Static Damage

[Elle T]

I've only ever used straps when handling RAM but i've been told you can damge other parts as well.

So who does\doesn't use them & why?

[Sydog]

I don't use one because I don't have one, i will get one sometime but I haven't had to use one as of yet. As long as you are careful you shouldn't have problems, just remember to touch ur psu when doing stuff

[varkk]

I got one only recently, and before that did a lot of moving cards around etc, didn't damage anything as far as I know. got one when I changed my case, but it did seem to get in the way a bit

[Sydog]

Basically if you are really paranoid about this than get one, or if you dive into alot of pc's that aren't yours.

[I.R]

Originally posted by Elle T
I've only ever used straps when handling RAM but i've been told you can damge other parts as well.

So who does\doesn't use them & why?

hmmmm...... ever noticed that you get your components in those luberly static free bag thingies :p ;) aprt from my HDD which I can't remember what that came in..... and my CDROM I think...... but CPU, Mobo, RAM, graphics card..... you get where I'm going ;)

I just touch the case but I've had some RAM die on me and that freaked me out....... computing along and then black screen and beep beep beep :eek: that reminds me it still under warranty...... I should send it back :rolleyes:

[whetu]

IR: try running along the conductors of the ram with a pencil eraser... has brought many a dead stick of ram back to life for me, failing that you can then send it back ;)

as for antistatic straps: only when a customer is watching. apart from that i just give my case a quick grip to discharge myself and then i'm away

[Humantuckshop]

Originally posted by whetu
i just give my case a quick grip to discharge myself and then i'm away


Ooo err! :p

I find anti-static straps really annoying, they catch on everything and limit movement. So I umm, discharge myself like whetu does. ;)

IR: HDD's usually come in a sealed anti-static bag orrr of course teh Seagate Seashield (or whatever it's called). And CDROM drives and floppy drives usually come in sexy blue bags.

[utopian201]

"try running along the conductors of the ram with a pencil eraser... has brought many a dead stick of ram back to life for me"

how/y does that work?

[SilverPriest]

Dust n dirt n crap on the golden fingers.
Can help make a more positive connection between the slot and the ram, and let an otherwise suss piece of memory operate (relatively) normally hopefully :)

[dustyslapper]

By removing any oxidation that has formed on the contact would be my guess.

Question: Where does one get anti-static bags from? I need to ship some stuff around, and while I have never had anything go wrong yet, its a matter of if, not when.

Antistatic straps are a waste of time - just make sure to earth yourself whenever you are handling componentry. If its annoying then earth your leg or osmething. If I am playing with my graphics card on my bench then I'll earth my leg with my case - no need to tie myself up with any annoying strap thing.

[p01s0n_p1e]

pfff
antistatic straps are just a waste of time, its real funny when you go into the tech support area of quay computers where they HAVE to wear antistatic bands while operating on customers pc's, always funny to hear em cursing along the lines of
"damn P.O.S, stop getting in the fvcking way!:mad: "
hehe, good for a laugh.
i just use the ol whetu manuever

*opens case*
graps edge, dives in
*dad pokes head round corner into room*
*me quickly grabs edge again, see pops, i always play it safe with my pc...*

[Humantuckshop]

Originally posted by SilverPriest
Dust n dirt n crap on the golden fingers.
Can help make a more positive connection between the slot and the ram, and let an otherwise suss piece of memory operate (relatively) normally hopefully :)



The whole pencil eraser thing is just too ghetto for me. I prefer to use CRC Contact Cleaner, it cleans and polishes without harsh scratching. And it evaporates quite quickly, which is good because you can use it in the RAM slot aswell. :D

[Wibber]

I fried a Vesa video card once, I was wearing polar fleese, it was real cold :D oh and it was ACTULLY WORTH MONEY! (gasp!) that was a while ago, I also stuck my brand spanking secondhand SX 33 cpu through a wash cycle (there was an upgrade sx25-33) still went ok though, had to straighten a few pins, but they were a bit bigger in those days so it was easy

edit: should I say my mother stuck it through a wash cycle, it was in my pocket... can anyone else remember paying $150 for a 486 cpu?

[[H]arls]

I have to wear one at work, my workshop is open for the world to see so best play it safe. At home though to hell with it, just touch the case and away I go (and remember not to wear a woolly jersey :))

Dans Data had a really interesting read on static electricity and RAM a while back, I'll try find the link later. Basically he was talking about how you can think your RAM is fine after swapping it or adding more etc, and it seems to work perfectly, but it can still screw with the performance of the chip. Like, the signals not as clean or something. Dunno...I'll find the link later its a good read.

