Can I clip my Anti-static wristband to this?

[CardboardComputer]

I am going to build a PC next week on an all-wooden floor. I am also going to be wearing an anti-static wristband, however my case is painted. I saw a thread here saying that you can connect the wristband to an unpainted screw, but all of the screws are painted in my case. Can I just clip my band to a loose screw (from a toolbox) on the floor, or might this cause problems?

 

[utroz]

NO, it has to be an earth ground, find a spot any spot where there is bare metal in the case, a screw hole even, or maybe the power supply casing.

 

[CardboardComputer]

NO, it has to be an earth ground, find a spot any spot where there is bare metal even the power supply casing.

Here's my power supply: http://amzn.com/B00H33SFJU

It's all painted. Could I connect the band to the hard drive?

 

[synphul]

I wouldn't connect the band to the hard drive, that would direct static electricity from your person to the hdd casing and may be an issue. Do you have any bare screws (pc component/case screws) you could temporarily screw into the power supply housing? The power supply may be painted but the threads inside the screw holes won't be painted and any light paint should easily come free just from the action of screwing a screw into it as the threads turn in.

If you can't find anyplace else, you can always try to find an inconspicuous place on the case somewhere out of sight and attach the wrist band's alligator clip there. Wiggle it around some to scrape through the paint to get a bare metal contact (the reason for doing it someplace out of sight where it won't show).

The case screws may be anodized, not necessarily painted. Painted threads wouldn't fit or work very well. If using a case screw, try leaving it sticking out partially so the wrist band clip has something to grip onto. The heads are pretty small and anti-static strap clips have a tendency to pop off if there's not enough to 'bite' onto.

 

[InvalidError]

Where on the hard drive? Until the HDD is inside the case, it does not provide any grounding to the case. If your case uses plastic drive rails, then the HDD won't provide any sort of grounding to the case either unless the rails are made of conductive or dissipative plastic.

What you can do is install the PSU first, turn the hard-switch on the PSU off and connect the power cable to the wall to ground the case through the power outlet, then connect your wrist strap to something else that also has chassis ground connected to premise ground.

Personally, I simply always have a hand or forearm on the case when I bring components in/out of a case - I usually put my forearm somewhere on the case for leverage and steadying my hands while working inside cases anyway. The reason why shops require wrist bands is to prevent accidents such as people forgetting to safely ground themselves before touching sensitive stuff that is grounded.

 

[CardboardComputer]

I wouldn't connect the band to the hard drive, that would direct static electricity from your person to the hdd casing and may be an issue. Do you have any bare screws (pc component/case screws) you could temporarily screw into the power supply housing? The power supply may be painted but the threads inside the screw holes won't be painted and any light paint should easily come free just from the action of screwing a screw into it as the threads turn in.

If you can't find anyplace else, you can always try to find an inconspicuous place on the case somewhere out of sight and attach the wrist band's alligator clip there. Wiggle it around some to scrape through the paint to get a bare metal contact (the reason for doing it someplace out of sight where it won't show).

The case screws may be anodized, not necessarily painted. Painted threads wouldn't fit or work very well. If using a case screw, try leaving it sticking out partially so the wrist band clip has something to grip onto. The heads are pretty small and anti-static strap clips have a tendency to pop off if there's not enough to 'bite' onto.

I do have screws from an old PC that may fit. I don't have the case yet, as it arrives in a few days, but if it fits I will definitely use this suggestion. If not, is there a way to tell if a screw is anodized rather than painted?

 

[CardboardComputer]

I'm not sure if everyone will see this, but can I clip onto the bending piece of metal next to the Ethernet port on the I/O shield?

 

[utroz]

I'm not sure if everyone will see this, but can I clip onto the bending piece of metal next to the Ethernet port on the I/O shield?

Yes that should be part of the grounding system.. Anyone else think is might be ok?

 

[InvalidError]

is there a way to tell if a screw is anodized rather than painted?

Painted screws will have a glossy finish that hides any metallic grain the metal may have. Anodization is an extremely thin chemically bonded coating that will leave any metallic grain or machining/tooling marks clearly visible. Painted finishes are usually glossy while anodized finishes are on the matte/rough side of things.

As for what to ground to, the IO shield is merely snapped inside the IO plate opening. If you clip your band to that, you might accidentally pop it out if you pull on it, not the most mechanically reliable ground.

 

[synphul]

So long as it's touching the case, the psu is installed to the case and screwed in (to continue contact via the psu and ground to the outlet) it should be fine. The only issue would be if the inside of the case is painted and the i/o shield is being insulated from the case metal because of it. It would be hard to imagine a screw being painted, paint adds a layer to the metal and would interfere with the operation of the threads. Even if a screw were somehow painted, a few times turning it in and out should remove anything preventing contact along the threads.

Threads are usually close tolerance (a tight fit), even thin spray paints would 'gum' them up a bit. If the machined threads fit properly and paint were added it would make it difficult to screw in the screws. If they fit right while painted, when the paint wore/chipped off the threads it would likely make the screw fitment too sloppy to hold tight.

 

[CardboardComputer]

Thanks to everyone for the help, I'll update this if/when my build is completed!

 

[CardboardComputer]

Shoot, forgot to update this. I'm pleased to say that my build was successfully completed and the PC booted without issue. I clipped my wristband to an unpainted screw in my PSU, which was turned off and plugged into a surge protector for extra length. I have since done this many times without issue. Hope this is helpful for some!