Anti-Static Bags Obsolete?

[Joe]

What's the deal with anti-static bags for computer parts? No one seems
to use them anymore. I got some Ram and a Video Card lately and
neither one comes in an anti-static bag. They are just placed in the
molded plastic package. The Asus P4P800E Deluxe motherboard I
recently bought did come in an anti-static bag, but while every cable
and connector that came with the motherboard was in a sealed bag, the
motherboard's anti static bag was not sealed. Seems you would want
that sealed to prevent accident static shock by someone handling it,
especially given the fact that the motherboard box is not sealed with
shrink wrap. Anyone can rummage through the box and zap the
motherboard. Is this just sloppy practice by the computer part
manufacturers or is the molded plastic packaging anti-static?

 

[GlowingBlueMist]

What's the deal with anti-static bags for computer parts? No one seems
to use them anymore. I got some Ram and a Video Card lately and
neither one comes in an anti-static bag. They are just placed in the
molded plastic package. The Asus P4P800E Deluxe motherboard I
recently bought did come in an anti-static bag, but while every cable
and connector that came with the motherboard was in a sealed bag, the
motherboard's anti static bag was not sealed. Seems you would want
that sealed to prevent accident static shock by someone handling it,
especially given the fact that the motherboard box is not sealed with
shrink wrap. Anyone can rummage through the box and zap the
motherboard. Is this just sloppy practice by the computer part
manufacturers or is the molded plastic packaging anti-static?

Yes anti-static features can be built into almost any kind of plastic, for a
price. The older bags had the grey tint to them more to identify them than
due to the amount of graphic powder mixed into the plastic. Newer
anti-static plastic bags can be had in almost any color due to the changes
in plastic formulations and anti-static method employed.

Molded plastic like used in most retail packaging now a days can also
incorporate anti-static properties if the vendor wants to pay for the
increased cost.

It could be that some bean counter checked up on the cost of returned items
damaged due to static versus the cost of the anti-static packaging and just
plain decided to skip the anti-static packaging all together. Especially if
they are shipping a motherboard with out the processor already mounted on
it.

 

[Kadaitcha Man]

The older bags had the grey tint to them more
to identify them than due to the amount of graphic powder mixed into
the plastic.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

[Shep©]

What's the deal with anti-static bags for computer parts? No one seems
to use them anymore. I got some Ram and a Video Card lately and
neither one comes in an anti-static bag. They are just placed in the
molded plastic package. The Asus P4P800E Deluxe motherboard I
recently bought did come in an anti-static bag, but while every cable
and connector that came with the motherboard was in a sealed bag, the
motherboard's anti static bag was not sealed. Seems you would want
that sealed to prevent accident static shock by someone handling it,
especially given the fact that the motherboard box is not sealed with
shrink wrap. Anyone can rummage through the box and zap the
motherboard. Is this just sloppy practice by the computer part
manufacturers or is the molded plastic packaging anti-static?

Quite a few years ago PC component makers included anti-static damage
diodes into their circuitry for most devices.No big hoo-ha about it
but such a poignant and important little addition I'm surprised
the,"Ad-men" didn't jump on it to sell,"their" products as superior
;-)

Oooops.Hope they aren't reading(Guffaw)



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[johns]

Who knows? I sure got tired of Apple ragging me to
bits when I worked at one of their repair centers about
that. I was tied to the wall .. tied to the floor ... and
every time something was wrong with a circuit, the
Idiot Boss was yelling at me about static. These days,
I'm more or less the Boss, so I pretty much ignore it.
I can tell the days .. cold and dry ... when I feel static
on my hands, and then, I simply don't touch a circuit.
Otherwise, I practice normal caution about grounding
my hands to the metal case, and not setting a video
card or mobo on a plastic table top. I keep a box of
anti-static bags in my shop, and lay parts on them
.... like ram, or cpu. I don't think it ever was a big deal
in a properly equiped shop. However, for the home-
builder who does his work in the living room on a
plastic coffee table. I think walking around on a synthetic
rug is just asking for it. Also, that coffee table on top
of that rug must have a big e-field standing off of it,
and moving parts around on that thing is again looking
to blow a mobo or ram for sure. And laying anti-static
bags on that doesn't help at all. Best place to work on
circuits is a smooth wooden table top. Even a cutting
board would be OK.

johns

 

[David Maynard]

Quite a few years ago PC component makers included anti-static damage
diodes into their circuitry for most devices.No big hoo-ha about it
but such a poignant and important little addition I'm surprised
the,"Ad-men" didn't jump on it to sell,"their" products as superior
;-)

They did, back in the mid 60's when it was 'new'.

