Just an Update for everyone. (About Carpets + Mobos)

HotDog-Cart · Post by **HotDog-Cart** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 9:59 am

Wanna know something funny? I find it funny, atleast.

Everyone says, "Oh No. Dont put that Mobo on the carpet, your gonna fry it! (Because you could bridge pins, or static electricity)"

Funny thing is, thats not 100% true. I work at a computer store, I asked my boss whos worked on electronics for about 40 years, and he kinda gave me a lecture on the topic.

Bending Pins: The only way your going to bend pins by putting them on a carpet, is if you have a mobo that has long pins, and you drag it across the carpet and be rough with it while dragging.

Static: We did a test on this one. We took a perfectly good, $200 Mobo for a PC, to the short carpet and the semi shaggy carpet. We drug it across both carpets, and then plugged it back in after. It all works. For a carpet to build up static from a board being drug across it is, a pretty low chance.
HECK, Listen to this. You have a higher chance of frying the board by releasing static electricity when you touch it with your hands, rather than with the carpet idea. Yea, Thats right. Thats why I always ground myself before working on any mobo.

Just a little tip for you guys. Feel free to fight the power.

Dr. KillGood · Post by **Dr. KillGood** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:06 am

YEAH CAPTAIN PLANET FIGHT THE POWER WHOOOOOO! [/foamymouth]

Sereously? Doesn't carpet make static?

HotDog-Cart · Post by **HotDog-Cart** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:14 am

No no. It does make static, yet Im saying...

You have a higher chance of frying a board from static off your body, rather than off the carpet. And that a carpet has a low chance of creating a static shock and charging a mobo with it, compared to the carpet creating a static shock and charging your body or fuzzy sweater with it.

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:53 am

But if its on carpet, then you probably have to walk on carpet to pick it up, so then YOU build up static, which then kills the board when you touch it. I personally have never killed a board with static, but theres no reason to throw caution to the wind. Better safe than sorry.

Neildo_64 · Post by **Neildo_64** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 11:45 am

I work on lots of different computers and electronics, and I also deal a lot with static electricity and other forms of energy. I put my stuff on carpet all the time. The problem with electrostatic discharge is when you touch them after you've been walking on carpet or rubbing your clothes together or things like that. Anti static wrist straps are your friends.

Kyo · Post by **Kyo** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 3:13 am

Hey guys, let's all be less careful with our projects!

ShockSlayer · Post by **ShockSlayer** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 3:18 pm

Always use protection!

Must....Resist....

Anyways, I've never had a problem with static.

SS

Bibin · Post by **Bibin** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 11:19 pm

Did you run it over the carpet while it was *on*? The real danger is running it while on the carpet more so than having it there. The other danger is the discharge from your hands/rest of body.

bacteria · Post by **bacteria** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 1:41 am

As already mentioned, it is when you walk over said carpet and then touch the board. We have all walked across a floor and got a large static electricity shock when touching something metal - this is the issue.

Personally, I don't use a wrist-strap, If I have been wearing socks I take them off and touch the grounding on a radiator, then do work. Consequently I do most of my project work bare-footed (you don't get static electricity that way). Each to their own!!