How to avoid Electrostatic discharge (ESD)

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  1. Posts : 472
    windows 7 32-bit
       #1

    How to avoid Electrostatic discharge (ESD)


    Hi all,

    Using some tools like anti-static wrist strap we can avoid this ESD. But when we don't have any of those tools, as a scenario, one good work is touching the body of the power supply when it's not colored repeatedly to be the same ground with it.
    OK. Please have a look at below images. I don't know the body of that power supply is colored or not so what can I do?
    I think of two solutions:
    1- I can touch that 3 jacks of the power supply (PS) which they are directly connected to the inside of the PS. Or,
    2- Put a metal screw driver into the PS from its vents and hit some things in inside part and touch that screwdriver from out while it's attached to inside!

    Which method do you agree with?
    Thanks.



    "America needs another Luther King."
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails How to avoid Electrostatic discharge (ESD)-1.jpg   How to avoid Electrostatic discharge (ESD)-2.jpg  
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  2. Posts : 6,292
    Windows 7 64 Bit Home Premium SP1
       #2

    Are you kidding? Stay away from the power supply. Worst ideas ever.

    All you need to do at a minimum is touch the metallic parts of the case.

    In my workshop I have attached a 14 gauge speaker wire to a copper water pipe in the ceiling. It lies on the workbench. I just grab that before I touch any components.
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  3. Posts : 2,465
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       #3

    Never put a metallic thing inside the power supply! EVER

    To get rid of electrostatic charge in your body you need something that's grounded, ie, with electric connection to the ground. Both the power supply and the computer case are bad ideas. When you have the computer open, it's most likely unpluged and as such, without any electric connection so it's pointless.
    The power supply is not only useless, but dangerous, as it may have charged capacitors, even being unpluged, so it posses risk of electric shock for you.

    Without any specialized thing, something metalic is your best bet, like an unpainted part of a window, anything metalic would do, at least partially.
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  4. Posts : 472
    windows 7 32-bit
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Hey guys, the power supply is off.
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  5. Posts : 6,292
    Windows 7 64 Bit Home Premium SP1
       #5

    Just a small safety correction, but it is not necessary to use an "electrical" connection - meaning an electrical outlet or device. You only need to provide a path from your body to earth ground.

    A modern building's electrical system is connected to an earth ground and that would work, but using electrical devices for this purpose could be dangerous in some cases.
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  6. Posts : 6,292
    Windows 7 64 Bit Home Premium SP1
       #6

    The power supply contains capacitors that store enough electrical charge to do some real damage. If not to you then certainly to the power supply.
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  7. Posts : 472
    windows 7 32-bit
    Thread Starter
       #7

    @Alejandro85:
    Thanks for your opinions. So any part of the PC is pointless since it's unplugged and without any connection to some else thing. OK, it's logical.
    I have a metal door and a metal water pipe in my workshop. Both are connected to the wall and the wall is of course grounded! If I touch them before touching internal components of the PC so I don't need to be worry, yes? If so, how many time I should touch those metal things?
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  8. Posts : 472
    windows 7 32-bit
    Thread Starter
       #8

    @TVeblen:
    Thanks for you.
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  9. Posts : 9,600
    Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit
       #9

    Kurdman said:
    Hey guys, the power supply is off.
    That doesn't matter; the capacitors inside can hold a fatal charge for quite a while, sometimes even for more than a day. Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT poke anything inside the PSU. People have been known to have died from a getting into a turned off PSU.

    I often ground my case through the PSU cord itself while plugged it is plugged into the PSU. I just make doubly sure the PSU has been switched off and, since I'm already close enough to the grave without rushing it, I put a piece of tape over the switch to help ensure it stays off.
    Last edited by Lady Fitzgerald; 07 Dec 2014 at 15:24. Reason: oopsie
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  10. Posts : 199
    Windows 7 Pro x64 sp1
       #10

    re : ESD wrist straps

    If anyone is thinking of making a DIY equivalent, I'd like to point out that the commercial version has a 1 megohm resistor that limits any current that could accidently pass through the body. In the worst case scenario a person could touch a hot connection with one hand where the other hand is earthed to chassis via ESD strap. With a home made ESD strap this could result in a fatal current through the chest (ie heart). With a real ESD, the dude would get a (non fatal) shock due to the series resistor.

    When I worked in industry, we often had to poke around inside live machines. The rule of thumb was to always have one hand in your pocket (so not to touch the chassis) and wear rubber soled shoes, to avoid death by electrocution. Trouble was, any visiting VIP's would see us technicians wearing trainers and apparently slouching around with hands in our pockets and think 'what a bunch of scruffs'.
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