Proper grounding techniques?

[jinexile]

Call me a loose cannon but I have yet to "fry" anything yet from static electricity when working inside my computer case. Parts are a lot more durable than they used to be and the only thing I'm careful with is the process.... and even then I just touch the side of the case before grabbing the cpu.

 

[EricB]

Call me a loose cannon but I have yet to "fry" anything yet from static electricity when working inside my computer case. Parts are a lot more durable than they used to be and the only thing I'm careful with is the process.... and even then I just touch the side of the case before grabbing the cpu.

just consider yourself lucky. you obviuosly don't know how capacitors and resistors work.

I had a lady who do hair for a living on a carpeted floor, bring me a Fried computer a few months ago. I know the lady, because she does my daughter hair. my first question was "do you touch any part of the inside? because in your line of work, you shouldn't do that"

her answer was yes. the comp. was less than a year old. she had fried parts everywhere.

we are not saying that everytime you touch the inside of a computer if you don't ground yourself, that you will fry something.

what we are saying is to just ground yourself before doing it, so that you don't fry anything. there is no worse feeling in the world, than paying 2,000 on a computer and then frying it when you go to put a new video card in, because your body has too much static in it

 

[jinexile]

I know how capacitors and resistors work, I think as long as you use a little common sense before touching anything in a computer you dont need to standing on a a grounding mat in a clean room with a bunnysuit. I've serviced over 100 computers, often while on carpets, and have yet to have one die on me as a result. Infact the ONLY time I've ever had a motherboard fry on me was when the people at the computershop imporperly mounted it to the case (last time I trusted them to do any mounting for me.)

Take a look at this article, its in the very last section
http://pcworld.about.com/magazine/2208p107id116572.htm

It says it's advised that you wear a ground strap, not necessary as long as you discharge any built up static before working on equipment.

 

[jolancer]

Call me a loose cannon but I have yet to "fry" anything yet from static electricity when working inside my computer case. Parts are a lot more durable than they used to be and the only thing I'm careful with is the process.... and even then I just touch the side of the case before grabbing the cpu.

yea what EricB said.

and like everything else, thats variable dependent. example-

someone might try to modify there computer upstairs ona rug, wering a wool sweater in the winter.

wile u might be modifying your computer in the basment, nude, in the summer.

your situation obviously would turn out different resaults conserning static damage.

 

[EricB]

I know how capacitors and resistors work, I think as long as you use a little common sense before touching anything in a computer you dont need to standing on a a grounding mat in a clean room with a bunnysuit. I've serviced over 100 computers, often while on carpets, and have yet to have one die on me as a result. Infact the ONLY time I've ever had a motherboard fry on me was when the people at the computershop imporperly mounted it to the case (last time I trusted them to do any mounting for me.)

Take a look at this article, its in the very last section
http://pcworld.about.com/magazine/2208p107id116572.htm

It says it's advised that you wear a ground strap, not necessary as long as you discharge any built up static before working on equipment.

I'm not saying waste your money on a ground strap, just touch yourself to earth, before messing with a computer

 

[GeckoEcho421]

I've ripped off that 3rd grounding plug before because of not having a socket that had 3 prongs.

L M A O !

 

[jolancer]

Take a look at this article, its in the very last section
http://pcworld.about.com/magazine/2208p107id116572.htm

It says it's advised that you wear a ground strap, not necessary as long as you discharge any built up static before working on equipment.

ok, u listen to whoever wrote that article... and the rest of us will just use common sence. let us know how that works out.

 

[jinexile]

11 years... so far so good.

 

[jolancer]

11 years... so far so good.

just so others know, that may have worked out ok so far for you. but no one should follow that example. thats like saying, hey i know this guy whos like 80 and he's still smoking every day, there cant be anything rong with it.

and just so others know, thy guy who wrote that article doesnt know what he's talking about, or he's ludacris. example -

Though people don't detect a static charge of less than 3000 volts (by the way, it's amps that kill, not volts)

example that can be applyed to prolly any cuircut on a bourd.. 5 volt circut with .5 amps = 10ohms.

3000/10 = 300amps.

as though thats not dangerouse enough already, u can prolly easily build a static charge to 50000v and higher.

 

[gsbtech]

Your hands need to have the same electrostatic potential as your system. Current will flow if there is a difference in potential. It would do you no good to ground yourself on a pipe if your computer case is not grounded to the same pipe. Simple answer, touch the case or your power supply (if your case is plastic) or use a wrist strap.

In addition, avoid putting your hand acrosss the leads of a card or CPU. Even if you and the case are grounded, shorting leads can allow latent charge to flow.