Electrostatic discharge (ESD)
ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE (ESD) can destroy electronic equipment immediately or cause a failure at some time in the future.
Electrostatic discharge can be described as the movement of electrons from one object, through a conductor path, to another object. It is commonly known as static electricity.
The conditions of the environment and handling determine whether ESD will be a problem. Humidity reduces the ESD risk because static electricity is carried away by water molecules; dry air is a poor conductor and increases the risk of electrostatic discharge. Clothing, footwear, and flooring materials are important considerations when evaluating the potential for electrostatic discharge.
The tiny circuits within the components of a computer are particularly sensitive to electrostatic discharge damage.
When installing a new peripheral, work on a tile floor instead of carpet. Remove shoes if possible and roll up shirt sleeves. If setting the component down, do NOT let the component touch the table before the hand touches the table.
Consider wearing wrist straps (or an alligator clip to a metal watch band and the other end clipped to the computer) when working on computer components to minimize electrostatic discharge problems.
A wrist strap is a simple length of wire with a watch band type strap at one end and a plug or clip on the other end connected to a common ground or the piece of equipment being worked on. The professional wrist strap has a resistor (high resistance) soldered into the wire circuit to reduce the chance of electrocution, and make the path to ground less than a dead short (to avoid shocks). Sometimes a technician will clip a connector (two alligator clips on a wire) between the watch band and the component.
CAUTION: Turning off a component is NOT ENOUGH to ensure safety. Pull the power plug also.