Being Grounded

[mainiac]

I was wondering what parts of the computer require you to be earthened when you touch them? Does anyone have any tips on how to stay earthened while building your pc?

[TwoRails]

Some folks say grounding is mandatory, others, like myself, have never worried about it. I'll have the power supply plugged into a properly grounded outlet and simple touch the case to dissipate any static charge. Handle cards by the edges, not grabbing the connector ridge. Note that if you live in a high static area, you may want to utilize more protection.

[crimsonjax]

I'm no expert but before you handle any internal parts, mobos and vid card, etc.., I would ground myself by touching the bare metal inside the PC case. This helps get rid of any built up static in you. (Think of walking on carpet in wool socks and then touching a metal door knob. ! You don't want this!!)

[CrazyPenguinDude]

haha yeah good point crimson..

i have this nifty little wrist strap that i hook on when im on carpeting or if i had something really expensive (I.E. my x1950xt) lol

but if im on wood, wearing nothing that creats static, i just usually hold on to case to be safe. Hey i'd recommend and antistatic wristband (the yellow and black thingy) for like 2.99

Hey, Better Safe Than Sorry! Why risk damaging your nice $200 parts...

[piXel]

Well i get worried about these things so if i go into my PC i will take off a fleece/hoody if i'm wearing one, then touch a radiator for about 5 seconds when apply an anti static wristband i also take off my socks and work on a non carpet floor (obviously.)

[CrazyPenguinDude]

well i wouldnt take it that far... all i do is clip the static wristband to the case (assuming the PSU is in and you are set, plus it lets you work with both hands. Its also nice because you can hold the cards and chips by the middle, i never hold on edges as they have a tendancy to crack. You can find an AntiStatic Wristbands and Ground Cords and other stuff (if you are that scared, but i dont think any of that is neccisary, though an antistatic matt would be nice for installing C2D heatsinks) Here: http://www.esd.tv/

even the matts arent necisary though, if you touch the PSU, then touch the side of the case you can just put your parts on that, though they may scratch it.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by CrazyPenguinDude Its also nice because you can hold the cards and chips by the middle, i never hold on edges as they have a tendancy to crack.

What?!? Where did you hear that? Have you ever tried to break a PCB? It ain't easy...takes a whole lot of force to just bend it. I've held motherboards by the edge, even with the CPU and heatsink installed, and none ever snapped or cracked. And I never hold the cards by the middle, I always grab the edges.

Cricket

[MaxRat]

I guess it just matters how safe you feel...and if your procedure suits you....what works for one may not work for another...

some people just naturally have more static than others...just depends how you deal with it...

My shop has carpet but it's old carpet...it would hold a charge if it had to....new carpet is bad with static......

I usually just rest my arm on the case to discharge my self....but I have a couple wrist straps that plug into the ground of a receptical outlet that the wife got from Crown when she worked there...

but havent worn them yet...

but as said...if you're worried take extra precaution....

[blue60007]

If you're grabbing it in the middle, careful not to knock a capacitor off (those cylinder things) or knock anything else off.

[CrazyPenguinDude]

im talking when u have big ole heatsinks and stuff installed (when you got a huge heatsink/high end aftermarket cooler and a gigantic x----xtx series cards), and im not necisarilly talking about mobo's. i just feel alot more safe gently grabbing the cards by the middle, plus its easier (in my opinion) to install cards that way.

anyway you could probobly get one of those dynex wristbands at a Best Buy or Circuit city, thats where i got mine.

and cricket, it takes only the force of my massive heatsink and GPU to bend it if holdin by edge

[TwoRails]

Originally Posted by CrazyPenguinDude ...and cricket, it takes only the force of my massive heatsink and GPU to bend it if holdin by edge

I've never noticed that with a quality mobo... maybe with a cheapo unit.

[flanzig1]

If a heatsink is so heavy that the mother board bends when held by the edges, I would think that it is too heavy for the mother board. If the board is in a tower case, the heatsink is going to be putting undo strain on the mother board.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by CrazyPenguinDude im talking when u have big ole heatsinks and stuff installed (when you got a huge heatsink/high end aftermarket cooler and a gigantic x----xtx series cards), and im not necisarilly talking about mobo's. i just feel alot more safe gently grabbing the cards by the middle, plus its easier (in my opinion) to install cards that way. and cricket, it takes only the force of my massive heatsink and GPU to bend it if holdin by edge

Bend maybe, but not "crack".

I've been building for 9 years and have never ever had a problem with cards or motherboards "cracking" by holding them on the edges...and I only hold cards and motherboards by the edges, never in the middle where all the delicate parts are.

Cricket

[piasabird]

What you do not want to do is bend the motherboard or circuitboard or bow it to any degree. This can cause the solder on the circuit pathway to break loose. Most of the time there are copper pathways laid out that will not move around, but what is soldered to them could break loose, or crack with too much stress.

This is usually caused by mounting a motherboard with not enough mounts. Then you get a I/O card and press down and the bottom of the motherboard touches the top of the mounting plate and shorts out.

[CrazyPenguinDude]

yeah i no what you mean piasa

i guess the chances of a crack are very minamal, but i always find its easier to hold it by the middle (as long as you can grab something and make sure nothing breaks off.

[mainiac]

Just wondering if you need a wristband for each arm, or just one? And with regards to how to hold the motherboard i would think that by holding by the sides would reduce the risk of damaging the parts on the mobo, and if your mobo can't take the weight when you are holding it how would it stand up when it is put into the case. The last thing i would want is for the mobo to bend or break and shortcircuit. I know that there is also hardware that disperse the weight of heavy fans and heatsinks on the processor, but I forgot what they are called.

[blue60007]

One wristband is plenty...

I personally don't use one cause I think they get in the way. Also after I had one unclip from the case when I pulled on it too hard and it came whipping back at me I'm afraid it's going to snap inside the computer and hit something. I think it's a personal preference thing.

[piXel]

It is advisable you do your best to avoid static at all costs i meen yeah if you don't do anything your components may seem to work well but the life expectancy can be shortened drastically.

[TwoRails]

"At all costs" sounds pretty heavy... My cost for avoiding static discharge is Zero, as I simple touch the case. I've never had a static discharge failure in over 20 years of building, but I do imagine if something got damaged due to ESD the effects would be immediate and not something that would case a failure "down the road" If a failure happens a year from now, there is, that I'm aware of, no way to point to a static discharge a year in the past.

[mbiggs]

I've never really taken any kind of precautions to ESD. I just handle my hardware by the edges and be decent with it. I did JUST recently by a wrist-band and just use it here and there just when I feel like it.

[Strider]

While I know ESD can do damage to a computer, I don't worry like I did when I first started building computers. I now border on stupid when it comes this, for I've built my last computer on carpet and Fortunately it booted up. However, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, it was my build my problem if something did happen and would feel bad if someone did this. My recommendation would be to ground yourself with a grounding strap the first couple of builds until you get comfortable in building computers. Then just be aware of Electric Static Discharge and ground yourself before working with pc components.

I've always been told to hold motherboard and other cards by the edges, I even had my father who was a designer (CAD for all the newer generation out there) tell me never to touch or hold the circuitry of a board. He was designing computers (Engineers actually did the thinking, his job was to design as in draw the schematic (blueprint)), since the very first computer and by the way he could have done the first blueprint of the 1st computer built (I highly doubt it though and a hint it wasn't IBM).

[glc]

TR: Not so - that's very common - an ESD event that results in a failure at a later date.

[matthews]

I personally have never worried about static. Of course most anybody ends up touching an unpainted metal surface while they are trying to get inside the thing. As to how ppl hold their mobo and cards, I don't grab them by the edges. If I'm moving the motherboard I usually just put one hand on the bottomside of the mobo. Works fine. And true you do have to be careful with those stupid capacitors. It really ain't pretty when your missing some of them. Trust me. Do what you like and it's really a personal opinion when it comes to both static electricity and how you grip your boards.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by matthews As to how ppl hold their mobo and cards, I don't grab them by the edges. If I'm moving the motherboard I usually just put one hand on the bottomside of the mobo. Works fine. And true you do have to be careful with those stupid capacitors. It really ain't pretty when your missing some of them. Trust me. Do what you like and it's really a personal opinion when it comes to both static electricity and how you grip your boards.

My issue wasn't about where people hold their cards and motherboards, it was with the statement about cards having "a tendency to crack" when the edges are held. Other than hitting them with a sledge hammer or being run over by a truck, I've never seen or had a PCB "crack" under normal handling situations.

Cricket

[mainiac]

I am just wondering if wearing rubber gloves would work or maybe latex?

[matthews]

Those mobos and cards are tough little buggars. They are hard to break and I agree that they "usually" won't break if you hold them by the edges its still better to hold them to avoid that. The only possible way a motherboard could crack was if the mobo was already weakened and the cpu and heatsink were still on but even then theyre pretty tough to break. You need like a hammer or pliers to break those tough little puppies.

[TwoRails]

Originally Posted by glc TR: Not so - that's very common - an ESD event that results in a failure at a later date.

I'm sure it is. What I was alluding to was this scenario:

Someone buys a store bought system and adds their own video card.

The system works fine for a year, but then the video craps out.

They take the box back to Best Buy (or where ever) where, a year later, they say, "Oh, the card failed because of ESD when you installed it."

If "they" can tell that an ESD caused the problem a year later, I'd sure like to learn how they diagnose that since there is no physical damage like a cracked card mentioned above.