ExtremeSkeptic said:
I burned the ERS Paper and nothing happened. Most of it is Carbon Fibers.
Please be more specific. Did you set it on fire and it burned, and nothing
else happened? Or are you saying it didn't ignite at all?
If you were able to set it on fire, it's not safe inside chassis, around circuit boards, around power transformers, etc.
From the
manufacturer's website:
What's it made of?
The core of ers is made of a blend of carbon fibers of various lengths and sizes. Using a proprietary method, these fibers are coated with metals, such as nickel. These fibers absorb, reflect and diffuse RFI/EMI. ERS has on average about 66 db noise reduction in it's 10meg to 17 gig range. this is all that we can claim, due to it's defense restrictions.
The exterior is laminated with a polyester textile on both sides to make the material easier to handle and use.
This is the base of ers.
Ers may all be purchased with a pressure sensitive adhesive already applied for easy and quick installation.
The edges of ers do have exposed conductive fibers and should be handled and installed with care. The electrical resistance of ers is .026 ohms per square yard.
The polyester fabric will insulate the core of ers, to some degree, but can be easily penetrated with sharp edges. Caution should be exercised when used in close proximity to circuitry.
Carbon fibers are combustible, of course, especially when loosely dispersed. (Dense carbon-fiber structural materials are more difficult to ignite). The metal coating may or may not help, or might make it worse, because the manufacturer doesn't identify the metal. ("...metals, such as nickel"? Yes, nickel is a metal, so did they use nickel or something else? Thin iron coatings burn easily. You can light fine steel wool with a match.) Many polyester fabrics are self-extinguishing, and fire retardant treatments are available. However, the carbon fiber could act as a wick to keep the polyester burning. Polyester melts at under 500 degrees F, what happens to the insulating layer then?
So this stuff could in theory be manufactured to be relatively fire safe, but did they do so? Has this material been approved by the Underwriters Laboratory for this use?
And even if the fabric is difficult to ignite, there's other combustible material in electronic devices. That's one reason why they have fuses. It's also a reason why the cabinets have ventilation grilles, which you're defeating by wrapping fabric around the components.
Overheating + bypassed fuses + possibly combustible (and definitely melt-able) polyester + metal-covered (and possibly combustible) carbon fibers that are electrically insulated "to some degree" =
Don't buy another gadget, don't even buy
food, until you've bought yourself a good fire extinguisher that includes a rating for class C (Look for a black letter C in a soild blue circle, or a square blue icon depicting a burning electrical socket). And get a smoke detector, if you don't have one already, to position on the ceiling directly over your rig.
And for the love of God, put the line fuses back in. Have their terminals gold-plated if you must, they will have no detectable impedance.
How many other people live in the building you live in? Do you think they have the right to some consideration for their safety?
Respectfully,
Myriad
!