So apparently I can't let the idea of a perfect computer vacuum go and have been working on one, all the better to dust you with my dearies. (Not you lot, the dustbunny warrened retro stuff I haven't touched in years) My complaint about regular cylinder vacs for this, is that the hoses are too fat and clumsy, and the machines are a bit on the, "You're always tripping over them if they're close enough to use" side. The complaint about retail computer vacuums is they don't... vacuum (You had ONE job). Anyway, dollar store fairy gifted me the ridiculous crap in the pic below.
So I dug out an old car vacuum, cylinder type wet and dry, the design is at least 30 years old, this one is about 20, and they still sell them, though I'd look for the discount store $15 version if you want one, not the home depot $60 version... only the color looks different. Anyway, close to bona fide retro car vac 🤣 Made an adapter for those tubes, which join together, and expand about 3x. They're actually seem a tad more sturdy than similar construction ones I've had on cheap inflator pumps and extremely cheap car vacs. My vac stil had it's hose, but it's too short and stiff, and kinda near household vac dimensions. So by shrinking a bottle with a small neck, over one with a large neck, I was able to make an adapter to hook those tubes to... it's a qualified success.... the old filter in the vac, was really caked and it's elastic had gone. So I tried a 3 layer "surgical" type mask in there... suction isn't up to par. Oh right power, needs somewhere near 8 amps and didn't have one of those nifty drivebay power points, so I made a lead with a PCIe power connector.... this is the 2000s 🤣 So might also be down on suction a tad vs in actual car, because it might get near another 2V vs a flat 12 out of PCIe 6 pin. So the mask as filter might be too restrictive, tried giving the old filter a wash anyway, that and a wet wipe are drying. Gonna try that put on with a rubber band. I'll see how that works tomorrow, or I might peel a mask apart to less layers. Another thought is some cheap HVAC filter vents I picked up, might try hotgluing one of those into a cylinder with stiff card blocking the end. If the car vac cannot be persuaded not to suck, I mean to suck even more, then using method of shrinking bottles with heatgun, I might make another adapter for house vac hose to those tubes. They're just about big enough to shove your thumb in the fat end if you want a scale ref.
edit: Maybe the named brand ones are better, this is the design, Koolatron seem to have hotrodded it with a 14A motor though, https://www.koolatron.com/products/12v-canister-vacuum hmmm wonder if I want to get into motor modding, rewinding, or just replace the damn thing.. Heyyy, do Koolatron have parts avail? 🤣
EditII: Sunday update. So I got the rinsed and dried wet wipe on the filter holder with a rubber band. Suction seems okay with that, seems to leak some superfine stuff, but can only just smell it, typical to what non-hepa vacuums leak I think. It was not quite wide enough to go on easy though. Next time I think I'm gonna staple one together as a sock/pocket. Messed around with nozzles a bit, I was looking for a "wand" end to use, but nothing around the right size at the moment, made an approx 1/4" nozzle end with the top off a used up nasal spray. Tested with all the tubes on, suction a bit sub par, cut it back to one full stretched, which if you have this, small, vacuum near the job seems to give a radius of action sufficient to reach all round a mid tower. Picks up the loose stuff quite easily. Using a bristle brush flicking toward it helped knock the caked on stuff off. Putting it on the blow end, it blows hard enough to dent your skin with the nozzle on. Tried a "loop charged" mode, 1/4" blower nozzle to the crevice tool on the stock hose on the vacuum end... sorta worked but didn't seem much more effective than brush and suck. Half lubed the motor, couldn't get to the front bearing without prying off the impeller and thought I might break it. Tried a hit and hope with a needle oiler through the closest hole and hit the back bearing well. Motor is an RS555 in this one. Impeller and motor combo outside of the housing is FIERCE... felt like the blow off a 200cfm fan, even with no hoses on the housing seems really restrictive. Need to "port" my vacuum cleaner 🤣
EditIII: Oh It's peroxide and rubbing alcohol bottles that those tubes fit on well. Being HDPE doesn't shrink as well as PET does though with heat, maybe do better with vacuum applied at the same time. Anyhoo, just had a thought... air only needs to exit the blow hole for blower mode, and it seeeems that opening up the exhaust would maybe give more suction, so I might look into gluing some cut off bottle tops into the housing, so you can take the caps off when you just want vacuum, but can have them bleeding blown air when you want full suck.
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.
