Make your own anti-static wristwrap

  • Thread starter Thread starter BigSiphonHose
  • Start date Start date
B

BigSiphonHose

TC said:
Anyone done this?
Click to expand...

When I put together my first build a few months ago, I worked on a wood
floor, bare footed, and kept one hand on the case whenever I was inserting a
component. No problems.
 
Anyone done this?
Click to expand...

I sometimes wear a copper braclet.If I want earthing I just attach a
wire to it and to a metal part of the case of the PC but leave the
power in the PC but switched off at the wall(UK outlets have switches)
or if the PC power supply has an isolator switch,turn that off and use
the earth strap.
HTH :)



--
Free Windows/PC help,
http://www.geocities.com/sheppola/trouble.html
email shepATpartyheld.de
Free songs to download and,"BURN" :O)
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/nomessiahsmusic.htm
 
Shep© said:
I sometimes wear a copper braclet.If I want earthing I just attach a
wire to it and to a metal part of the case of the PC but leave the
power in the PC but switched off at the wall(UK outlets have switches)
or if the PC power supply has an isolator switch,turn that off and use
the earth strap.
HTH :)
Click to expand...
You need an isolation resistor in series with the ground strap. Never ground
your body directly to ground.
 
If you're wearing a metallic wristwatch, just connect it to your PC through
1 MOhm 1/2 Watt.
If not, you can use one or your earrings or anything else (o@^@o) !!!

In case you're charged with static electricity and you touch an integrated
circuit, the discharge current will be bery low through the IC's input
protective diodes. They'll not be destroyed and your body will be slowly
discharged without any danger for the other components. That's better than a
simple wire and lotta more secure than discharging your body touching the PC
frame prior to handling sensitive components.

Note also that if you have to take metallized bags, and due to the fact you
don't have a dissipative plan (conductive rubber sheet connected to the
earth ground) put them in contact with the PC chassis before opening.
They'll acquire the same potential reducing the risks.

Don't underestimate the importance of these precautions. My son killed a CPU
although standing on a conductive floor (tiles).
 
BigSiphonHose said:
When I put together my first build a few months ago, I worked on a
wood floor, bare footed, and kept one hand on the case whenever I was
inserting a component. No problems.
Click to expand...

I plan to wear rubber (surgical) gloves. I believe this should work?
 
In case you're charged with static electricity and you touch an integrated
circuit, the discharge current will be bery low through the IC's input
protective diodes. They'll not be destroyed and your body will be slowly
discharged without any danger for the other components.
Click to expand...
A+ third edition: Humans can accumulate electrical potentials well over
25,000 volts. Although we might experience a shock or other sensation when
the charge dissipates, it is a very quick, low-current flow that is not
harmful. But as little as 30 volts can destroy some of today's more
sophisticated integrated chips, so daily activities can generate static
charges on your body that are potentially harmful to sensitive electronics
components.
Consider the following:
Walking across carpet: 1,500 to 25,000 volts
Walking over an untreated vinyl floor: 250 to 12,000 volts
Picking up a common plastic bag: 1,200 to 20,000 volts
Working at a bench: 700 to 6,000 volts
Handling a vinyl envelope: 600 to 7,000 volts

Now by that I would have to say that it could very much harm a component
 
My method may have been totally cave-man, but it was the right price! I just
connected a 24 gauge phone wire to my house's earth ground and wrapped the
other end around the lamp on my worktable (wood). I wore rubber soled hiking
boots, but I doubt very much that made any difference. Every time I sat down
to do anything after moving around I grabbed the bare end of the wire and
every time I discharged. I didn't fry anything so I guess it worked, or I am
just lucky.
I wore the latex gloves once a long time ago to do something in the box and
they just kept getting caught on things.

There's your straight line again Shep!
 
Shep© said:
I sometimes wear a copper braclet.If I want earthing I
just attach a wire to it and to a metal part of the case
of the PC but leave the power in the PC but switched off
at the wall(UK outlets have switches) or if the PC power
supply has an isolator switch,turn that off and use
the earth strap.
Click to expand...

Stop doing that, and unplug the power cord from the wall outlet when
you work on your computer. You never want a direct connection to
earth ground because if you somehow come into contact with high
voltage at the same time, a high level of current could flow through
your body, possibly even through your diaphram (breathing stops) or
heart (life stops). Any ground connection should have at least 1
megaohm of resistance in series with it, as do all commercial
anti-static wrist straps.
 