[[H]arls]

Oh yeah, hehehe, I just remembered once just after I told my technically incompetent boss about the dangers of static, he unplugged a 64MB stick of RAM from a LIVE computer and toasted it and the motherboard (this was back when RAM was really expensive). Hehehe...oh hell, that still makes me chuckle. *sigh*

[I.R]

Originally posted by Humantuckshop

IR: HDD's usually come in a sealed anti-static bag orrr of course teh Seagate Seashield (or whatever it's called)

Yeah that's what I was thinking of..... that plastic box thingie ;) I'm still on my first HDD :rolleyes:

[Subaru_Fan]

Originally posted by p01s0n_p1e
pfff
antistatic straps are just a waste of time

Im going to have to disagree with you there.:)

[Mashed_Penguin]

Agreed, I'll use a strap (or the heel thingie I swiped from tait) If I'm playing with a cpu or ram. Otherwise I just touch the case.

[Deviant]

Originally posted by Mashed_Penguin
Agreed, I'll use a strap (or the heel thingie I swiped from tait) If I'm playing with a cpu or ram. Otherwise I just touch the case.

Heel straps only work with anti static flooring, and earths you through the floor to ground.

[Joshsti_NZ]

Originally posted by Elle T
So who does\doesn't use them & why?

I don't use them, just make sure you touch the case or something metal (dumbass, dont touch components) in your case before you start fiddling :D

I don't use them because I don't fiddle much and when i do im usually in a hurry to try my new bits out so wearing a strap gets in the way and slows things down ... sounds a bit like ... oh no, THIS IS A FORUM!!:D

[Septic_12]

Originally posted by p01s0n_p1e
pfff
antistatic straps are just a waste of time ....


They aren't when your dealing with $3k+ Compaq Raid controllers .....

But yeah, basic rule of thumb - if the client is watchin (and maybe if the kit your playing with costs more than you make in a week ... :eek: )

[Mashed_Penguin]

Originally posted by Deviant


Heel straps only work with anti static flooring, and earths you through the floor to ground.

Thats why I use it with the mat that I "aquired" from the school electronics room. (It was torn and the were going to get rid of it, I just took the initiative :D ).

[utopian201]

so how often do u have to touch the case?
and does it need to b plugged in (with the power off of course :P)

[Deviant]

Originally posted by utopian201
so how often do u have to touch the case?
and does it need to b plugged in (with the power off of course :P)

Most of you are 90% informed, but I can see another Deviant spiel coming on. The be all and end all about static. I'm not going to lecture you all, cause most of you touching your cases are doing just fine. But I will end some myths about is all. Dis I do this in the last forum? Can't remember, but I shall do again. Maybe a formum mod acn lock it so it will stand as one of those threads for all to read as is.

[osmium]

If you make a static FAQ, making it sticky would be handy, I only found this thread after 4 different search subjects, or I could just be crap at searching :(

so....

when a household powersocket is off is the earth still connected?

so would the best earth be a plug that is only connected to earth going straight into the wall socket

Is grounding to a powersupply that is on (fans moving but not connected to pc) good or is it better to ground to a plugged in PSU that is off?

[ktulu]

Originally posted by osmium
so would the best earth be a plug that is only connected to earth going straight into the wall socket

Yes... that's what good quality anti-static mats use

[City_Idiot]

I Dont know how but our floors at work are anti- static - all the grounding lines from the Power gose into a big ass stake outside - the metal framinig of our tables are earthed

This combined with touch the case while pluged in makes sure we never have a static failed part

[cadmax]

Originally posted by whetu
IR: try running along the conductors of the ram with a pencil eraser... has brought many a dead stick of ram back to life for me, failing that you can then send it back ;)

as for antistatic straps: only when a customer is watching. apart from that i just give my case a quick grip to discharge myself and then i'm away

same here :p

[SledgY]

Originally posted by p01s0n_p1e
pfff
antistatic straps are just a waste of time Hmmmm :( I'm glad I don't sell product to you! My flatmate is an electronic engineer, ask him about the time he forgot to wear a static strap in front of the lecturer and see what he has to say!

when a household powersocket is off is the earth still connected?Yes

Most static damage will not completely destroy a component, it is more likly to damage a component causing it to fail prematurely or significantly reduce the life of a component.

In saying that though a static strap is a waste of time if the case isn't earthed properly anyway.

