Anti-static wrist straps/gloves - do you use them?

[Frankenfurter]

Hey all

I'm going to be starting my first ever build pretty soon and I've seen these anti-static straps and gloves advertised around various places. Do they work? Recommend them?

I was just planning on grounding myself with a door handle and periodically touching an unpainted bit of the case, which is the advice I got from a friend of mine regarding static but if these are worth getting for a few quid I will.

Cheers,
Frankie

[Goobley]

I don't personally, I've built up my own workflow from having done electronics before computers. If I'm surface mount soldering some delicate chip then I may well be inclined to but I've never killed a computer component from static - just don't work on carpet obviously!

Yes to grounding yourself, a door handle won't cut it though (technically, I'm sure in reality it wouldn't be an issue) as it isn't connected to ground, go for something like a copper radiator pipe instead if you have one in easy reach. No socks on carpet as that is an amazing static recipe - I always where shoes when messing with delicate electronics.

Where my workflow differs from most peoples is here: when building a system where the PSu is mounted in a location that doesn't interfere with other components (i.e. not ITX where it blocks the mobo) I install it first then I plug the PSU in but don't switch it on. The act of screwing the PSU into the case but not turning it on grounds the entire case to your house's ground, no potential can build up on the case and you can even continuously touch part of the case while holding your delicate components if you like as your sure the case is grounded and no static can build up on it and thus you.

All in all I've built computers in dodgy locations and never had anything get zapped - don't tempt fate and do what your comfortable doing, but on my list of priorities it is well below bending socket/cpu pins.

[Frankenfurter]

Awesome, cheers for the reassurance and advice there, Goobley. I'll be sure to ground myself properly then not just on a door, better safe than sorry, right? I was planning to wear shoes anyway so that's all right, another tip from my friend. (y)

I'm surprised that plugging in the PSU works to ground the case though; are the electrics of the PSU not kept separate from the casing? Otherwise people would be getting zapped all the time, surely? >.<

[Goobley]

The electronics are but the psu case is connected to the earth pin or safety ground (whatever you want to call it), by screwing the psu into the computer case the entire thing becomes connected to safety ground - it's designed as a safety feature in case a PSU goes wrong or something shorts to the case, it will remain at ground and not shock anyone.

[Frankenfurter]

Ahhh, good to know, thanks for clearing that up for me.

I shouldn't have any problem putting the PSU in first then I shouldn't think, although I haven't actually picked my case yet so who knows. I never suspected that the case would be the -last- part I managed to decide on, what a headache. xD

[Pob255]

Actually that's not so true any more, most cases are not earthed, all your components are, via the psu and none of your components should be in electrical connection to the case.
Esp with the current trend of fully painted cases.
The main thing a case does is act as a faraday cage and EM shield although again it's not that important, which is why wood or acrylic cases work just fine.

Bare feet on carpet isn't generally the issue, it's socks on carpet. the main source for a static charge on the human body is mixing natural fibre and man made fibre clothes, when you move about they rub together and build up static charge,
You can get some charge from body hair or skin rubbing on man made fibres but not much.
Shoes can actually insulate you more than bare feet allowing for a higher static charge to build up on you.

But all told you don't have to worry much about it, touching a radiator (house hold not water cooling) or heating pipes first will earth you and discharge you and then you should be fine, so just touch it before you start work to be sure.
I've never bothered with wrist straps

Avoid things like touching the pins or exposed circuits, try and hold stuff by the edges.

One tip is to put in the cpu into the motherboard and then attach the cpu cooler before putting the motherboard into the case, when you put the motherboard into the case flip the case onto it's side (unless the case is one where the motherboard goes in horizontally), it's much easier to position the motherboard and screw it down while not fighting gravity.
Also the cpu cooler, once attached, becomes a handy hand hold on the motherboard.

When to put in the psu can depend a lot on both the case and psu, if space is tight then fitting the psu first might leave you little room to maneuver the motherboard into position.

[Goobley]

Whilst I haven't checked, I find it hard to believe from an electronics point of view that most cases are no longer earthed. Computers have a 3 prong kettle lead going in so they are class I devices, besides it's not safe to let the average screwdriver user loose building a class II device - it took me two months of reading to satisfactorily design a class II mains powered dac in a metal chassis that corresponded to all of the safety requirements.
I thought this was why PSUs came with tooth-headed screws - so they cut through the paint.

Anyway this was a little OT, all of Pob's info is great, I'd just like to add another reason to hold the edges of boards: finger grease is actually mildly corrosive to a lot of solder masks while this isn't an esd precaution it is a longevity precaution to be taken at the same time (though most better mobos will have a good solder mask, this is still good practice)

[mikeo01]

Nice info too Goobley things to look out for.

