Wrapped mobo in bubble wrap- help!

[kdon27]

Just bought a brand new Gigabyte mobo and Corsair 4GB ram. The box is still in the original cardboard box and the antistatic paper (i assume). The RAM is in a hard envelop and a plastic kind of packaging. I stupidly wrapped the box with the RAM envelop on top of the box in a bubble warp (normal, not anti-static) just to keep dust out of it since I'm still waiting on some other parts. My home-made electroscope tells me there's static in the bubble wrap! Have i just ruined the whole thing?!!

Also, my apartment has no carpets, just a lino floor, no stray sweaters and stuff.. I "scanned" it with the electroscope, nada movement. Do i need anti-static mat/wrist strap when assembling my rig (first time)? If not, how can I make sure my parts are safe when assembling?

 

[inzone]

I'm just a little curious as to why you wrapped the thing in bubble wrap?

Anyway because the motherboard is in a cardboard box which does not conduct electricty and that inside the box the motherboard is inside an anti-static bag , you have nothing to worry about.

 

[mikerockett]

Agreed with inzone. To answer your second part, no you don't need one but of course its advisable to use one, theyre cheap and its better to be safe than sorry.

 

[kdon27]

Phew that's a relief.

I stupidly wrapped it in bubble wrap in an effort to keep dust out of it (i'm still waiting on parts, which might take a while).

So with the wrist strap, what's a good grounding source? just a bit of metal or some metal cable (not hooked up to anything of course, i'm not that stupid..)

 

[inzone]

The wrist strap is used to connect you to the case so that you and the case have the same charge. The weather has a lot to do with static electricity and the drier the weather the more the static and the more humid the less the static. So unless you have carpets and live in a dry climate and you shuffle your feet when walking on the carpet you should not have much static electricity. I have built numerous computers witout a wrist band with out any trouble from static electricity. But that's not to say you shouldn't be carefull but you should not be overly concerned either.
A good practice is that when you are going to work on your computer is to touch the wall switch as you enter the room especially the screws on the wall plate , that will clear any built up charge and if you hear no snap or if you do either way then you are ok.

 

[inzone]

Another thing is to wear the right clothes and when you put a shirt on you can hear if you have static . Use a softner cloth when your clothes are in the dryer(if you have one) or dry you clothes on a clothes line(just for working on the Pc).

 

[warezme]

ugh, not really sure why you are so worried. Yes if you intentionally zap the board you might cause it to fail but they are pretty resistant as is. I have handled hundreds of boards, cards, chips and have never given a second thought to being extra careful. I try to remember to touch the metal frame of the computer if possible but that is not always an option and lugging around a wristband static guard works for about a day until I lose it. Just ground yourself before you unwrap and then once more while you are holding it and your done, no big deal.

 

[Onus]

It takes only about 30V to damage components, yet it takes a much higher charge before you'd feel it yourself. I use a strap when building, and build in bare feet so I don't pick up static from the carpet. I may be overly cautious, but I or a friend or client paid good money for those parts, so I'm not going to risk them, even though I don't think I've ever zapped anything. I don't use the strap when just upgrading, but use the frequent-touch method and make sure I'm not doing anything that specifically creates static (like rolling in a chair).
If it's dry enough to create enough static for me to notice it just walking around, I'll spray the carpet with 1:4 diluted fabric softener, which works better than any commercial spray and is much cheaper.
When building, I also almost immediately put the PSU in the case and plug it into a grounded outlet, with the switch in the OFF position so there's no +5VSB; then I attach the strap to the case.

 

[clarkjd]

Phew that's a relief.
So with the wrist strap, what's a good grounding source? just a bit of metal or some metal cable (not hooked up to anything of course, i'm not that stupid..)

Usually, any water pipe is concidered a good ground, as is the ground pin on an electric outlet.(round pin).

 

[kdon27]

many thanks guys for the answers

 

[kdon27]

Best answer selected by kdon27.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey