Personal computing discussed
Moderators: renee, mac_h8r1, Nemesis
icto0389 wrote:have band aids handy, now it my just be me... but i ALWAYS end up cutting myself somewhere durring the installation of some peice of hardware on some part of the case...? anyone else see a pattern?....
mac_h8r1 wrote:Some solder jobs leave longer leads than others. Take some electrical tape and put it a) Between the standoffs of your case and your motherboard and/or b) on the backplate of your case [NOT on back of the motherboard, as it can insulate heat].
Mithent wrote:mac_h8r1 wrote:Some solder jobs leave longer leads than others. Take some electrical tape and put it a) Between the standoffs of your case and your motherboard and/or b) on the backplate of your case [NOT on back of the motherboard, as it can insulate heat].
Though it would be worth doing in specific areas if you have problems with solder as in this tip, the standoffs are designed to earth the motherboard and probably shouldn't generally be insulated? That's not to say that lacking the earth ground will prevent the board working, but it's not the optimum situation.
mac_h8r1 wrote:Floppy Drives-The most common issue is the little metal slider snapping off. Using a standard 12-piece toolkit, use the small screwdriver to prop the door open. Depending on ambient light, use a flashlight to find the offender. Use tweezers to gently remove the metal scrap from the drive.
JustAnEngineer wrote:Here's a good general hardware tip: When your hardware goes completely obsolete, get rid of it instead of keeping it around "just in case". Still-working but thoroughly obsolete things that I've thrown out this year included a 5¼"+3½" dual floppy drive (in a single 5¼" bay) from Gateway, a SyQuest SyJet 1.5 GB removable SCSI drive with a stack of cartridges and an STB RIVA TNT graphics card. When it doesn't serve any purpose any more, get it out of the house!
TwoEars wrote:I think ESD wrist bands are overrated - unless you're wearing a polyster jumpsuit and moonwalking your way across the carpet just touching the chassi every now and then is perfectly fine IMHO.
absurdity wrote:TwoEars wrote:I think ESD wrist bands are overrated - unless you're wearing a polyster jumpsuit and moonwalking your way across the carpet just touching the chassi every now and then is perfectly fine IMHO.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the system has to be plugged in for it to be grounded, otherwise you're not really accomplishing anything by touching it.
SuperSpy wrote:absurdity wrote:TwoEars wrote:I think ESD wrist bands are overrated - unless you're wearing a polyster jumpsuit and moonwalking your way across the carpet just touching the chassi every now and then is perfectly fine IMHO.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the system has to be plugged in for it to be grounded, otherwise you're not really accomplishing anything by touching it.
This is why I hate cheap power supplies that don't have an on/off switch on them. I try to keep the power supply plugged in (with the switch off, of course) to make sure the machine is properly grounded at all times.
just brew it! wrote:That said, touching even the ungrounded metal chassis of the system you are working on is better than nothing, since it at least ensures that you are at the same electrical potential as the chassis (even if you and the chassis are not at zero potential relative to earth ground).
Chrispy_ wrote:Oh god, this is so true.
This is why I hate antistatic straps. If you are working on hardware inside your PC, just touch the case so that you're matching the potential of the electronics you're working on. That is actually far more reliable that being grounded at preventing ESD damage.
Chrispy_ wrote:For what it's worth though, I have loads of kit that is, according to ESD precautions, abused horrifically. RAM modules lying in a draw full of plastic-wrapped stuff, graphics cards and procesors just sitting out on a desk for weeks. Me picking this stuff up to work on PC's after just walking across a carpetted room with rubber-soled shoes without even grounding myself on something first.
To date, I can't think of a single instance where I've killed something. It's all scaremongering by component manufacturers to minimise their risk of damage and RMA rates. The actual hardware is pretty robust against static - let's face it, there are diodes capable of blocking ESD voltages all over the board before you get to sensitive electronics,
Chrispy_ wrote:and almost everything is covered in heatsink/heatspreader these days anyway.
Chrispy_ wrote:Last winter, I killed a mechanical keyboard simply by sitting down in my chair and reaching for the keyboard. Just as my fingers were about to touch the keys, I felt a spark arc from my finger into the keyboard, somewhere near the Enter key. The discharge killed both of the Shift keys, and the USB port the keyboard was connected to.
npc wrote:need advice on how to clean dust off monitors and laptop screen without scratching them
ludi wrote:npc wrote:need advice on how to clean dust off monitors and laptop screen without scratching them
A soft cotton cloth dampened in clean water. No sprays, soaps, or other additives, as these can damage the surface. Clean gently with horizontal strokes, applying little or no pressure. Use a dry cloth the same way to remove the water residue. If you see any streaks afterward, clean the dust from the first cloth, and repeat the process.
just brew it! wrote:Why horizontal strokes?