Do you use an anti-static wrist strap?

Do you use an anti-static wrist strap when PC building? Or what other methods do you use to ground yourself?

Unless I forget

I just ground myself often, and dont rub my feet on carpet. And I usually work on hardwood.

Edit: Jeez, how many polls do you need to make every day

I have one, but don't use it because it's annoying. I just touch a lamp once and awhile.

I use one only when working on my main rig. Otherwise I just work in a non-carpeted area; I also touch a pipe first and the PSU ever 20 or so minutes.

I don't use one.

At home no, at work when I'm kitting ICs yeah, not with resistors or caps. though

I usually try to, but sometimes I forget.

after frying a memory stick I wear a strap keep it right in the top drawer Im too cheap and lazy to buy new or rma.

You don't need one if you use your head.

I never saw the point of them, as to prevent ESD one has to prevent a potential between oneself and the components one is handling, in which case touching the ground plane (such as the case's unpainted metal surfaces) is sufficient.

I never use one. Have never had a problem with ESD. But then again I ground myself constantly...

I usually build my PCs sitting indian style on my carpet floor


I know it may not be the best, but I never once had a problem. I even set the parts down too, usualy on a box or something like that tho...

Meh whatever, I will wait till I kill soomething before I change my practices

I work in the worst posible conditions.


on the carpet floor, with socks on, while sliding equipment instead of picking up and setting down, while eating chips and Salsa and drinking pepsi.


and I've never fried a componet.

Komataguri said:

I work in the worst posible conditions.


on the carpet floor, with socks on, while sliding equipment instead of picking up and setting down, while eating chips and Salsa and drinking pepsi.


and I've never fried a componet.

Click to expand...

Cue Ice Czar to slap you around with a large collection of references on ESD, and the many subtle ways in which electronic components can become damaged, even without failing.

I always do. I work in socks on a carpet sitting on a couch so full of static you get shocked at least 20 times sliding across it, with my dog right next to me. If I didn't use one nothing would laster longer than 4 seconds.

I use one now that I have one... It was a requirement for my program at the College i'm going to.

Before that I built like 3 computers and did numerous upgrades on other machines by just touching the case, no problems. I usually maintained contact with the case for the most part when I was handling the components so really no different than the strap, just a little less convenient that's all.

ive got a strap but its a pain in the ass to put it on everytime i want to do something inside meh computer...so i dont

I use one at work and ground myself alot when working at home. To those of you who don't use one or at least ground consistently...you will once you fry something. It does happen once in a while, even if you are in an environment without carpets or exceptionally dry air.

I have one but ony use it for new builds. If I'm just changing a card or something I just ground myself by touching the radiator.

I usually lean on the cases, while im working on them. Im tall, and it doesnt hurt to have something to lean on. That also keeps me covered on the ESD problem.

Wearing a wrist strap ground isnt always safe. If my videocard came out of a box wrapped in bubble-wrap, full of stryofoam (which is sticking to the Antistatic back from static) and i'm grounded, the videocard could be at 2000V higher potential than me.

Eventually, grounded or not, someone will fry something.

plug psu in and switch off and i have some part of my arm on the case while touching pcb's

They're cheap enough that getting one and using it offers peace of mind. It only takes one zap to damage a part beyond repair.

Before I'm flamed, and yes people are starting to get bad about that, I've built several systems (literally hundreds) without one and not had any obvious static problems. If one had issues, a simple troubleshoot, replace the faulty component and move on. The faulty part was RMAed and a new working part received, end of story. Point of this paragraph, I don't use one out of sheer laziness, I just keep my arms rested on the case at all times. Just don't be stupid like me and touch + voltage comming from an AT power supply, it hurts...

Touching metal is the system builder's equivalent of crossing yourself.

I just touch the metal, when Im working on this dell POS. When I mess with the P3 in my room( my godly CS 1.0 rig lol) I rub my feet on the carpet before touching any parts.... I WILL KILL IT ONE DAY!

Shakezilla said:

I just touch the metal, when Im working on this dell POS. When I mess with the P3 in my room( my godly CS 1.0 rig lol) I rub my feet on the carpet before touching any parts.... I WILL KILL IT ONE DAY!

Click to expand...

haha i can figure it out but no matter how hard you try to kill old pc's they just wont die.i had a mainboard running on the carpet with a oc'ed pentium pro and no heatsink and it ran linux like a champ until i got pissed one day and "accidently"droped a hershy kiss aluminum wrapping in it

Take the memory out, do the carpet dance, then touch it on the little golden bits. It'll die.

ashmedai said:

Take the memory out, do the carpet dance, then touch it on the little golden bits. It'll die.

