Another Static Electricity Question...

[motrucker]

To not ground yourself is just asking for a problem! Ground yourself to the best ground available, usually your properly grounded outlet - with a good quality wrist strap.
You would be amazed at how much voltage a static charge can have. The other values are usually very low, but this is enough to fry many chip types instantly.
I am always amazed at people who love to play with fire...

PS - 50,000 volts is possible! - 25,000 is fairly common. Think your chips can take that?

[marcfrick2112]

I would also advise advise caution regarding static electricity.... One thing to mention, some of the posters have said that they have never had any trouble with static electricity, despite taking no precautions.... Well, the type of carpeting you have in your house, even the climate in your area can play a part in static buildup.

Also, without lab tests done,  the results posted here, and verified.... We really don't know what could have killed that component/RAM/etc. Any number of variables could have made a difference.....

Static electricity? Old age? Bad Luck? Carelessness? Evil Martian Flingoes?

Zac67 gives some helpful advice, IMHO

My 'workbench'  ( I mean the place I work on computers, etc. ... not the Amiga Workbench )is my kitchen table (best light) and so gives me easy access to a ground, the faucet

And, I also touch boards/RAM from the outer edges whenever possible.

Just my 2 milliamps....

[ElPolloDiabl]

If it is connected to the floppy casing that is okay for ground. Shiny metal would be slightly better. It provides a nicer path for any static build up to flow to, as opposed to your finger.

[Daedalus]

Static is a quite legitimate issue alright! Though I often don't use a wrist strap. When you say the components are the same potential as the casing, I take it you understand we're talking about the metal casing, and that clipping yourself to the plastic case of an Amiga 500 or 1200 won't do any good at all. The amount of static present on your body is down to a wide variety of factors - the clothes you wear, the climate you live in, your shoes, the floor and desk materials, and so on. Such high voltages exist that they can easily damage components by flowing through them to ground. Strapping yourself to the casing whether it's connected to ground or not will decrease the risk of damage as you and the case are both then at the same potential, meaning very little charge can move through your parts. But really you should be grounded to a proper ground as well, whether through the mains lead of the computer or through a special grounding plug.

[Super TWiT]

I take static very seriously. The humidity is at least 33% mostly higher. I usually ground myself by touching a grounding screw which is right in the room where I work on the amiga. I also touch the tap (sink faucet). I usually wear 100% cotton (socks included) when working on the amiga (cotton is static neutral along with steel). I also walk across no carpet flooring. And, I work on a hardwood floor which is VERY close to being static neutral (wood is slightly positve). On top of it all, I wear a wrist strap.

[Super TWiT]

Good point...  That should be a good ground then... But only if the plug is plugged into the wall...
Hmmmm..  Not really sure how to ground that one without the removable cord. (I have a 2000 and it does have the removable cord)

I know how to ground it! Get an extension cord and modify that! Then plug the amiga into the extension cord and the modified extension cord into the wall.

[pyrre]

@outlawal2
Just some additional notes.
"The ground must be plugged into a wall socket to work"
Ant the wall socket has to be grounded. (in Norway not all of the wall sockets are grounded. specially in older homes)

"Take a standard three prong plug and remove both prongs from it...."
No need to do that. Most moder PSU have a power switch. it only breakes the power leads. Ground leads are always connected. (And that is a part of European standards for electronic equipment.)
The same goes for Amiga PSU, the shield ground is always connected...

Abd a question:

"Also you don't know if the floppy is aluminum.. If it is you won't get  any ground off it"
Why not?
Aluminum is a good electric conductor...
I have speaker cables made of aluminum.

[Super TWiT]

Now, I have another question (sorry for the hmm.. lets see TRIPPLE post) I hear you can turn off the power supply and leave it plugged in and the ground will still be effective. Wouldn't the switch break the connection between you and the ground?

[Super TWiT]

I might still mod the plug because I don't really trust the switch all the time. I probably will switch it off & plug in the modded plug. I bought a ground tester, and was surprised to find all the outlets were properly grounded. This house was built in the 70s and well some of the wiring looks a little scary. Also, according to my multimeter voltage is pretty good too. Well, I guess maybe the wiring ain't so bad after all.

[pyrre]

@ marcfrick2112
If i can, i take precautions. Specially on new expensive hardware.
However. i have tried older hardware.
Among them an old P90
I used it as a "cam", calming my hair.
I could hear the sounds of the static discharge....:crazy:
But the devil still works......(!)

[Super TWiT]

I have a question about the plug I bought. I got a cheap one from walmart, and I am noticed it has a label on the side that says 125 volts US. Static electricity is thousands of volts. I assume this is still okay to use. (its 16 awg wire).

[Super TWiT]

Don't mean to drudge up an old thread. I guess I can't help but ask yet another static electricity question!  :laughing:
Anyway, from what I've gathered here, people are telling me that in order for static electricity prevention to be effective, I need to have my wrist strap clipped to a grounded spot on my case, and the computer plugged into a grounded outlet.
However, assuming I don't plug it in but I do have my wrist strap clipped onto my case, won't electrons just build up on the case, and then once I plug in the computer the electrons will flow to ground. If so, what is the harm in not plugging the computer in while I work on it?

[AmigaHeretic]

The only thought about the static electricity question that comes to my mind is what if I
carry my computer in my pocket?  Walking around in corduroy pants and dragging my feet on
my shag carpet day in and day out.

I've had a cells phones for 10+years.  I usually carry them in a pocket.  Countless times I've
zapped my phones.  I've never had a phone die.  A cell phone isn't grounded, sits in your
static filled clothes, just seems like if there was a big issue with static cells phones would be
dieing left and right for no noticeable reason.

[guest7146]

Easy solution: Buy an anti-static interface that connects to the mains socket.  Job done.

If you're a bit of a cheap skate like I am, then you can make your own.  You just need to find an old mains plug, take out any connection to live and neutral, and connect a single cable to the earth pin via a 1M resistor.  This cable then becomes your anti-static wrist strap earthing point.  If you terminate it with a 4mm banana socket then your wrist strap will plug straight into it.

Of course, I can't recommend that solution unless you have experience with electrics and know what you're doing.  If you don't know what you're doing then you're better off just buying an adaptor from an electronics store - they're only a couple of quid (dollars) anyway.

AH.

[guest7146]

A cell phone isn't grounded, sits in your
static filled clothes, just seems like if there was a big issue with static cells phones would be
dieing left and right for no noticeable reason.

Static electricity is more of a concern when you're handling exposed components rather than when you're handling completed circuit boards.  Also, your cell phone is encased in a plastic enclosure which is an insulator.  This makes it less prone to damage from static electricity than if you carried the exposed PCB in your pocket instead.
The exposed connectors on the cell phone are usually shielded with a ground plane so a static discharge here is most likely to go to ground than via a semiconductor.

AH.

[Super TWiT]

What I was wondering about was why can't you have your wrist strap clipped to your case, but just not have it plugged in. Electrons would just build on the case right? If so, what's the problem with that?