To do so now would be like a car maker advertising "our cars come equipped
with electric turn signals!" Yeah, well, they ALL do... now.

 

[Shep©]

Who knows? I sure got tired of Apple ragging me to
bits when I worked at one of their repair centers about
that. I was tied to the wall .. tied to the floor ... and
every time something was wrong with a circuit, the
Idiot Boss was yelling at me about static. These days,
I'm more or less the Boss, so I pretty much ignore it.
I can tell the days .. cold and dry ... when I feel static
on my hands, and then, I simply don't touch a circuit.
Otherwise, I practice normal caution about grounding
my hands to the metal case, and not setting a video
card or mobo on a plastic table top. I keep a box of
anti-static bags in my shop, and lay parts on them
... like ram, or cpu. I don't think it ever was a big deal
in a properly equiped shop. However, for the home-
builder who does his work in the living room on a
plastic coffee table. I think walking around on a synthetic
rug is just asking for it. Also, that coffee table on top
of that rug must have a big e-field standing off of it,
and moving parts around on that thing is again looking
to blow a mobo or ram for sure. And laying anti-static
bags on that doesn't help at all. Best place to work on
circuits is a smooth wooden table top. Even a cutting
board would be OK.

johns

Yeh but if you go and wash your hands and touch the metal Tap/Fawcet
you'll dump all static(well at least in the UK as the water system is
used as grounding for many of our houses electrical systems



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Free Windows/PC help,
http://www.geocities.com/sheppola/trouble.html
remove obvious to reply
email (e-mail address removed)
Free original songs to download and,"BURN" :O)
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/nomessiahsmusic.htm

 

[Ira Drew-Boyles]

Yeh but if you go and wash your hands and touch the metal Tap/Fawcet
you'll dump all static(well at least in the UK as the water system is
used as grounding for many of our houses electrical systems

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You ****ing gormless nong - the moment you turn
around and take less than half a ****ing step, the static is building up
again. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You ****ing useless piece of shit.

 

[Geir Klemetsen]

Quite a few years ago PC component makers included anti-static damage
diodes into their circuitry for most devices.No big hoo-ha about it
but such a poignant and important little addition I'm surprised
the,"Ad-men" didn't jump on it to sell,"their" products as superior
;-)

If such diodes isn't paralell coupled with the high frequency wires, I'll
guess reason is that any aditional components will slow the signals down.
Eg: they will function like a low pass filter. Just a thought, may be
incorrect.

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

Yes anti-static features can be built into almost any kind
of plastic, for a price. The older bags had the grey tint
to them more to identify them than due to the amount of
graphic powder mixed into the plastic. Newer anti-static
plastic bags can be had in almost any color due to the changes
in plastic formulations and anti-static method employed.

Do all those materials provide equally good static protection? Because
I noticed that Seagate went from packaging its drives in just the clear
hard plastic shell a couple of years ago to wrapping each drive in a
silvery metallic bag and then placing that inside the same kind of
shell. Also my LinkSys network switch came in pink bubble wrap that
had a layer of black graphite-impregnated plastic on the inside. I've
read that the metal-plated and graphite-impregnated plastics protect
better than the pink and clear plastics.

 

[GlowingBlueMist]

Do all those materials provide equally good static protection? Because
I noticed that Seagate went from packaging its drives in just the clear
hard plastic shell a couple of years ago to wrapping each drive in a
silvery metallic bag and then placing that inside the same kind of
shell. Also my LinkSys network switch came in pink bubble wrap that
had a layer of black graphite-impregnated plastic on the inside. I've
read that the metal-plated and graphite-impregnated plastics protect
better than the pink and clear plastics.

It has been my observation over the years that only the bag touching a
component or circuit board needed to be anti-static as specified by a
companies engineering department. The remaining plastic, if any, used in
the packaging is what ever the marketing people wanted to use to help sell
the product or aid in the control shop lifters.

Pink, grey, or metallic silver, makes no difference to me as long as they
have been approved by our engineering department for use. I do remember
that if our service techs were caught using unapproved plastic bags in their
spare parts kits to hold components they risked loosing their jobs.