Click to expand...

actually i also tried killing that machine buy yanking out memory and slots and such while it was in operation it wouldnt die!

Yeah that won't always do it either, it usually just makes it crash. You gotta zap it good somewhere that'll hurt it. That or just take it out back and shoot it, or get a sledgehammer...

im the least [H]ard when it comes to this. whenever i open my case and touch something. i hafta have my anti-static wrist wrap. if i dont, i dont feel safe. i guess its just like a safety net. it just makes me feel safer.

ill second the not being able to kill an old pc thing. i had a p2 loaded with dustbunnies, running 24/7 with passive cooling! the fan died on the cooler, and i opened it up one day cause i got bored. ive also shocked a 32mb stick of sd-ram and a 64mb stick of sd-ram on purpose, running around in my basement, get charged up, ZAP! and it still works! damn those old pcs were solid

I have it but i dont always use it. Mainly just when i am doing something major i use it.

Are we talking profolactics or wrist straps here?

I take my socks off and touch the big fat metal case.

CCUABIDExORxDIE said:

ill second the not being able to kill an old pc thing. i had a p2 loaded with dustbunnies, running 24/7 with passive cooling! the fan died on the cooler, and i opened it up one day cause i got bored. ive also shocked a 32mb stick of sd-ram and a 64mb stick of sd-ram on purpose, running around in my basement, get charged up, ZAP! and it still works! damn those old pcs were solid

Click to expand...

Damn. Durable. I want to see somebody put the clip from a wristband on a 12v lead from the psu, and the metal wrist part on the processor. Mabye that will kill one of the bastards.

i never used one.. and don't plan on it... i have built computers on carpet.. sitting on a couch.. shit like that.. usually it is when fucking with old shit.. i am more careful with my "Good" stuff and will touch something metal every once in a while..

Komataguri said:

I work in the worst posible conditions.
on the carpet floor, with socks on, while sliding equipment instead of picking up and setting down, while eating chips and Salsa and drinking pepsi.
and I've never fried a componet.

Click to expand...

that your aware of

Elledan said:

Cue Ice Czar to slap you around with a large collection of references on ESD, and the many subtle ways in which electronic components can become damaged, even without failing.

Click to expand...

that vaguely sounds like a request for information overload

the infamous
ESD & Electromigration Rant
well half of it at least


ESD Precautions and Practices
The ATX motherboard specification maintains +5VSB power to the motherboard
unlike PC/XT, AT, Baby AT and LPX form factors that employed a manual switch to turn on the power to the motherboard, the ATX form factor employs a "soft power" scheme
allowing software control of power, allowing the OS or other ap to turn the computer off, it also allows wake on LAN or Wake on WAN. Since there is a low level of power supplied to the board at all times, you need to address this whenever your swapping out components

the ideal solution is to unplug the power supply from the socket then ground the case with an alligator clip to a seperate ground point and use a wristrap to ground you

the alternative method is to turn off the PSU with its own switch
reliable only if the board has a 5VSB LED indicator on it
at which point you know the board is unpowered, yet the case is still grounded via the AC Socket

the alternative method if there is no switch on the PSU and LED mobo power indicator is to unplug the PSU from the wall socket, then disconnect the main power connector and plug the PSU back into the AC Socket, where once again you have the case grounded

keep in mind that typically the PSU physically contacts the case with a metal to metal contact, at least in the past, and would have at least some contact via the screws, but these adys with painted cases and supplies, some augment that with a grounding strap for the PSU itself (very typical in server supplies where they take no chances with contact)

and religously touch a bare metal surface in the case to ground yourself when swapping componets (this is very typical in here with enthusiasts)
but all in all wristraps are cheap and so are alligator clips and a bit o wire
a grounded work pad is also a good investment, as is being aware of how large a role the lack of humidity has in ESD events, especially in Winter when hot air heating desiccates the moisture out of the air

(see I live on the Rocky Mountain High Dessert Plateau, where its already dry and in Winter with central home heating I humidify the environment when working on components)

ESD Reference
http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r10/bombay/news2/story11.htm
"According to (not so) recent studies conducted by the AT & T Bell labs, 25 % of all component failures today are related to E.S.D and out of all defective components that arrive 50%are damaged by E.S.D. the annual damage due to these failures is estimated at 25 Billion dollars"

An Integrated Circuit (IC) consists of several transistors fabricated on one chip. Due to the advances in L.S.I and V.L.S.I thousands of transistors are crowded on a single chip. By decreasing the thickness of the gate oxides and interconnecting lines the manufacturers hope to achieve much higher speeds at very low power consumption. But under these conditions if the Electrostatic Discharge passes through an IC and the current that results is not diverted or diminished by a suitable protective mechanism, the discharge may raise the temperature of the junction inside the component to melting point which will cause damage to the junction or interconnecting lines. Since surface mount devices are smaller than conventional ICs they are even more susceptible to E.S.D damage. E.S.D causes two main types of failures: -

