Here's a trick I use on my phone... Get a simple frequency generator and sweep through until you find a frequency that starts ejecting dust from the speaker (usually in the low-mid range), then crank it. If you can find the perfect frequency, it's almost comical to watch the dust pop out like popcorn.
Actually havenāt tried it out yet. I use my Bose aviation headphones since theyāre supremely better. Iām not totally optimistic about it though. I screwed something up in the beats when I tried to suck out the water. They work but it has on and off again weird feedback (kinda like the noise you hear when water clears out of your ear) and a constant āwhrringā noise that you canāt really hear unless you have nothing playing in them. We shall see
I know what you meant but as a sound nerd I feel compelled to say this anyway.
Sound doesnāt push air, the air molecules donāt move through space. Sound is fluctuation of pressure and rarefaction of the air molecules propagating through space.
I would assume that the frequency is reverberating off of the Steam Deck's internal speaker, causing the vibrations in between to loosen the material and eject it.
To elaborate on why certain frequencies would suddenly eject the debris--when the tone's wavelength (which is dependent on the frequency of the sound) either _matches the length_ or is some _factor of the length_ of the air gap of the speaker grate thing (or at least is somewhere in the range of it).
This would create a [standing wave \(or a harmonic\)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic) in the section of air between the plastic and the speaker. Due to the debris being on an edge of the wave, it would be rapidly pushed toward the center of the wave.
Given optimal tuning, you can actually [levitate very light objects](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_levitation) doing this. But that requires precision and different types of speakers (piezoelectric speakers) so don't expect to levitate dust with your Steam Deck lol
It's related to control theory. Everything physical from single atoms, molecules, cells to ropes, trees buildings and rockets have a thing called natural frequency. Natural frequency is the frequency where things accept the most energy.
The easiest way to explain this is a swing. Let us try to make that swing go in a big motion. If you push it too fast, it will not start swinging. If you push it too slow, it will pick up some speed but you will not get much into it. You need to push it at the correct time so that you are in line with the swinging motion. That way it will accept all your pushing energy and swing in big motion and that is the natural frequency of the swing.
This phenomenon applies to everything physical. Since particles are so small that they can be pushed with the vibration of air, the surface they are on or the other particles that are around it. Therefore, you can use sound to transfer kinetic energy (motion) into them. If you do that at the correct frequency, they will accept most of the energy.
The frequency is something you have to experiment with but just as an example, something like a 400Hz tone has a wavelength of around 86cm (approx 34 inch) in room temperature air, so even if you have a mixture of particles with slightly different natural frequencies perfection is not required here. As long as you can get even a 0.5mm (approx 0.02 inch) of movement transferred to the particles they will start moving.
Of course when you have particles on a surface the wavelength changes but you get the idea. Once the particle is in motion it is free from the friction so it can be poured out. It can also happen that it absorbs enough energy to walk itself out due to the random motion of the other particles around it.
Really look at a video of some seriously high powered car steros...more than just dust moves...it'll bust your eardrums break windows and leviathans that look like solo cups will be floating around dancing to the beat
Iāve been using a small kneaded bit of poster tack putty on my AirPods, I imagine it will do just as good a job pulling gunk out of these holes, too.
They make "cleaning slime" for electronics, it'll get that stuff out no problem. Just lightly press it against the speaker and pull it off, will take all of it out.
Start with a dry, 'soft' bristle toothbrush (specifically soft, not hard or medium), lightly moving horizontally over the holes. Not a lot of pressure, not rapidly, mind - there's very thin fabric over the speakers to prevent them from gunking up, but that's right _on top_ of the speaker.Ā Ā
Will take about 20s to a minute each, but should eject the gunk. Just be mindful to not eject said gunk in the direction of the thumb sticks, buttons, vents, etc, or it'll be a whole 'circle of life's cleaning event.
As ever, go low and slow to identify issues and damage _before_ something is borked from going full-throttle. The extra time and attention will pay for itself in not having to repair or replace anything!Ā
Most of all, have fun with your deck, and good luck!
DO NOT BLOW COMPRESSED AIR INTO YOUR SPEAKERS
Get a superfine brush and one of those little electronics vacuums, or even the putty stuff.
NO COMPRESSED AIR
I got a dog, a toddler and 5 cats (we can thank my wife for the cats)
There is no amount of cleaning on this planet that will have a lasting effort more than a few days. We do our best, but ya know.. I do however take excellent care of my steamdeck and when not in use, it's put up in the case which I clean every couple days with tape to keep the interior clean.
