2.1.4 ESD Protection

Use the following guidelines to protect yourself from the risk of electrostatic discharge.

Discharge Yourself

Easiest way to discharge yourself is to touch the case frame of the PC system. All electrical potential that existed between you and the case is immediately discharged (purged from reality).

Unplug the Computer

Seems pretty self explanatory.

Use Static Mats

A static floor mat is designed to keep you in balance with the electrical potential of everything around you. It also works if the floor material is made to keep electrical balance too. You can also try using an ESD wrist strap.

Ground the Computer

Establish connectivity from the PC's case, the shielding mat, and yourself. Use an alligator clip to connect or ground the case to the mat. That way, no imbalanced charge can build up between the mat and the case itself.

Follow Safe Handing Guidelines

When you're handling an electrical component of the PC e.g. memory module or CPU don't touch the gold or silver leads on the bottom of the component. On the expansion board card, don't touch the tab connectors. The reason being for this is that any static discharge runs through those leads and travels directly into the heart / center of that component, possibly causing a short circuit of the component's system.

Use Static Shielding Bags

Store your components in static shielding bags. They are grey bags that have an additional layer that absorbs electrical discharges as they occur. It dissipates the discharges around the component instead of letting them go through and hurting the component.

Other bags that come in blue, pink, green, or are clear, are static resistance bags. Be careful when handling components that come in those bags, since the bag doesn't provide the same level of protection against ESD that a static shielding bag does.

Remove Static Producing Materials

Watch out for and remove static producing materials in your work area. Those include objects made with plastic and Styrofoam, which can build up an immense amount of electrical charge and possibly shock your components. Keep them as far away from your work area as possible.

Humidity

Humidity is actually your friend when it comes to ESD. The higher the humidity, the lesser chances are that an electrostatic discharge will occur. Dry air acts as a resistor and allows static electricity to build up. Try to keep the humidity in your work area as high as reasonably possible. 35-70% humidity is the best 72-77 degrees Fahrenheit is the best #II

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