Electrostatic Discharge

aliases:

• ESD

The discharge of accumulated static electricity from a non-grounded object to a grounded object.

Internal hardware parts are vulnerable to electrostatic discharge (ESD) and can cause the immediate damage or failure of parts, such as the:

• motherboard
• processor
• hard drives
• memory sticks
• expansion cards

ESD damage can happen from a discharge as little as 100 volts, while a discharge of upwards of 3,000 volts must happen before you can feel it.

Safety Measures

• relative humidity in the 35-70% range
• temperature between 72-77$^\circ$ F
• use antistatic mats under PCs and on the floor
• discharge yourself before touching any component
• always wear an antistatic wrist strap attached to the metal PC chassis
• keep computer repair locations/stations free of objects and materials that accumulate electric charges, like plastic and Styrofoam
• NEVER WORK ON INTERNAL COMPONENTS WITH THE SYSTEM STILL PLUGGED IN

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