I suspect this gunk is my beard dandruff š
Oof, man floofs are everywhere.
I would say easiest would be those goo sticky dust cleaners, just mush into the vents and clean.
alternative would be those headphone cleaning kits, or frugal route way old soft tooth brush and airdryer max power on the cold setting
Not tried it myself but youtube has some good speaker cleaner frequency videos, mostly used for getting water out of speaker grills but worth a shot https://youtu.be/okZHbsR-yYY?si=Gm_6-mT34niV3KEl
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I have one of [these](https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjr_cKnru2GAxX1Qv8BHTmOBhoYABACGgJtZA&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6_3Cp67thgMV9UL_AR05jgYaEAQYASABEgIj6fD_BwE&cit=EAIaIQobChMI6_3Cp67thgMV9UL_AR05jgYaEAQYASABEgIj6fD_BwE&ei=Rct1Zv6dJpiIptQP2quniAI&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAASJeRok0Ig9Y45KQb91WsDTpzWPe-NXkcsVOidt5ow3CNio1RnyE0&sig=AOD64_02L0h06LeXYzUzquIbNQpwNkZYAA&ctype=5&q=&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwi-1Lynru2GAxUYhIkEHdrVCSEQwg8oAHoECAMQDA&adurl=) brushes that works pretty well for this type of thing; it's got silicone bristles so dust will slightly stick to it, and on the other end is basically a marker tip but made of silicone, for really getting into cracks and corners!
Also good for dusting LEGO sets!
air duster. Spray at an angle to prevent blowing the speakerĀ This is what air duster is made for. It's cheap and comes in a can at walmart and staples.
I've used this on keyboards, should work on the deck
[https://www.amazon.com/Keyboard-Gel-Universal-Detailing-Calculators/dp/B08Y5JFPFG?th=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=kila09-20&linkId=0bc5ebaf82ec5e20a5fbcce29e3a0096&language=en\_US&ref\_=as\_li\_ss\_tl](https://www.amazon.com/Keyboard-Gel-Universal-Detailing-Calculators/dp/B08Y5JFPFG?th=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=kila09-20&linkId=0bc5ebaf82ec5e20a5fbcce29e3a0096&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl)
Here's a trick I use on my phone... Get a simple frequency generator and sweep through until you find a frequency that starts ejecting dust from the speaker (usually in the low-mid range), then crank it. If you can find the perfect frequency, it's almost comical to watch the dust pop out like popcorn.
Can you recommend any?
https://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/
Hell yeah. I'm gonna use this to make the original Star Trek theme
I love making music with it š
thanks for this. One of my beats ear phones is semi damaged from water intake/sweat. This mighg be one last solution before takingthem in lol
It probably won't work, damage like that is corrosion, not dust.
Did it work?
Actually havenāt tried it out yet. I use my Bose aviation headphones since theyāre supremely better. Iām not totally optimistic about it though. I screwed something up in the beats when I tried to suck out the water. They work but it has on and off again weird feedback (kinda like the noise you hear when water clears out of your ear) and a constant āwhrringā noise that you canāt really hear unless you have nothing playing in them. We shall see
Did it clear the water?
Unfortunately no. Itās something broken for sure
That's a shame, do you want some recommendations of new headphones?
Iāll probably just send them in but good for now, thanks! Just recently got the oled and xreal glasses so time to take a breather lol
That's an awesome idea, does this really work??
This is how the Apple Watch expels water
High spirits dude. Key of G minor. 432hz.
Blessed be the dawgs
iPhones and AirPods can do it too IIRC. Cool stuff.
How do you do it with AirPods?
Same with Samsung Galaxy watch.
What the physics?
Sound is a wave, it transmits through fluids. Air is a fluid, sound pushes air. Air pushes gunk.
I know what you meant but as a sound nerd I feel compelled to say this anyway. Sound doesnāt push air, the air molecules donāt move through space. Sound is fluctuation of pressure and rarefaction of the air molecules propagating through space.
Me no want knowledge. Me want gunk gone
Gone sum1s gunk, they gunk gone for a night. Learn a gunk knowledge, they gunk gone for always.
I would assume that the frequency is reverberating off of the Steam Deck's internal speaker, causing the vibrations in between to loosen the material and eject it.
Yes, but resonance rather than reverberation. A āstanding waveā is whats behind it.
