with parts lying around me.
Now connect your vacuum cleaner to the USB port of your computer and use it to clean your keyboard and other stuff.
Note: It is optional to use polythene as most of the heavier particles will settle down due to the MacGyver trick.
Please bear with me as English is my second language.