And of course if you don't use one it is at your own risk, I personally always use one. For a sub $20 item to keep your $800 video card/cpu safe your'd be stupid not to.

[MR_60]

I totally agree with sledgy, static damage can take months or years to become apparent, so why risk shortening the life of your gear? Or someone else's for that matter? For the sake of not wearing a strap.. jees it just doesn't figure.

[whetu]

Originally posted by MR_60
I totally agree with sledgy, static damage can take months or years to become apparent, so why risk shortening the life of your gear? Or someone else's for that matter? For the sake of not wearing a strap.. jees it just doesn't figure.

but by the time the damage does become apparent, how long will it have been since you've upgraded?

[MR_60]

smart-arse ;)

[shag]

I've never used a strap... well a anti static strap before either:p.

If you have any doubts then just leave the computer pluged in with the switch on the wall turned off. Then the case will be earthed and a simple touch of the bare metal on it with discharge any nasty static that may be lurking on your various bodily parts ;)

[mattnz]

My policy
If it belongs to someone else: use a strap

If it belongs to me: run a quarter mile over cheap carpet while wearing wooley socks before touching anything :-)

[CommanderK]

Well... When I was at Tait's they only wear 2 foot straps and a wrist strap.

But at GPC (where I'm at now) you have to wear 2 foot straps, 1 wrist strap (or 2 with a $300+ GPS component), a knee length coat (fashionable blue... not quite), ESD safe gloves, (I think soon to be hair nets), and no music playing devices because of ESD (but somehow I don't think it's just that;))

So wearing ESD protection 40 hours a week for 18 months you don't really notice it.

And above all this, Classic Hits 97.7, all day every day. <----:mad::mad::mad:

[Scorched]

When working on my own machines I only use a strap if one happens to be handy at the time.
But when working on Customers machines that are worth 10's to 100's of thousands of dollars I always make sure I'm wearing one.

[Iblis]

Most store-bought wrist straps are worthless. A friend of mine tested at least a dozen straps with a multimeter for continuity from the contact button all the way to the tip of the alligator clip. Guess what.....
Not a single one beeped.
Makes you think.....

[Siris Le Osiris]

I have an anti static pipe *reachs out window and grabs copper pipe* MUAHAHA.

[KingJackal]

Originally posted by Iblis
Most store-bought wrist straps are worthless. A friend of mine tested at least a dozen straps with a multimeter for continuity from the contact button all the way to the tip of the alligator clip. Guess what.....
Not a single one beeped.
Makes you think.....

ROFL

Ahhhh yes, the well-known 'placebo effect'.... ;)

Interesting. I can't say I ever wear an anti-static wrist strap, though I tend to make sure I always have an elbow or something resting on the case.

[chopsuwe]

Originally posted by Iblis
Most store-bought wrist straps are worthless. A friend of mine tested at least a dozen straps with a multimeter for continuity from the contact button all the way to the tip of the alligator clip. Guess what.....
Not a single one beeped.
Makes you think.....

There is a good reason for that. Static straps have a 1 Meg ohm resistor in them. The idea is that if your left hand is grounded and you hit phase with the right hand you're dead. With the resistor in there there won't be enought current flow to kill you. It will however allow the static to discharge.

[Grrr!!]

I usually just lean on the case. At one stage I squashed someone' uber-cheap case doing this though ... they werent to impressed.

[ktulu]

Originally posted by Grrr!!
At one stage I squashed someone' uber-cheap case doing this though
You fat bastard :D

[evilangel]

my stepfather is a strong believer in the use of anti static straps due to the fact he is a sparky for transfeild (contracted to tranzrail). he tried to con me into using an anti static strap he bought up to my place when they ran a ram chip i bought off a guy in hamilton

here he was telling me i was doing it all wrong

turned around and told him that i had been told by a techo that it was safe to just touch the side of the case with psu plugged in and turned off at wall

all i could hear him mutter under his breath while i was installing the chip was him calling me a *i shall not mention the word due to the rule on racially related phrases in the rules of conduct* :eek:

but i can agree that i would use an anti static strap if i were to be working on someone elses computer

[Doom]

And above all this, Classic Hits 97.7, all day every day. <----
You must be the saddest man alive :P:P

I just lean on the case :) Ive got one... somewhere

[Wibber]

I have a cordless one now ;) its nifty

[CommanderK]

Cordless? *raise's eyebrow*

[Doom]

the school tech had one of those... Does it actually work ?

*raise's eyebrow*

[Antallica]

Well it seems to, you should have the right floor for it though.