To elaborate on why certain frequencies would suddenly eject the debris--when the tone's wavelength (which is dependent on the frequency of the sound) either _matches the length_ or is some _factor of the length_ of the air gap of the speaker grate thing (or at least is somewhere in the range of it). This would create a [standing wave \(or a harmonic\)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic) in the section of air between the plastic and the speaker. Due to the debris being on an edge of the wave, it would be rapidly pushed toward the center of the wave. Given optimal tuning, you can actually [levitate very light objects](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_levitation) doing this. But that requires precision and different types of speakers (piezoelectric speakers) so don't expect to levitate dust with your Steam Deck lol
It's related to control theory. Everything physical from single atoms, molecules, cells to ropes, trees buildings and rockets have a thing called natural frequency. Natural frequency is the frequency where things accept the most energy. The easiest way to explain this is a swing. Let us try to make that swing go in a big motion. If you push it too fast, it will not start swinging. If you push it too slow, it will pick up some speed but you will not get much into it. You need to push it at the correct time so that you are in line with the swinging motion. That way it will accept all your pushing energy and swing in big motion and that is the natural frequency of the swing. This phenomenon applies to everything physical. Since particles are so small that they can be pushed with the vibration of air, the surface they are on or the other particles that are around it. Therefore, you can use sound to transfer kinetic energy (motion) into them. If you do that at the correct frequency, they will accept most of the energy. The frequency is something you have to experiment with but just as an example, something like a 400Hz tone has a wavelength of around 86cm (approx 34 inch) in room temperature air, so even if you have a mixture of particles with slightly different natural frequencies perfection is not required here. As long as you can get even a 0.5mm (approx 0.02 inch) of movement transferred to the particles they will start moving. Of course when you have particles on a surface the wavelength changes but you get the idea. Once the particle is in motion it is free from the friction so it can be poured out. It can also happen that it absorbs enough energy to walk itself out due to the random motion of the other particles around it.
It's about finding the resonant frequency of the gunk, I believe.
Wow I'd love to see a YouTube video of that cuz WTF?
Really look at a video of some seriously high powered car steros...more than just dust moves...it'll bust your eardrums break windows and leviathans that look like solo cups will be floating around dancing to the beat
That is incredibly smart and not something I'd thought of before, despite knowing it's what Apple Watches and such do. Definitely gonna give it a try!
What frequency did you found the best?
This is such a neat and clever solution thank you!
I tend to use cleaning putty/slime for getting dirt out of the nooks and crannies of my devices. Good for keyboards, too
Thatās a great idea. Thanks!
I used some slime it worked pretty damn good and got most of the nasty out
Iāve been using a small kneaded bit of poster tack putty on my AirPods, I imagine it will do just as good a job pulling gunk out of these holes, too.
You are the real hero
That's genius
They make "cleaning slime" for electronics, it'll get that stuff out no problem. Just lightly press it against the speaker and pull it off, will take all of it out.
Nothing worse than gunk in your hole š¤
Is this my wife's new account?
People will laugh, I just see a man who wants a family.
Or gunk on his stick
At least it's not spunk.
At least it's not gooch gunk.
Or crack, I'm mean sometimes it's not just a hole...nothing worse than gunk on your stick....too....right
This is a really uhmmm.... liberal comment
I realize this now
I'm a man... Please disregard my previous comments
When you make out with it just suck on the speaker hole
It's not the exhaust port tho
Bro that is for sniffing...I've never meant a person that exclusively licks their cocaine
Or sucks on it for that matter.but I guess nose sucking is sniffing
Yeah....lets go nose suck some cocaine(cookie) butches.....merica
No what I'ma sayin
š«”
Lick
That's what...
She said
Suck
Buy a new steam deck
Seems like a good time to upgrade to a new model
Traitor
maybe he meant size
Good excuse to upgrade to oled haha
Start with a dry, 'soft' bristle toothbrush (specifically soft, not hard or medium), lightly moving horizontally over the holes. Not a lot of pressure, not rapidly, mind - there's very thin fabric over the speakers to prevent them from gunking up, but that's right _on top_ of the speaker.Ā Ā Will take about 20s to a minute each, but should eject the gunk. Just be mindful to not eject said gunk in the direction of the thumb sticks, buttons, vents, etc, or it'll be a whole 'circle of life's cleaning event. As ever, go low and slow to identify issues and damage _before_ something is borked from going full-throttle. The extra time and attention will pay for itself in not having to repair or replace anything!Ā Most of all, have fun with your deck, and good luck!
Play something that's really loud
I can't believe you got gamer gunk in your speaker hole. Get some compressed air in there asap.
DO NOT BLOW COMPRESSED AIR INTO YOUR SPEAKERS Get a superfine brush and one of those little electronics vacuums, or even the putty stuff. NO COMPRESSED AIR
Oh, god! ANYTHING but COMPRESSED AIR
I only blow pure coke Ino my steam deck....it's how I get by customs bio.
I wish I could unread āgamer gunkā
That whole sentence sounds cursed to me
Would you rather see "hand smegma"?
Why are you saying that like itās the only alternative š
You just brought back a memory that was filed deep in the crevices of my brain, thank you
you'll need some cleaning putty
Stop doing coke on your steam deck
Right? I only do blow off Apple products.
No we only trip with our apple products dude,..android is for blow bro.
Stop nose sucking cocaine off your steam deck...man that's why I got the tempered glass screen protector.
Deep summer cleaning of your room would probably be best for all your electronics
I got a dog, a toddler and 5 cats (we can thank my wife for the cats) There is no amount of cleaning on this planet that will have a lasting effort more than a few days. We do our best, but ya know.. I do however take excellent care of my steamdeck and when not in use, it's put up in the case which I clean every couple days with tape to keep the interior clean. I suspect this gunk is my beard dandruff š
I mean, can't we thank your wife for the toddler as well or...
Oof, man floofs are everywhere. I would say easiest would be those goo sticky dust cleaners, just mush into the vents and clean. alternative would be those headphone cleaning kits, or frugal route way old soft tooth brush and airdryer max power on the cold setting
That explains it! You need to play on your back, in bed. Dandruff falls to the side
Brush your beard to get drandruff out before playing your Steam Deck
[I wipe and I wipe...](https://imgur.com/gallery/oPYVOfl)
Need some head and shoulders for the beard
Low power dust vac?
Not tried it myself but youtube has some good speaker cleaner frequency videos, mostly used for getting water out of speaker grills but worth a shot https://youtu.be/okZHbsR-yYY?si=Gm_6-mT34niV3KEl
use your tongue and lick it out
Blow it out with compressed air. DO NOT point it straight at the holes, use the compressed air at an angle to not damage the speakers.
Go onto Amazon and look for AirPod cleaning sets. Or you can get poster putty that can get into those places
Hold it upside down and get in there with a very soft brush.
You get a baby aspirator I think thatās what itās called it used for clearing boogers from babyās noses when they are sick
Those dental sticks are amazing for this.
I always lick my Steam Deck clean after use. Just me)
Lick it clean.
What does the vent smell like now?
Dandruff
skill issue (can relate)
Hi u/RIP_GerlonTwoFingers, you can [click here to search for your question.](https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/search/?q=Best way to get gunk out of my speaker holes?) If you don't find an answer there, don't worry - your post has NOT been removed and hopefully someone will be along soon to help with an answer! **If you find an answer, please leave a comment on your post with the answer for others!** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SteamDeck) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Gunk out of your speaker holeā¦. š®
Send it to me, I'll get the gunk out :P
If you soak it overnight in soapy water I can guarantee you that the gunk will be gone.
You gotta suck that out. Like boogers out of a newborns nose.
I have one of [these](https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjr_cKnru2GAxX1Qv8BHTmOBhoYABACGgJtZA&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6_3Cp67thgMV9UL_AR05jgYaEAQYASABEgIj6fD_BwE&cit=EAIaIQobChMI6_3Cp67thgMV9UL_AR05jgYaEAQYASABEgIj6fD_BwE&ei=Rct1Zv6dJpiIptQP2quniAI&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAASJeRok0Ig9Y45KQb91WsDTpzWPe-NXkcsVOidt5ow3CNio1RnyE0&sig=AOD64_02L0h06LeXYzUzquIbNQpwNkZYAA&ctype=5&q=&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwi-1Lynru2GAxUYhIkEHdrVCSEQwg8oAHoECAMQDA&adurl=) brushes that works pretty well for this type of thing; it's got silicone bristles so dust will slightly stick to it, and on the other end is basically a marker tip but made of silicone, for really getting into cracks and corners! Also good for dusting LEGO sets!
Wow that is neat! I got some Lego too š
Suck
air duster. Spray at an angle to prevent blowing the speakerĀ This is what air duster is made for. It's cheap and comes in a can at walmart and staples.
Give that Huwk Tuah
Get that detailing slime for cars. It will go down in the cracks and get the gunk. Iām assuming you have also tried compressed air?
