How to self-ground to prevent damage to your computer due to static electricity

This wikiHow teaches you how to protect delicate components inside your computer from electrostatic discharge. While the odds of your computer being damaged by electrostatic discharge are pretty low, at least you can be sure you don’t accidentally damage a critical component.

Table of Contents

Prepare the work surface

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Work on hard surfaces. You need to remove/install the computer on a clean, hard surface (tabletop, counter, or wooden board) to minimize the possibility of electrical charge.

Never place the computer on a flat surface such as a carpet, blanket, or towel when performing any operation that requires you to ground yourself.

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Stand barefoot on hard ground. Carpets and socks can be electrically charged. So you should stand barefoot on wood, ceramic tile or some other hard floor. ^{[1] X Research Source}

If you have no choice but to stand on the carpet, you need to actively ground every few minutes.
You can wear rubber sandals to completely block contact of your body with the floor, but this is less feasible because rubber sandals are not always available in your home.
If you don’t have rubber sandals, you can also wear shoes with rubber soles.

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Do not wear clothes that easily accumulate static electricity. Wool and some synthetic fibers are prone to static build-up, so if possible, replace them with cotton clothing.

You can wash and dry clothes with scented paper to reduce the possibility of static electricity before working with the computer.

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Humidify dry air. Static electricity is the greatest risk in dry environments. If you have a humidifier, use it, but if you don’t have one, don’t rush to buy it. You can apply other prevention methods that are equally effective. ^{[2] X Research Source}

You can also humidify yourself by hanging a wet towel in front of the radiator fan.

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Place all components in an anti-static bag. All new computer components should be stored in the supplied anti-static bag from purchase until ready to install.

Self grounding

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You need to understand the effect of grounding. To prevent static electricity from passing from you to sensitive computer components, you need to discharge static electricity into something more durable. In most cases, you can touch a metal object in contact with the floor or a series of grounded objects.

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Use the computer case to ground. Computer builders often use this technique: before you touch or install something that could potentially be damaged by static electricity (such as a computer’s motherboard), place your hand on the needle. unpainted type on the computer case.

You can even assemble it while touching the metal part of the case with your non-dominant hand if you want to make sure static electricity won’t affect the components.

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Touch metal objects on the ground every few minutes. This item must be a piece of unpainted metal with its own grounding wire such as a metal heat sink or isolator on the computer case. This is the fastest and easiest choice when it comes to assembling a computer without any extra precautions.

However, with this method alone, there is still a risk (albeit very small). You should only rely on this method if the work is fast and the components are not too expensive.

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Self-ground with an anti-static bracelet. These are affordable items that are sold online and in electronics stores. Wear the cuff tightly to your wrist, then clip the ground terminal to an unpainted metal object such as a screw.

Don’t use antistatic rings without wires because they won’t work. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
If your strap has a hook (instead of a clip), you can easily attach it to the center screw in the wall outlet. This screw is grounded (at least in the US), but you may need to double check with a power meter to be sure. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Use an electrical cord to connect yourself to the metal-clad object. This self-grounding technique is very commonly used, you tie an electrical conductor (such as copper wire), around your toe or wrist, then tie the other end around some unpainted metal object lying on the face. land. This method is ideal if you have conductive material on hand and cannot work on a hard surface.

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Work on anti-static (ESD) rubber mats. ESD mats are used to “discharge” or “discharge” electricity, place computer parts on the carpet and occasionally touch the carpet while working. Some models also have a place to clip an antistatic bracelet.

If you just need to fix your computer, you should buy vinyl anti-static mat; Rubber mats cost much more and are not really necessary. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
Antistatic mats are best for most home projects. You will have complete peace of mind.

Advice

You should only hold at the edge of the CPU. Do not touch any contacts, printed circuit boards or metal tips unless absolutely necessary. ^{[6] X Research Source}
Today, the problem of computer damage due to static electricity is not really as worrying as it was ten years ago. While we can’t deny the importance of taking steps to prevent accidents from electrostatic discharge, most modern computer components have many layers of protection against common agents that typically is static electricity. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Warning

Even if the amperage is so small that you cannot notice an electrostatic discharge during assembly, this has the potential to damage or shorten the life of the component. If the power is strong then in the worst case the motherboard can be permanently damaged. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Steps

Prepare the work surface

Self grounding

Advice

Warning

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