[SOLVED] Static Electricity Discharge to Metal Plate on External HDD in Enclosure - Trouble?

[yosemitewg]

Had HDD in external enclosure that was plugged into grounded wall socket and drive was running (formatting) and accidently touched the metal top plate of the HDD and felt a static electricity discharge. Did not touch the underside with exposed circuit board.

Updating post with additional information per guidance from Ralston 18 (thank yout!):

​

Enclosure:​

• Sabrent USB 3.0 to SATA External Hard Drive Lay-Flat Docking Station with Built-in Cooling Fan for 2.5 or 3.5in HDD, SSD [Support UASP and 6TB] (EC-DFFN)
  • enclosure was plugged into a power strip surge protector that was plugged into a grounded three pronged wall socket
  • Plastic cover of enclosure was open while drive was formatting and I touched the exposed top metal plate of the HDD while drive was formatting

Drive:​

• WD Gold 4TB WD4003FRYZ - brand new drive. I had just initialized and was in process of formatting (made the mistake of doing a full format instead of quick)

​

Best guesses on if:

1 - My HDD is damaged and/or at risk of catastrophic failure down the road?
2 - Is my external enclosure circuitry damaged?

Appreciate thoughts!

 

[Ralston18]

For the most part I would expect that the static discharge was harmlessly routed via the enclosure to ground/earth.

Most likely via the grounding plug serving the HDD external enclosure.

Update your post to include more information about the enclosure and connectivity.

What HDD (make, model, capacity, how full?) is installed?

And, hopefully, you have a set of regular backup SOP's in place and active just in case that HDD happens to fail.

 

[Karadjgne]

Static electricity is a built up charge on an object. The discharge happens when objects are close enough, and the charges want to equalize. And that's the problem, that equalization, it's extra voltage that's going to try and return to ground, and go through anything in order to do so.

So in your case, you got a discharge to the hdd enclosure, which is grounded. Electricity will always take the path of least resistance to ground. Being grounded, that means it bypasses the guts and goes straight to the ground in the wall socket.

That's the purpose of the grounding. You'd only really have an issue if the enclosure was not grounded, then that discharge would seek to go to ground through everything inside connected to the ground plane and back to the psu through the ground (black) wires.

 

[yosemitewg]

For the most part I would expect that the static discharge was harmlessly routed via the enclosure to ground/earth.

Most likely via the grounding plug serving the HDD external enclosure.

Update your post to include more information about the enclosure and connectivity.

What HDD (make, model, capacity, how full?) is installed?

And, hopefully, you have a set of regular backup SOP's in place and active just in case that HDD happens to fail.

Thank you! I have updated post with additional information per your guidance.

 

[yosemitewg]

Thank you Ralston18 and Karadjgne!

I guess the question now is if the static discharge would have:

1. traveled through the enclosure's 12V/2A AC 2-pronged power adaptor that was plugged into the power strip surge protector that was then plugged into a 3-pronged grounded wall socket; OR
2. traveled through the enclosure's data cable that was plugged into the USB port of my motherboard; OR
3. traveled around the HDD circuitry looking for a place to go and just messed everything up

Thanks!

 

[Karadjgne]

DC has 2 poles. Hot/ground. It's either voltage or ground, in and out. AC has 3 poles, hot/neutral/ground. Normally that means voltage in, voltage out to complete the circuit and ground has 2 uses, protection from outside and inside sources.

Since the case is grounded, doesn't matter if it's AC or DC, it's going to ground, bypassing the internals.

1. Doesn't matter. It's grounded. Discharge went to ground.
2. Data cables are attached to internals, discharge didn't touch them in the first place.
3. See 1 + 2, discharge went around the outside, not through the middle.

Don't do the 'What If's'. Not worth over thinking or over imagining.