Jacky Luk said:
I have a stupid question. Are the static charges over you hands while
handling electronic/computer components caused by and come from electrons in
the circuit or by frictions of your hands... Sorry first because it is
irrelevant to this group. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Jack
This is somewhat on topic at least in that if you take apart your computer
you will need be aware of this. Its caused by friction in one direction.
One winter my little brother rubbed his slippers on the carpet and touched
me on my metal frame glasses and zapped my whole head. LOL! Some surfaces
cause it more than others. My brother's hairy ape slippers and the living
room carpet did pretty well. You can build a charge by just walking or
moving. Rubbing two balloons together the same direction is another
example. Also, the less humid the air, the more charges will build. For
example the air in a house that is heated in the winter. These charges can
get up to thousands of Volts. They don't kill you because there isn't very
much energy when they discharge, but they do a number on the tiny circuits
inside the microchips. I've seen pictures of what static can do to the
transistors of a chip. It isn't pretty.
So, when you work on the guts of your computer, you should at least touch
the metal parts of your machine to make sure you and the machine are at the
same state of charge. Then you won't discharge into your computer. Better
yet, because static charge can build just from moving, get a static control
wrist strap and clip the cord to your computer case frame. Note that any
card you take out and set on the table can become a different state of
charge, and cause a discharge. Another thing to do is to handle only the
edges of the card, and keep away from the chips, and contacts.
Brian
