Do we really need to ground ourselves?

[el Greenie]

tittle says it all, do we really need to ground ourselves? i mean, will we possible, kill, damage a CPU, MB, anything thats sensitive? what if you just came from outside? and came back in to do the project

 

[ausch30]

I have never worried about grounding myself but that doesn't mean you shouldn't. I am just careful to handle everything by the edges and I have never had a problem.

 

[stoner133]

Yes you always want to ground yourself. The possibility is always there when it comes to static discharge and damaging electronic parts. Just walking on a carpeted floor in a dry room can build a static charge. Grounding yourself is just good sense vs the cost of a fried part.

 

[jitpublisher]

Yes, yes, and yes and hell yes. Even it means just plugging in the power supply and keeping a hand on the case, or very frequently touching it to keep yourself "discharged" during your build or upgrades.

 

[theunknown145]

yeah you need to ground yourself always, i was working on a carpet taking a cpu out of an old pc and i shocked the computer by accident and the mb got fried.....

 

[Andrius]

When working in/over a case it's likely your arms touch the bare metal of case so ESD is not really that much of a problem. When working over a desk you need a grounded working surface.
I've never fried anything through ESD and I don't use an ESD bracelet but it's always better if you do ground yourself to the working surface somehow.

 

[el Greenie]

your just go outside on the grass and do it....lol, where do i buy the bracelet?

 

[buzznut]

Guys use grounding straps in school. Most professionals don't. I have been messing with pc innards for 15 years, I make sure before I touch anything to touch my case chassis to discharge any static electricity.

I don't think I've ever damaged anything with my hands, but then again its quite possible to damage a component with a spark that is so small that you can not feel it or see it. (Less than .5 volts) Think about it, microscopic transistors were not meant to be handled by your big, stubbie ape-fingers.

Point is, you'll prolly be allright long as you take the proper precautions, and don't do anything stupid. Like putting your computer together on your living room carpet with your sox on. While petting the cat.

 

[el Greenie]

Guys use grounding straps in school. Most professionals don't. I have been messing with pc innards for 15 years, I make sure before I touch anything to touch my case chassis to discharge any static electricity.

I don't think I've ever damaged anything with my hands, but then again its quite possible to damage a component with a spark that is so small that you can not feel it or see it. (Less than .5 volts) Think about it, microscopic transistors were not meant to be handled by your big, stubbie ape-fingers.

Point is, you'll prolly be allright long as you take the proper precautions, and don't do anything stupid. Like putting your computer together on your living room carpet with your sox on. While petting the cat.

......and touching a hair dryer

 

[buzznut]

And rubbing a balloon on yer head...

 

[el Greenie]

how come touch the case? i thought some of the cases were made with plastic and other metals that werent as great at getting rid of electricity

 

[sailer]

Yes, yes, and yes and hell yes. Even it means just plugging in the power supply and keeping a hand on the case, or very frequently touching it to keep yourself "discharged" during your build or upgrades.

I respectfully disagree about plugging in the power supply. Yes, it does make for a better ground, but it also opens the chance, however small, that a short may occur and a person could get the shock of their lifetime, perhaps even the last shock of their lifetime. Touching the case, even frequently touching it is a good idea, though, and that is something I do when working on a computer.

 

[buzznut]

grounding straps can be found anywhere. check newegg, tigerdirect, frozen cpu, etc

 

[evilshuriken]

While wearing sweat pants...

Actually I've built most of mine and friend's PCs in a carpeted room, if you're careful that's not even a problem.

 

[sisley_111]

don't think I've ever damaged anything with my hands, but then again its quite possible to damage a component with a spark that is so small that you can not feel it or see it. (Less than .5 volts)

FYI, to do a visible spark, the voltage difference between your finger and the ground should be about 2000V/cm. Most electronics parts support an ESD of 1000V. It's very easy to build a high difference potential.

 

[buzznut]

Nice sisley, excellent info.
I said touch the CHASSIS, not the case. IE touch the steel supports, hard drive cage, the power supply housing..anything that is solid metal and capable of discharging a staic build-up

 

[buzznut]

2000 volts? must be an incredibly small amount of current...

 

[jitpublisher]

I respectfully disagree about plugging in the power supply. Yes, it does make for a better ground, but it also opens the chance, however small, that a short may occur and a person could get the shock of their lifetime, perhaps even the last shock of their lifetime. Touching the case, even frequently touching it is a good idea, though, and that is something I do when working on a computer.

While that is true, there is always a chance that you may get a shock. But, since all the power coming out of the PSU is low voltage DC current, you will not be able to get much of a shock at all unless the power supply is malfunctioning somehow in a very bad way. In such a bad way that it would instantly lead to smoke and flames the second you apply power. And that is exactly what the 3rd wire in the plug to the power supply is for, to provide adequate grounding. This works both for ESD, and in the event of the severly malfunctioning PSU I just described. Besides, you touch you case everytime you turn your PC on anyway.....right?
Additionally, you don't have to have the power turned on, or even connected to the motherboard.
If you wanted to go to ridiculous measures, you could even turn off the power from the main breaker to the wall socket, the grounding wire is still in full effect with the breakers off. That is what it is meant for, a seperate and uniterruptable grounding path.

 

[jitpublisher]

how come touch the case? i thought some of the cases were made with plastic and other metals that werent as great at getting rid of electricity

Well, okay to be SPECIFIC. You have to touch the metal chassis of the case...the part where the PSU is screwed or attached too. If you have a completely plexiglass or plastic case, then you would have to directly touch the case of the PSU.

 

[anton]

Nice topic. One of those where there'll always be people who have probably never had any real experience with the subject who swear blind you have to do as you are taught. I'm really interested to know the truth about it too - Toms should run a test and see if they can fry a MB or CPU just with static buildup in their fingers. Could be really interesting, and fun.