Anti-static wrist straps worth it or not?

andyjudd1

antistatic wrist straps worth it or not? let me know your thorts.

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jibbajabba

Never used one in my life to be honest.

exampasser

I usually just touch the metal case of my computer before doing any work on it.

eansdad

exampasser wrote: »

I usually just touch the metal case of my computer before doing any work on it.

+1 never bothered with a wrap.

gateway

I usually don't either, but static can also reduce the life of components so I wore one when I built my own pc. How selfish

Tackle

For 6 bucks I think it's worth having one around and using it. I don't use one at work (I don't think they even have any, weird because they used to be big into IT support). But, they don't have a problem ordering components that I say are not working. At home I use one if I'm building a PC, but not when I'm replacing components like ram or hard drive.

I would say they're worth it. $6 or wrecking a component that could cost $100+. Small investment.

If not, make sure you ground yourself first.

RobertKaucher

What I was taught about these things is that small amounts of electrostatic damage only cause problems further down the road as the device has been only slightly compromised. But the problem is exacerbated by continued use. Thus many techs do not relate the fact that their RAM went bad 3 years down the road with the fact that they did not use an anti-static strap when installing it.

jamesleecoleman

I haven't used one because I always kept my body touching the case. That'll change since I've been building up a ton of static in my body because of my socks. The only upside to that is that I can run around the townhouse and sock people in my family. Kinda like in that one episode of Family Guy.

cyberguypr

exampasser wrote: »

I usually just touch the metal case of my computer before doing any work on it.

Same here.

deth1k

RobertKaucher wrote: »

What I was taught about these things is that small amounts of electrostatic damage only cause problems further down the road as the device has been only slightly compromised. But the problem is exacerbated by continued use. Thus many techs do not relate the fact that their RAM went bad 3 years down the road with the fact that they did not use an anti-static strap when installing it.

Right... so 12000 Volts going through your motherboard wont just "fry" the componets but damage them. You were taught wrong this is all i can say, you can prove this to yourself by wearing natural fur (rabbit) for a bit and taking your home PC apart without touching anything metal first

hex_omega

deth1k wrote: »

Right... so 12000 Volts going through your motherboard wont just "fry" the componets but damage them. You were taught wrong this is all i can say, you can prove this to yourself by wearing natural fur (rabbit) for a bit and taking your home PC apart without touching anything metal first

I think you misinterpreted what he said.

BTW, I never use a strap even though I have one.

RobertKaucher

deth1k wrote: »

Right... so 12000 Volts going through your motherboard wont just "fry" the componets but damage them. You were taught wrong this is all i can say, you can prove this to yourself by wearing natural fur (rabbit) for a bit and taking your home PC apart without touching anything metal first

Yeah, I'll do that and get back to you in 3 years if there is a failure...

Except for the fact that I work in the GPS industry and this is coming from an engineer who has told me repeatedly that just a brisk trot accross a carpet can generate more than 30,000 volts, which then get pushed trough parts of the device not intended to receive even half that. So I think I will believe the guy who holds five patents.

Armor149

I get to the bottom of this thread and there is an advertisement for ESD mats.

Mojo_666

exampasser wrote: »

I usually just touch the metal case of my computer before doing any work on it.

+2 Never used one

UnixGuy

Yes definitely worth it. In the field training we took at Sun Microsystems, they showed us many videos of researches done about this. While the component will not be damaged immediately, it's a factor in damaging the component in the long run. Specially when you're touching DIMMs or motherboards. Wear them, there's absolutely no harm in wearing them

CompuTron99

I like the ESD mats. I use one to cover my dining room table when I have to work on something. I got it for free.

As for the ESD wrist straps. At my first IT job (circa 1996), I worked in a depo repair facility for a major computer manufacturer. We had to report to a testing station each morning, while someone signed off on our results. It tested the wire and the part of the strap that touched your arm. Managers walked by your station to make sure you had them on. Usually you would forget you were connected to the mat, and pull the wire. We went through alot of straps.

Don't use one now. I am in the habit of touching the metal of the case.

brad-

andyjudd1 wrote: »

antistatic wrist straps worth it or not? let me know your thorts.

I think antistatic wrist straps are an imaginary concept created solely for A+ test takers. I've never seen one IRL, and dont know anyone else that has.

Mishra

A lot of production component lines have a lot of anti-static equipment.

Even if it is a mass laptop repair line.

RobertKaucher

brad- wrote: »

I think antistatic wrist straps are an imaginary concept created solely for A+ test takers. I've never seen one IRL, and dont know anyone else that has.

You can also use gasoline to put out a cigarette. I don't know that it is a good idea for smokers to keep open cans of gas around for this purpose, though.

