ESD and Laptops

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Hello World, Jun 6, 2005.

  1. Hello World

    Hello World Nibble Poster

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    How exactly are you supposed to go about controlling ESD with laptops / notebooks / whateveryouwanttocallthems?

    Theres no metal case to attatch and ESD strap too. theres no exposed power supply and theres no "standard" design for cases.

    In the past working with my own stuff (which co-incidently all messed up sooner or later) ive just attatched an ESD strap to the nearest biggest metal thing i can find, i dont mind taking that chance with small cheap stuff but really laptops scare the hell out of me.

    Is there any standard textbook ways of dealing with this problem? And what are everyone elses experiences.
     
    WIP: CCNA 1, IT Essentials 1(A+)
  2. Boycie
    Honorary Member

    Boycie Senior Beer Tester

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    Hi,

    As far as ESD is concerned get yourself a normal PC power lead and take out the fuse or it you want to be really smart remove the live and neutral pins leaving just the earth in place.
    This will still plug in because the earth pin is the longest and opens the safety shutter on your mains socket :D

    Then simply attach your ESD strap to the case of the PC and you have no risk because the only thing connecting you to the socket is the earth :biggrin

    In the case of a laptop you could go to B&Q get a plug and 5 metres (or as long as you need) of mains cable. Wire it as previously described leaving just the earth wire at the end to connect youe ESD strap.
     
    Certifications: MCSA 2003, MCDST, A+, N+, CTT+, MCT
  3. Phoenix
    Honorary Member

    Phoenix 53656e696f7220 4d6f64

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    Ok, as someone who has never ever used an ESD strap in over 10 years, and never damaged a component to boot, you may not wish to listen to this, but let me clear up a falacy


    I used to believe having the case plugged in and connected to the mains via earth was a clever move, however a few electrical engineers have showed me the errors of my ways

    the problem is not getting rid of any form of static or what not, the problem is the difference in charge
    if the case, or you, is connected to earth, and one device is not, chances are there is going to be some difference, thats what causes components to break, because the charge generally wants to travel the path of least resistence

    components are generally connected to a motherboard which is connected to a case
    a PSU is connected to the motherboard true, but your best bet is to attach yourself to the case, and remove the plug completly

    also if you are one of these types who use thos silly ESD things, make sure you are using an ESD Mat thats also connected to the case, this ensures your work environment is also at the same charge, causing no problems when moving components around in and out of a chassis


    but remember kids, if your breaking stuff, the chances are your just doing something wrong, and just wanting to blame some static for it, that or you have one hell of an electric personality
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCITP, VCP
    WIP: > 0
  4. Boycie
    Honorary Member

    Boycie Senior Beer Tester

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    Ryan,

    I take your point but as Marlene just said to me "by only having the earth connected you get the best of both worlds" :biggrin
     
    Certifications: MCSA 2003, MCDST, A+, N+, CTT+, MCT

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