Question about static

[Trav]

Hi there

I have just bought all of my new parts and i am ready to start building. I have a anti static wrist strap and an antistatic mat. I am planning to place the case on the mat and clip myself to the case. Will this keep me grounded and my new parts safe? Also i have to build on a carpeted floor and i was wondering whether i should put down a big piece of cardboard to stand on. Is this a good idea? any other suggestions to prevent static damage?

Thanks very much for your help

 

[bradfel]

You should be fine... I wouldn't build on a carpeted floor but if you have no other option, just keep yourself grounded to the case and be careful when handling your parts.

 

[asdasd123123]

Wear cotton clothes.. Nylon and other synthetics are fantastic for generating static.

 

[BobA]

Hi there

I have just bought all of my new parts and i am ready to start building. I have a anti static wrist strap and an antistatic mat. I am planning to place the case on the mat and clip myself to the case. Will this keep me grounded and my new parts safe? Also i have to build on a carpeted floor and i was wondering whether i should put down a big piece of cardboard to stand on. Is this a good idea? any other suggestions to prevent static damage?

Thanks very much for your help

The case itself should be grounded if you are clipping yourself to it. This is not essential if you are careful, but the first thing to do is install the PSU and make sure it is turned off at the PSU switch and then plug it into the wall. The case is now grounded.

-Bob

 

[bradfel]

you could also clip yourself to something metal like a plumbing fixture or anything else that's grounded (and made of metal)... but if you clip yourself to the computer chassis make sure you clip it on a surface that isn't painted...

also, don't shuffle around and if you do move around, don't do it while holding any of your parts...

 

[jba6511]

so if u ground the computer by installing the psu, turning it off, and plugging into the wall, will static still be an issue? what about if building on a counter top and hard wood floor? sorry if i hijacked the thread but i will soon be in the same situation

 

[bradfel]

plugging the psu in will ground the case to the wall, static however can still be an issue if you don't ground yourself appropriatly (antistatic wrist strap)... static can build up almost anywhere if the conditions are right, so even if you are on a countertop and hardwood floor it's probably best that you still take the standard precautions. just remember that even the slightest bit of static electricity can fry a $200 peice of equipment :?

 

[BobA]

Sometimes it can become awkward working with an anti-static wrist strap. When that happens, you need to touch a grounded object such as a kitchen tap every few minutes, but don't have any computer parts in your hands when you do that.

On my last build, I completely forgot to plug the PSU into the wall, so the whole time of the assembly it was not grounded. What I did do was assemble on a wooden table and hardwood floors. Every few minutes I would touch a nearby tap.

I didn't have any static problems, but is preferable to assemble with the case grounded. I think I got lucky because it was a humid day and on top of that I had a humidifier running. It did come as a bit of a D'OH when I went to turn it on for the first time only to discover it had not been plugged in!

-Bob

 

[AMDThunder]

A big part of it is your local weather. As others have mentioned, if it's very dry outside, it probably is indoors as well. If you're walking around the house and get shocked every time you touch something, take every precaution. If it's raining outside, you're probably pretty safe, but you'll still want to take the basic precautions. I assembled my entire pc sitting on my carpeted floor. Didn't have a wrist strap, so I just made sure I touched something to discharge any build up, just in case. Leave everything in it's anti-static bag till you're ready to install it. If I had to put it down, it went back on top of the anti-static bag.

Since you already have a wrist strap and an anti-static mat, I'm sure you'll be fine. The carboard probably isn't a bad idea, just as an added precaution.