Grounding to avoid computer damage

ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) is a chic expression for ordinary static electricity. Getting a mop from the doorknob may not hurt much, but the same kind of shock can put your computer in intensive care. Whenever you open the case to work on the inside of your PC, you should be aware of the ESD and how to avoid it - with a bracelet, a discharger, a change in your cable or even wearing other clothes.

Method

1. It is a good idea to buy an antistatic wristband and follow the instructions for use. (They are sold in most electronics stores.) If you have a lot of tinkering, you may want to invest in an anti-static mat.

2. If you do not have a bracelet, luck has not necessarily left you. Plug the power cable of the PC over a multiple socket in a grounded socket and turn off the multiple socket! However, if the power strip has no switch, it will not work. Never work on a switched-on computer! In that case, you should buy an antistatic tape or try another grounding method.

3. Alternatively, you can buy a cable with only the grounding part of the plug in an electronics store. This is the same as how to turn off the power strip.

4. You can use an LCD discharger. As a simple measure, you can hang it on your keychain and just let it dangle. This is more unreliable, but if it touches a ground, it should discharge the static electricity. Procedure: ① Touch the oval button lightly with your finger! metal, or other) to release the static charge and watch the LCD screen!

5. Some people claim that the damage can be reduced by wearing little or no clothing. It is said that the less clothing is in contact with your body, the less statics are produced, although these claims are unproven.

Tips

• If the equipment is cold, wait until it reaches room temperature! ESD builds up much faster when it is cold and dry (low humidity).
• The average human can carry up to 25,000 volts of static charge at any given time. This sounds like a lot, but since the current level is low, you usually do not notice it. Just because you touched the dog's nose and he did not squeak, that does not mean that you're safe from ESD. Follow ESD procedures every time you open a computer!

warnings

• Try not to open a computer while you're on a thick carpet, caress long-haired pets, put on clothes, empty the clothes dryer, etc.! Use your common sense; Do not do anything that would get you hit if you touch something made of metal!
• If you do not take steps to prevent ESD, you may regret it. Your computer can be severely damaged without you knowing. CPUs and memory chips of all kinds are extremely vulnerable to ESD. If you grill your PC with static charge, you might soon start noticing random memory errors, blue screens, and lock-ups. Normally you can not see (or even feel) ESD, but it is almost always there. So make sure you do the right thing! Your computer will thank you.