Personally I've never wore an anti-static wrist band. It was fine for my old case as the whole thing was steel, so moving about I'd then touch the metal like manic to remove static discharge before touching components. Pins are the more sensitive touching the PCB is far safer as mentioned (by the sides).

It's all about the electrodes, balancing it out to stop them jumping to the electronic components (correct me if I am wrong, science from school does help! ).

However fortunately these days our motherboards for example are starting to include ESD protection (like a gel over the top I think). No idea how it works, but apparently it helps reduce the risk.

You don't need to be over the top about it, as long as you touch something connected up to the ground, that's why I leave the PSU in before working on a computer (albeit it off) to get rid of the discharge, then I'll disconnect it.


As long as you take precaution you'll be OK. Another reason I touch the case with a screwdriver before hand too, just in case I.E. don't lift components up by holding all the onboard chips, capacitors etc like a piece of meat.

Don't sweat all over your PC haa!

[g8ina]

It only takes 30 volts of static to destroy a semiconductor junction.... Nuff Sed.

[Pob255]

AFAIK only the psu is a class I or class II device because that's the only bit directly connected to the mains and has a separate housing, which is earthed directly on the inside, can be a solder point but most commonly an internal screw point.

[Frankenfurter]

Excellent, I'm feeling far more informed now. Haha.

I will of course follow all these precautions (I'll be back here reading all this again the night before my build I think ) but I may wear the wrist strap anyway. Seems like for a fiver it couldn't hurt.

My mobo is GA-Z87X-D3H also, Mikeo, and while it mentions 'LAN high ESD protection' on the back of the box it doesn't mention it for the board in general, so I'm assuming that's to protect the board from a stronger than usual charge being passed into the LAN for whatever reason. I think I'll just assume my board doesn't have ESD protection and treat it with caution anyway. Haha.

[Saracen]

Do I use an anti-static strap? Not always, no.

But it seems to me there's some obvious logic here. A wrist strap is hardly expensive. And, like any insurance policy, is a cost-effective way of mitigating the risk of a far larger loss.

So, if doing a quick, simple job, I take normal precautions, ground myself on the case, etc, and take the chance. I've yet to come unstuck but .... I'm aware I'm taking a chance, albeit a relatively small one.

If I'm going to be doing a bigger job, then yes, I use a wrist strap, because it means I don't have to think so much about static, and because I've got one anyway, and because if I get unlucky, the cost could be substantial.

I also tend to take sensible precautions. I try to condense the most static-sensitive parts of a build into a couple of stages, doing as much as I can at one time, and don't move around much. Any time I get up, move around and come back, I ground myself. I tend to build in a room with wood floor, not carpet, I work in a shirt without jumper, etc.

Are you likely to damage anything with static? Probably not. But you're not likely to blow your brains out playing one round of Russian Roulette, either. For the cost of a strap, it's a sensible precaution, worth it for peace of mind, if nothing else.

[Jellyfish]

Some really good info here guys, as i was also considering whether to get a strap for my build (very soon... i've been reading&procrastinating! ) One question though, if the case is fully painted where should i put the clip? on a fan screw attached to the case?

[Frankenfurter]

Seconded for Jellyfish's question. I'd sort of assumed some of the insides might not be painted like my current case, but I guess there've been many wonderful leaps in fully painted metal box technology since then. xD

Also, good analogy there Saracen. Illustrated your point rather well. xD

[Saracen]

In an ideal world, something you know is earthed. Good candidates are often bare copper water pipes IF you can get a good connection. But beware, mu hoyse originally had a section of plastic pipe that effectively ruined most of the copper as a ground. You might discharge to the pipe, but it wasn't grounded. If you house is relatively recent, then you should be able to see earth bonding straps over things boiler pipes, etc.

In my case, for reasons nothing to do with PCs, I have an earthing rod driven about 4 feet down into the back garden, and an earth lead directly into my work area. I KNOW that's a good ground. But perhaps just a tad overkill for PC building.

Look for something with a metal-to-metal contact.

But the discussion above about PC power supplies is interesting. I have often relied on the PC PSU being connected to a mains lead but turned off as providing a quick-and-dirty ground. If that no longer holds true, I'd like to know about it. If it does hold true, connect the strap to something metal but external on the PSU. I 'm sure I don't have to say not to start connecting to anything that might slip inside .... but I will anyway.

[Frankenfurter]

Haha. Good advice, cheers for that last part. And no, my house is pretty ancient, I'm sure I'll find something though.

I'm extremely curious about the 4 ft earthing rod now, but I'm far too terrified of what the answer might be to ask what it's for.