On 6 Apr 2004 17:13:10 -0700 Letting slip the dogs of war
Stop doing that, and unplug the power cord from the wall outlet when
you work on your computer. You never want a direct connection to
earth ground because if you somehow come into contact with high
voltage at the same time, a high level of current could flow through
your body, possibly even through your diaphram (breathing stops) or
heart (life stops). Any ground connection should have at least 1
megaohm of resistance in series with it, as do all commercial
anti-static wrist straps.
Click to expand...

How very silly and a complete misunderstanding of electrical
conductivity :/



--
Free Windows/PC help,
http://www.geocities.com/sheppola/trouble.html
email shepATpartyheld.de
Free songs to download and,"BURN" :O)
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/8/nomessiahsmusic.htm
 
Shep) said:
was >> inserting a component. No problems.

Yes.But this is a computer group,not a sexual confession forum :D
Click to expand...

That was a good laugh! Thanks! I sometimes mix the groups I'm in LOL.
 
TC said:
Anyone done this?
Click to expand...


Mine's so simple it's unbelievable!

Leave the computer *plugged in* while you're working on it.

*Always* touch the case before touching any innards. This will effectively
discharge any static.

This *will not* work unless the computer is plugged in, as otherwise there
would be no ground.

I've never damaged a component, and I've even done minor work on carpet
safely this way.

TFM®
 
Ah, no. :(

It will actually make it worse. The rubber gloves, being an insulator,
will allow all static charges to accumulate on its outer surface.
 
That may work until you brush up against something with your arm, at which
point the spark will jump.

Personally, I take "reasonable" precautions. and have yet to have a part
failure due to static. My precautions consist of:
1) Don't run around like a manic, shuffling my feet on new carpet while
carrying my new processor.
2) Touch the metal case prior to disconnecting the power cable from the
PSU.
3) Try to touch a component of the case prior to touching the "sensitive
bits" like memory and processors after walking away from the computer.

Clint
 
Shep© said:
I sometimes wear a copper braclet.If I want earthing I just
attach a wire to it and to a metal part of the case of the
PC but leave the power in the PC but switched off at the
wall(UK outlets have switches) or if the PC power supply
has an isolator switch,turn that off and use the earth strap.


How very silly and a complete misunderstanding of electrical
conductivity :/
Click to expand...

Your misunderstanding of electricity is possibly dangerous. People
should not be directly earth grounded, for the reason I gave above,
and anti-static wrist straps must never provide a direct,
low-impedance eath ground.

There are factories where workers are required to plug their
anti-static wrist straps into a tester before they're allowed entry,
and the tester will not pass them if the impedance is less than 1
megaohm or greater than 2 megaohms. Look in the back chapters of an
IC data book from TI, and you'll see similar guidelines for static
dissipation -- they recommend 1M resistance for all anti-static ground
connections, never any direct earth grounds.
 
TC said:
I plan to wear rubber (surgical) gloves. I believe this should work?
Click to expand...

You have to make sure that the rubber gloves themselves won't generate
static. The only common rubber that may be anti-static is black,
because of the carbon black (carbon powder) in it, but usually not.

You'll be better off getting a real anti-static wrist strap from Fry's
or Radio Shack, but don't connect yourself directly to earth ground
through a piece of wire because that can be hazardous if you somehow
come in contact with high voltage. In fact there's no need for an
earth ground at all when assembling a computer because the computer
equipment doesn't care about the voltage relative to earth ground,
only relative to its own ground, so you want to touch each device's
ground to the computer chassis before handling it. The easiest way to
keep everything at the same potential as the computer chassis is by
doing all your work on an anti-static surface, such as pink bubble
wrap or pink foam wrap, and working in short sleeves (elbows will
naturally ground frequently to the pink surface frequently). Working
without shoes or socks also helps.
 
TFM® said:
Mine's so simple it's unbelievable!

Leave the computer *plugged in* while you're working on it.
Click to expand...

NO! You don't want a direct earth ground while working on the
computer because of the shock hazard if you happen to touch high
voltage. Also some power supplies don't have a switch on back to
allow 100% turn-off, meaning parts of the computer will still be
powered (but the switch on a powr strip will remove all power).
*Always* touch the case before touching any innards. This will effectively
discharge any static.
True.

This *will not* work unless the computer is plugged in, as otherwise there
would be no ground.
Click to expand...

False. It will still work fine because for anti-static purposes what
matters is the voltage between you and the computer ground, not
between you and the earth ground.
 
You buy a computer power cord the on the wall socket side take off the two
prongs leaving the ground then you plug the ground into the wall. Then you
plug the comp. power end to the PSU. that grounds you comp.
 
Back
Top