Ten Common Myths About Static Electricity

On average, says the ESD Association, stray electrostatic discharges destroy about 16 to 22 percent of electronic components before they are installed into an assembly. After assembly, anywhere from 33 to 70 percent of digital devices fail soon after customers purchase them because ESD may only damage a component, enabling it to function for a brief time before total failure.

IRONMONKUS

I would get one! I have blown up a chip on the motherboard by touching it!

I was replacing the motherboard and like others, never needed a wrist strap before. After I placed the board in the case, I was moving it around to align up the holes and I hear this "POP" and feel this sharp pain on my cheek. I look down and the North bridge chip was cracked and a piece of it was missing; the piece that flew up and hit me in the face.

I didn't think it was possible, but I was wrong!

Since then, I either wear a strap and glasses or touch every metal piece I can before attempting to touch a part. Even then, I try not to move much to generate any kind of static.

deth1k

RobertKaucher wrote: »

Yeah, I'll do that and get back to you in 3 years if there is a failure...

Except for the fact that I work in the GPS industry and this is coming from an engineer who has told me repeatedly that just a brisk trot accross a carpet can generate more than 30,000 volts, which then get pushed trough parts of the device not intended to receive even half that. So I think I will believe the guy who holds five patents.

you wouldn't have to wait for something to break when it already is.

Psoasman

RobertKaucher wrote: »

Except for the fact that I work in the GPS industry and this is coming from an engineer who has told me repeatedly that just a brisk trot accross a carpet can generate more than 30,000 volts, which then get pushed trough parts of the device not intended to receive even half that. So I think I will believe the guy who holds five patents.

+1 I use them when I am doing work on delicate components, such as RAM, CPUs. I'd feel kind of silly if I damaged something because I didn't take a simple precaution.

networker050184

Our field techs won't touch equipmenr without one. They certainly aren't imaginary. If you burn something up without one on it will be you paying for it. No point risking it when work is concerned.

If its your own gear than I guess you can take chances. I don't wear one on my own stuff.

tiersten

deth1k wrote: »

Right... so 12000 Volts going through your motherboard wont just "fry" the componets but damage them. You were taught wrong this is all i can say, you can prove this to yourself by wearing natural fur (rabbit) for a bit and taking your home PC apart without touching anything metal first

You're the one that has been taught wrong if you believe that ESD can only instantly kill a part and won't cause any other damage that isn't immediately apparent.

The ESD protection diodes on the pins can only do so much and not everything has them due to design requirements. The static discharge may partially evaporate a trace inside the IC which is still good enough for now but electromigration over time will cause it to fail.

tiersten

Psoasman wrote: »

+1 I use them when I am doing work on delicate components, such as RAM, CPUs. I'd feel kind of silly if I damaged something because I didn't take a simple precaution.

Yup. It may look stupid but its only a few bucks for a wrist strap and its nothing compared to the cost of new hardware. Wear an anti static wrist strap if you're working on sensitive electronics.

If I saw a tech working on the inside of any computer without a wrist strap then I'll kick them out and then call their manager. If you're willing to take the risk at home then thats your own business but at work its just not worth it.

DevilWAH

personal never used one , and never had a problem.

I always leave pc pluged in (wall switch turned off), but in the UK that leaves the case earthed. so just make sure to touch the case and you discharge any static.

I think if i worked day in day out with components on a desk then antistatic mate and straps have there place.

But for the odd job here and there, there are other methods to minimise static dangers.

RobertKaucher

deth1k wrote: »

you wouldn't have to wait for something to break when it already is.

It is not broken, it is damaged in a way that is not readily apparant. In much the same way that one can have a heart problem and not be aware of it until you suddenly drop dead one day. Your binary thinking is fallacious.

mikedisd2

Seems kinda naive to say if you've never had a problem it must be ok. When I was building hardware, we not only used static straps but static mats as well. When a server costs $10k+, you can't afford to be arrogant. Then there is also the issue of warranty of parts, professionalism in front of a customer, wasting hours tracking down a problem if things mysteriously start going wrong...

brad-

i have a feeling that these could be a regional item. humidity down here i think really lowers the likeliehood of static electricity transfer.

TheShadow

Many smokers believe that cigarettes do not cause cancer because their grandfather lived to be 80 and smoked all his life however Grandma died of lung cancer at 50 and never smoked except for being around grandpa.

Here are some pictures from an ESD presentation folks. These are electron microscope pictures of marginal working chips. People that think failures are like a light switch and a chip works or doesn't are deluding their selves. You have created a resistive path with an RC time constant not part of the original design. Metal migration from resistive heat will also lower the expected live of the device.

Even with the money spent on ESD prevention in the industry, it is estimated over a billion dollars U.S. are lost to ESD damage annually.

I have included a pdf of a slide presentation if this works. I had to split it into 2 files. The normal Acrobat reader should allow zoom if you can't read them.

esd1of2.pdf

esd2of2.pdf