Sunday, February 10, 2013

What is ESD (ElectroStatic discharge) and how does it affect my computer and other electronics?


Simply put, ElectroStatic discharge (ESD) is the sudden flow of electricity between two objects caused by contact. ESD builds up in your body from friction, like when you rub a balloon on your clothing and it clings to a wall. Sometimes, ESD is very obvious, like when you get out of a synthetic upholstered chair or sofa, walk across the carpet, and then touch another person, your pets, a light switch, your stove or other metal appliance or surface, or, when getting out of the upholstered seat in your car, and ouch...you get a shock! You actually did not get a shock from what you touched, but your body did indeed produce one. Sometimes ESD is less obvious, like when you experience static cling with your hair or clothing. Even less obvious ESD is strong enough to blow away sensitive electronics. In other words, ESD can be strong enough to harm electronics but too weak for anyone to detect without  a meter. It can be annoying at best and painful at worst, but one thing that is for sure, if you touch any electronic equipment while you have an ESD buildup in your body, you can easily destroy it. In my lifetime, I have destroyed a fax machine, a printer/scanner, the built-in trackball mouse on a notebook computer, a dimmer switch (twice), and more. All occurred before I understood about ESD, but clearly I am someone who is highly susceptible to ESD buildup, and it has only gotten worse over the years.
The following is excerpted from Wikipedia.org:
"The most spectacular form of ESD is the spark, which occurs when a heavy electric field creates an ionized conductive channel in air. This can cause minor discomfort to people, severe damage to electronic equipment, and fires and explosions if the air contains combustible gases or particles.
However, many ESD events occur without a visible or audible spark. A person carrying a relatively small electric charge may not feel a discharge that is sufficient to damage sensitive electronic components. Some devices may be damaged by discharges as small as 30V. These invisible forms of ESD can cause outright device failures, or less obvious forms of degradation that may affect the long term reliability and performance of electronic devices. The degradation in some devices may not become evident until well into their service life."
ESD tends to occur more in the wintertime when it is cold and dry outside, but some people (like me) experience it all year round. The tendency for ESD buildup increases as we age and seems to be more prevalent among women than men. There are things you can do to reduce ESD and reduce the potential for damage to electronic equipment. For starters, you can touch a hearty metal appliance to discharge ESD before touching electronics; such as touching the metal part of your stove or refrigerator, touching the metal grounding screw on a light switch or outlet, or a metal lamp, etc. You can introduce more moisture into the air by running humidifiers. You can also slather your body with moisturizers, wear natural fiber clothing, avoid rubber soled shoes, wear thin-soled shoes or no shoes at all. However, while these methods may be helpful, none of these methods will guarantee that you can safely touch sensitive electronics. In order to be totally ESD free, you must be continuously and fully grounded.
 
So, you may be wondering how I work on computers and handle circuit boards without blowing them away? I use what is known as a grounding wrist strap, but not in the typical way which is to attach the clip end to the computer chassis, as this way would not work with laptops and PCs that do not have switched power supplies. I use a 10 ft coiled grounding wrist strap attached to a 10 ft long wire that is directly attached to the grounding screw on a power outlet in my workshop. The length of this wire allows me to move about the room while I am continuously and totally grounded. When wearing this strap there is no chance of any ESD buildup. The part of the strap that contacts my skin has a resistor that allows a controlled amount of voltage to pass from my body directly to the ground via the grounding screw on the outlet it is attached to. It does not hurt at all and totally eliminates the chance of ESD shocks when touching electronics or anything/anyone else. Click here for more information on how resistors work
So, if ESD is a problem for you or someone you know, you may be thinking how a wrist strap could improve your quality of life while moving about your home or workplace. Unfortunately, it can't because you would have to be tethered to something that grounds you. However, there is another solution for people who just want to be able to wear shoes around the house or at work without risking ESD damage and being zapped all the time. It is called a heel grounder and is worn outside the shoe with a conductive fabric strip that is tucked into the shoe against one's skin. If you just want to be more comfortable and don't mind experiencing a light occasional shock, then wearing one might do. If you have thick carpeting you may need to wear 2 of them. If you need full ESD protection for handling electronics, depending upon your flooring, you will definitely need one on each foot, or you will have to use the tethered wrist strap version. An ESD heel grounder is not easy to find. Not even Radio Shack carries it. Once attached to your sneaker or shoe, it is barely noticeable. It has an adjustable Velcro closure, and is ONE SIZE FITS MOST. Feel free to contact me if you would like to procure a pair of heel grounders.
Sandy Coulter
A+ Certified Computer Tech
SEO & Web Marketing Specialist
www.GeekMeUp.com

 

2 comments:

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  2. I came across this really good video on how ESD affects computers

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