[thelist] grounding + shorts (installing hardware)

Norman Bunn norman.bunn at craftedsolutions.com
Fri Sep 9 13:17:41 CDT 2005


Simply touching the chassis makes sure you and it are at the same 
level.  Any overage/underage will resolve instantaneously.  Grounding to 
earth is not that important unless you are going to be touching 
something else that is grounded.  More than likely the chassis is pretty 
much at ground level since it was when it was last plugged in.

Norman

---

Norman W. Bunn
norman.bunn at craftedsolutions.com
803.405.1008
----------------------------------------------
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Crafted Solutions, Inc.
Web Design & Development
Web Site Hosting & Custom Solutions
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Anthony Ettinger wrote:

>Ok, well the grounding thing makes sense, but I live
>on the 2nd floor, and if my pc is not plugged into the
>outlet it ISN'T touching the ground...it's on the
>table, which is on the kitchen floor. I would have to
>run a wire from my chassis to the earth ground
>outside?
>
>ANd by hooking myself up to the chassis with the
>bracelet, i would become part of that ground. But
>simply touching the chassis when it's on the table
>doesn't ground it, does it? Since neither me nor the
>computer are directly in contact with the earth via
>wire?
>
>
>--- Norman Bunn <norman.bunn at craftedsolutions.com>
>wrote:
>
>  
>
>>The first thing you have to understand about
>>electricity is that charges 
>>are all relative.  For example, you don't feel
>>anything while walking 
>>across a carpet, but when you get to a doorknob that
>>has a different 
>>electrical reference, a spark and a shock happen. 
>>This is why all 
>>electrical devices use the absolute reference of
>>"ground" or "earth", by 
>>which they mean the planet itself.  Go outside and
>>look at any power 
>>pole and you will see a metal wire running down the
>>side into the 
>>ground.  This is to keep the entire power system
>>aligned to a common 
>>reference, the earth.
>>
>>So what does this have to do with your computer and
>>motherboard?  Well, 
>>you need to make sure you are at the same common
>>reference point or a 
>>potentially damaging shock may happen.  To make sure
>>of this, you need 
>>to take hold of the metal chassis of the PC before
>>performing any work.  
>>Some even go so far as to recommend a grounding
>>bracelet that will make 
>>sure you and the chassis stay in electrical
>>agreement.  This used to be 
>>critical on older PCs, but newer ones are not near
>>as sensitive, so the 
>>hand-on method usually works fine.
>>
>>So, before installing the motherboard, grab a metal
>>portion of the PC 
>>chassis.  Then when you take hold of the
>>motherboard, try to make as 
>>little contact as possible with the components on
>>the board, handling it 
>>by the edges.  When you put the board in place you
>>will notice it has 
>>exposed metal where the screws connect it to the
>>chassis standout 
>>mounting points.  This is how the motherboard is
>>grounded to the chassis 
>>to prevent any problems.
>>
>>Oh, and I would avoid working on a PC on a rug. 
>>Those fibers can 
>>generate some interesting charges, just ask the
>>doorknob.
>>
>>HTH,
>>
>>Norman
>>
>>---
>>
>>Norman W. Bunn
>>norman.bunn at craftedsolutions.com
>>803.405.1008
>>----------------------------------------------
>>www.CraftedSolutions.com
>>Crafted Solutions, Inc.
>>Web Design & Development
>>Web Site Hosting & Custom Solutions
>>"Get the results the Internet promises;
>> get the 'Net Result' from Crafted Solutions!"
>>----------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>
>>Anthony Ettinger wrote:
>>
>>    
>>
>>>Yeah. I got an RMA from newegg.
>>>
>>>Now I'm off to read about this "grounding" issue. I
>>>still don't get it after talking to some guys
>>>      
>>>
>>inline
>>    
>>
>>>at the computer store last night.
>>>
>>>The tech said the computer has to be touching
>>>      
>>>
>>metal. I
>>    
>>
>>>said, well my apartment is rug not metal floor? He
>>>said it won't work unless the computer is touching
>>>metal. I started thinking, wtf - so doesn't that
>>>      
>>>
>>metal
>>    
>>
>>>have to be touching other metal? I still don't get
>>>this.
>>>
>>>1 guy said, just keep your finger on the power
>>>      
>>>
>>supply
>>    
>>
>>>the whole time you're working on the computer
>>>      
>>>
>>that'll
>>    
>>
>>>keep you grounded. Uh...the power supply is usually
>>>the first thing to be removed when I work on the
>>>computer.
>>>
>>>One guy metnioned a bracelet i can wear for
>>>      
>>>
>>grounding
>>    
>>
>>>(no friggin' idea how this makes any sense), but
>>>      
>>>
>>they
>>    
>>
>>>were out of stock none-the-less.
>>>
>>>It's just a matter of time before someone tells me
>>>      
>>>
>>I
>>    
>>
>>>have to get extra long battery cables and hook one
>>>      
>>>
>>end
>>    
>>
>>>up to my nipple, and the other end to the
>>>      
>>>
>>microwave,
>>    
>>
>>>while wearing an aluminum mixing bowl on my head -
>>>otherwise i could damage the motherboard.
>>>
>>>
>>>--- Richard Maloley II
>>><richard at rrcomputerconsulting.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>-- 
>>
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>>    
>>
>
>
>Anthony Ettinger
>ph: (408) 656-2473
>blog: http://www.chovy.com
>
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