DSLR Sensor Cleaning

About a week into using my DSLR, I noticed dust specks on images; it likely already had some and I hadn't noticed.

Blowing the dust out with air didn't help. After reading about comprehensive methods for cleaning digital cameras [s]site down at time of posting[/s], I decided to go with a popular method and got some PEC*PADs and Eclipse methanol. It should be about the same as doing what this guy did.

This picture was taken at F/20, more than enough for visible dust.

[s]I will be fabricating a cleaning spatula, but I will still probably delay cleaning. It's still early on, and I don't think I should risk destroying my camera just yet.[/s]

[s]Should I be happy and bear with not being able to use smaller apertures without having to touch up photos? Or just go ahead and clean it. Hmm... [/s]

Update

I had bought the cleaning stuff and proceeded with my interpretation of the Copperhill Method. So much for waiting :X

I carved a makeshift cleaning stick out of basswood, and sanded down the head into a 14mm wide "V"-like "U" shape.

Here's another shot at F/20.

The specks I circled are hardly noticeable. I managed to remove most of the smaller dust specks but it is well improved. At least I can happily stop down some more now.

I will likely modify my cleaning stick to be smaller so that I think I can have more control around the edges. My technique is poor because most of the bigger dust specks were pushed to the edges but not picked up. Maybe I should just get a proper, pre-made sensor wand.

LED lamp fixes

A lightning strike from a recent thunderstorm killed my USB-powered LED lamp I designed in 2005. The PC still works. I haven’t figured out how to get this building grounded, which it probably isn’t, given the number of lightning-damage incidents I’ve had…

This was supposed to be a post about how I got replacement LEDs wired up and the lamp system was working again. Almost, not quite.

chyrp 2.0rc1

upgraded Chyrp, now have clean URLs working.