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| Thread ID: 56814 | 2005-04-15 23:53:00 | Static advice sought | Myth (110) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 345428 | 2005-04-17 04:39:00 | Antistatic devices work by being a good path to ground. The "tech next door" will have a mat plugged into the mains socket. But there's only one wire going to the plug: to the earth pin. That is (usually) the best "earth" available. That's why a wriststrap is usually connected to a metal part of the computer (with the power plug still in, so there is an earth connection). In a proper setup, its lead will go to the mat's earth connection. A rubber mat is an insulator, usually. Those "keyhole" shaped ones meant for office use might be slightly conductive. But it will probably be be less effective as a static generator than synthetic carpet. |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 345429 | 2005-04-17 04:45:00 | None of that is new,and has been covered already. Not only has the "tech next door" got his wired into the mains,so have I, as already covered. so..... ....weird. |
Metla (12) | ||
| 345430 | 2005-04-17 05:19:00 | Don't connect yourself directly to the Earth, put a 1Meg resistor in series or you are putting yourself in the way of a potentially lethal shock if you touch something live and lo-impedance and over approx 50volts. The 1 Meg will bleed the static out of you but will effectively allow you to "float" if you make a mistake and touch something "HOT" as 'one is wont to do' now and again. | zqwerty (97) | ||
| 345431 | 2005-04-17 05:28:00 | Ummm.. Ok I know a lil bit about electricity... but aren't all the wires in an electrical outlet (plug) 'hot'? I know theres a positive, and a negative; and earth, but isn't the earth hot like the other 2? I just want to clarify this point as I really don't want to be getting zapped if I buy a mat and wire it to the socket. |
Myth (110) | ||
| 345432 | 2005-04-17 06:36:00 | I just want to clarify this point as I really don't want to be getting zapped if I buy a mat and wire it to the socket . If you are just fixing the odd mates PC's, then you probably be will fine just with a anti-static wrist strap - that is all I ever use . As long as you remember to unclip yourself before jumping up to answer the phone, you should be right :p . Not sure if I remember this correctly, but if you use the anti-static bags that components arrive in to lay things on to protect them while they are out of the case, is this good or bad? Thought I remember someone once saying that you can get static off the outside of the bag and only the interior is static free? Or have I got that wrong :confused: |
Jen (38) | ||
| 345433 | 2005-04-17 06:47:00 | Really all you need is an anti static wrist strap, attached to the case, which is plugged into the wall, with the wall power switched off. | Greg (193) | ||
| 345434 | 2005-04-17 07:00:00 | Ummm.. Ok I know a lil bit about electricity... but aren't all the wires in an electrical outlet (plug) 'hot'? I know theres a positive, and a negative; and earth, but isn't the earth hot like the other 2? I just want to clarify this point as I really don't want to be getting zapped if I buy a mat and wire it to the socket. There is no "positive and negative", they are DC power terms. There is a Phase (or Active) and a Neutral, plus an Earth. The Neutral and Earth are connected together (and to actual earth, such as a driven earth stake into the ground) back at the main switchboard, only the Phase is "live", assuming all wiring is in order. I have dealt with static sensitive components since the 1970's (when the chips were very sensitive to destruction). In many cases it simply was not possible to use static protection in the field. In all that time I have never managed to destroy a component by static, so I am unsure how you succeeded in doing so with such apparent ease! I find that just using a wrist strap is adequate, you are simply making sure that both you and the computer are at the same potential for most tasks, it matters little if that potential is "earth" or not. |
godfather (25) | ||
| 345435 | 2005-04-17 08:00:00 | In all that time I have never managed to destroy a component by static, so I am unsure how you succeeded in doing so with such apparent ease! Trust me, I'm still scratching my head wondering how as well. When at my course its like I can do no wrong... (made a brand new machine with $1200 worth of parts this last week .. had 3200 AMD and Geil RAM... no probs) but when Im at home taking the same precautions; I only have to open the case and bang :( ... hence why this thread. The only difference was I was wearing jandals at course, and bare feet here.. hence the question on rubber matting. Both places have carpetting on the floor... so its a process of elimination, and then how to fix or change this environment so I can do hardware changes/repairs etc safely |
Myth (110) | ||
| 345436 | 2005-04-17 08:13:00 | Precautions are good, even if they are never needed, its better then not having them. Strange that some would dismiss something that is practical and worthwhile. Perhaps you would remove the bumpers off your car because you have never hit anything?,and at the same time question how others hit things with such apperent ease. |
Metla (12) | ||
| 345437 | 2005-04-20 05:22:00 | Seems I may not have a static overload after all :blush: :cool: Finally managed to get around to fixing partners comp... with techs help (parts wise) at course, I ascertained my partners mobo has crapped out. As for my comp (I opened comp case last nite to replace IDE cable; started up.. no boot (again) with audible warning) I took that into my old technician. She thinks shes found the problem; a faulty USB plugin controller; that was shorting out and sending errors to the CPU. Apparently when that happened, the RAM would stop, and had to be physically taken out and then replaced before it went. Something about the MSI mobo I have. To think, I had new RAM put in 2 weeks ago and threw out 'faulty' one |
Myth (110) | ||
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