Electrostatic discharge

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sk8termatt

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I just ordered all of my parts and I have been reading a lot about how to ensure my computer will not be damaged. Will I be completely safe from electrostatic charge if I work on the second floor in small room with wooden floor on wooden desk with no carpet, wearing no clothes (I'm serious), and with an anti static strap. I plan to plug in my psu and connect it to the case and then attach the strap to a screw on the psu (very first thing before I even touch any other parts). Will this be foolproof, I really don't want to mess anything up. Also I have a dog who sheds hair, as long as I keep her out will I be ok? Also I plan on keeping everything in their boxes until I need them.
 
Your ideas are nuts. You just need to not work on carpet and ground yourself to your case and you'll be fine.
 
It will work. But you have to shave off all your hair too. This is the biggest source of static when wearing no clothes.
 
sk8termatt said:
I just ordered all of my parts and I have been reading a lot about how to ensure my computer will not be damaged. Will I be completely safe from electrostatic charge if I work on the second floor in small room with wooden floor on wooden desk with no carpet, wearing no clothes (I'm serious), and with an anti static strap. I plan to plug in my psu and connect it to the case and then attach the strap to a screw on the psu (very first thing before I even touch any other parts). Will this be foolproof, I really don't want to mess anything up. Also I have a dog who sheds hair, as long as I keep her out will I be ok? Also I plan on keeping everything in their boxes until I need them.
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To be honest, I know you're serious, but really, its not 1995. The issue with ESD is almost non-existent these days. I would suggest you simply touch the chassis with the psu and power socket switched off, but with the power cable connected (thus earthed). Anything more is simply epic overkill. Never used a ESD strap either except for in the 90s working on FA-18's , but that's completely different.
 
Okedokey said:
To be honest, I know you're serious, but really, its not 1995. The issue with ESD is almost non-existent these days. I would suggest you simply touch the chassis with the psu and power socket switched off, but with the power cable connected (thus earthed). Anything more is simply epic overkill. Never used a ESD strap either except for in the 90s working on FA-18's , but that's completely different.
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Yeah I agree completely. Stuff is a lot more 'ESD resistant' these days. Even the Raspberry-Pi is. I was working on mine the other day and all I did to ground myself was touch one of the metal screws in my case whilst the PSU was plugged into the wall and even though I was working on a carpet and wearing socks it worked fine.

Honestly, no need to go as far as to build the PC naked on a completely wooden floor.
 
I've build numerous computers on carpet, beds, hardwood floors, desks, and more. As long as you aren't moving around on carpet and you are touching the case while building it you're fine.

Being naked doesn't have anything to do with it, do you really think computer technicians work naked?
 
Okedokey said:
Wrx particular clothing does cause static.
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spirit said:
Yeah especially things like woolen jumpers and socks - apparently.

Doesn't matter anyway so long as you are grounded to start with.
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I knew that wearing socks and other clothing while walking around contributes to static charges building up, but if you're staying still I didn't think wearing a sweater alone would build up a charge.
 
WRXGuy1 said:
I knew that wearing socks and other clothing while walking around contributes to static charges building up, but if you're staying still I didn't think wearing a sweater alone would build up a charge.
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Yes, it does, and how still do you think you would have to stay? That is why, people who really work in ESD environments wear special clothing.
 
spirit said:
Yeah I agree completely. Stuff is a lot more 'ESD resistant' these days. Even the Raspberry-Pi is. I was working on mine the other day and all I did to ground myself was touch one of the metal screws in my case whilst the PSU was plugged into the wall and even though I was working on a carpet and wearing socks it worked fine.

Honestly, no need to go as far as to build the PC naked on a completely wooden floor.
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The thing about damage caused by ESD is that it may not cause the device to fail immediately but may only weaken a junction in a transistor somewhere and it may be months later when the part actually fails.

Taking reasonable steps to prevent ESD is fine but working naked seems to be going a little overboard.
 
strollin said:
The thing about damage caused by ESD is that it may not cause the device to fail immediately but may only weaken a junction in a transistor somewhere and it may be months later when the part actually fails.

Taking reasonable steps to prevent ESD is fine but working naked seems to be going a little overboard.
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Yeah I'm not saying 'don't ground yourself', I was saying that things are generally a lot tougher these days. They don't die instantly if you touch them whilst not being grounded, like they may have done a while ago.

But I completely agree that taking the necessary steps (just touching a bare metal screw on your case with the PSU plugged in) is what you want to be doing. Going naked is a bit extreme.
 
sk8termatt said:
...how to ensure my computer will not be damaged...
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I just finished a build (my first in years). My office has carpet and I worked fully clothed, and my dogs are outside. My only precaution was to periodically touch the PSU housing. Maybe not foolproof, but no problems that I noticed then or since...

And keeping everything in the box until needed is usually a good idea.
 
while the static is still possible its highly unlikely. Ive built and worked on pcs on a carpet with socks and had nothing ever its just important to touch the case (psu plugged in) everyonce in a while to get rid of any possible build up. You can get a electrostatic strap that you hook to the case for a few £ $ whatever, save you building a pc naked ;).

Most static charge cases are just really bad luck and highly unlikely to happen under normal circumstances, ive never had a static shock other than on a trampoline. There is really no need for those precautions.
 
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