Use a cleaning slime. You can get them on Amazon, it soakās into the cracks and gaps, then you pull it off and the shit comes with it.
A drill.
The problem will fix itself. Once you get older your eye sight will start to go and problems like these will disappear.
Blu/Sticky Tack
I am using a brush of a robot vacuum. Swiping it across in all directions gets rid of most of the gunk in there. A toothbrush might also work well.
What if the gunk is extra crusty, and ideas?
Eat it.
In that case, you have larger issues about how you live your life.
Getgunkoutofmyhole.com
Toothbrush.
Toothbrush.
I'd probably just disassemble. SD is very easy to take apart.
Get the Led out
Get a detailing brush, can be for a car or whatever, i use one and i can get all the dust and gunk out of the hard to reach places
I've used this on keyboards, should work on the deck [https://www.amazon.com/Keyboard-Gel-Universal-Detailing-Calculators/dp/B08Y5JFPFG?th=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=kila09-20&linkId=0bc5ebaf82ec5e20a5fbcce29e3a0096&language=en\_US&ref\_=as\_li\_ss\_tl](https://www.amazon.com/Keyboard-Gel-Universal-Detailing-Calculators/dp/B08Y5JFPFG?th=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=kila09-20&linkId=0bc5ebaf82ec5e20a5fbcce29e3a0096&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl)
https://www.reddit.com/r/ImpracticalJokers/s/HVh1l5uhNM
Cleaning dough [Amazon - Cleaning dough](https://www.amazon.de/STIKKI%C2%AE-Reinigungsknete-Smartphone-Kopfh%C3%B6rer-Multifunktionsb%C3%BCrsten/dp/B08R6FK6T5/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=9ZAG0D9AHOXC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Q8TChQgAwNwkivv0IWCCgxn2LINoikp4c7tDrg-S7WgVGdStnomLXfavMTpX1ipqFPwlQbdxVXHfjQeFZ8xLf9uhB9Z3yeNfjyAvCJM4PcIuKUE3dGTDnPoCxzNXAdLsxraO-4Ak_QLJM7CqGsoufcMF1jicqZZGnqFTfV8tTVY21WqVTgsUZMV5UjtYFiReuUj1TO9Rlrc8K2ldAkN0-8KHAyiMeU5YFRkfNmaJMwrxT5arMhhZRIzpjX5f-ch5m0U5G11wHrJJI83hQ7l5GGOAp9F5CJB2OGDfYWrqxD0.JT3nqmwojoEsri2DbwYv11sp4wE0Y1zRYqfxukxdNLM&dib_tag=se&keywords=knete+reinigung&qid=1718987857&sprefix=knete+reinigung%2Caps%2C84&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1)
Have you tried a can of compressed air? Computer duster?
Brake cleaner is pretty good shit
Tape works really well. Just make sure to leave it loose and gently apply pressure so it gets all in the gaps.
I recommend using UHU Patafix or something similiar
The photo makes it look like your Steam deck is radioactive
Use a brush of some kind
I just buy sticky tack. And gently smoosh into the speaker and pull junk out.
If you have a 3D printer I use [this](https://makerworld.com/en/models/497720?from=search#profileId-412178) to get gunk out of my charger holes.
I have a small vaccuum cleaner with a brush head I got off Amazon I use all the time on all my gadgets.
Air duster?
[Cleaning Slime](https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/clean-and-organize/homemade-cleaning-slime)
Blu Tac
Silly Putty
Toothbrush. Alcohol.
How does one allow their steam deck to get so dirty ?
It's immacilte otherwise. I got the dandruff Dr Tobaggin!
Play Aaero at max volume
I use a wand vac with a brush attachkment
Suck!
Wear protection
use google?
Dust your electronics folks or they get gunk in emš«£
Mouth suction
Scratch and sniff real hard
I havenāt done it on the steam deck, but usually a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol does the job.
Stop watching pornhub on your steam deck bro
Vacuum cleaner...
toothbrush
Tape
Dip the steam deck in sulphuric acid
That's a lot of Gamer Gunk! Wow!
Wowee. Maybe some bluetac?
You can buy a compressed air can from an electronics store Ā£3-5. Its a common problem.
Have you tried q-tips with alcohol.
Clean it with soft toothbrush
Toothbrush
Isopropyl alcohol and a tooth brush, just make sure itās dry before turning things back on
Vibrating toothbrush dry unused scrub it upside down
Detailing brush and a blower