1. Immediate failure where the effect can be readily seen by the equipment manufacturer.

2. Delayed failure where the device is damaged only upto the point where it may pass quality control tests, but wears out sooner than its rated time


http://www.esda.org/esdbasics1.htm

Table 2
Examples of Static Generation
Typical Voltage Levels

Means of Generation .........10-25% RH ......65-90% RH
Walking across carpet ......,35,000V ...........1,500V
Walking across vinyl tile ....12,000V ............250V
Worker at bench ................6,000V .............100V
Chair with urethane foam ..18,000V ...........1,500V

ESD Damage—How Devices Fail
Electrostatic damage to electronic devices can occur at any point from manufacture to field service. Damage results from handling the devices in uncontrolled surroundings or when poor ESD control practices are used. Generally damage is classified as either a catastrophic failure or a latent defect.

Catastrophic Failure
When an electronic device is exposed to an ESD event it may no longer function. The ESD event may have caused a metal melt, junction breakdown, or oxide failure. The device's circuitry is permanently damaged causing the device fail. Such failures usually can be detected when the device is tested before shipment. If the ESD event occurs after test, the damage will go undetected until the device fails in operation.

Latent Defect
A latent defect, on the other hand, is more difficult to identify. A device that is exposed to an ESD event may be partially degraded, yet continue to perform its intended function. However, the operating life of the device may be reduced dramatically. A product or system incorporating devices with latent defects may experience premature failure after the user places them in service. Such failures are usually costly to repair and in some applications may create personnel hazards.

It is relatively easy with the proper equipment to confirm that a device has experienced catastrophic failure. Basic performance tests will substantiate device damage. However, latent defects are extremely difficult to prove or detect using current technology, especially after the device is assembled into a finished product.


Static Electricity - Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)

"Most books or articles indicate that a spark can't be seen until the voltage on your body reaches between 450 to 750 VDC. Others indicate that they are very hard to notice until it reaches 1000 VDC. For most people, to feel a shock from a static electricity discharge the voltage is between 2,000-4,000V. A 0.5mm arch of static electricity carries approximately 2850V."

Semiconductor Electromigration In-Depth

Ground that mat, wriststrap and if possible humidify the environment

when handling components, avoid touching any chips, circuitry and the slot contact fingers, hold PCB boards by the edges wherever possible



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Originally posted by SB22
. As long as you didn't feel any sort of "shoch" between you and your equipment, you should be fine.

Click to expand...

ESD Susceptibility Analysis

"ESD votages sufficient to damage semiconductor devices are often lower than the threshold of human sensory perception, making a person unaware that a static discharge has taken place"

Originally posted by Deadlierchair
Wow, good post Ice Czar...but to not be totally anal about all of those things, would it be pretty much safe to touch stuff if I touch the metal on my case while it is off, but still plugged in and grounded?

Click to expand...

thats the basic proceedure most employ, its best if you do that like every other move, and be aware of exactly how much RH (Relative Humidity) influences Static Discharge
Taking great care to never touch any chip or lead, handling only the PCB, perferably by the edges.

the other point of my post is that while the immediate cause and effect relationship of catastrophic failure, using the "typical" proceedure is low...

This board is filled every day with people who have developed RAM errors, data corruption problems (generally RAM) ect, Most of which can be traced to either poor power regulation (Transient Response) of the PSU, or ESD

Latent defects caused by ESD in any IC (and they are just everywhere from HDDs to NIC, CPU, RAM ect) are massively underated as a cause of problems. If you have eliminated power fluctuation problems (PSU voltage regulation and power conditioning) and still experience a component failure, odds are that it was a latent defect, either from installation, or one that wasnt caught during manufacturing.
the membership displays a cavalier attitude towards this issue for 2 reasons, RMA's are pretty easy, and they rarely employ the same component for its fully rated lifespan, upgrading before the eventual premature failure becomes appearent.

But
a latent defect, not only effects the lifespan, it degrades the performance of the IC as well, and is often the difference between the "Golden Chip" benchmark leader, the norm, and "why cant I get the same OC as this guy? Ive got the same components"

Part 2 which is mostly about Electromigration can be found > http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=761614

I wear one at work, thats about it

Good writeup, I was toying with the idea of if you need to unplug PSU when working on it, since I knew the low voltage going through it when it was off couldnt be good, but how else could you ground yourself to it.

I don't have a light on one of my mobos but you can hear it when it loses power.

Deleting old posts.