Telamon wrote:

In article ,
"mike maghakian" wrote:

"Telamon" wrote in
message

In article , "mike maghakian"
wrote:

I have posted a page about my shack on my web site. I have just
finished redoing it around my new GAP inline module DSP unit which
is a great help in reducing noise.

http://home.comcast.net/~maghakian/

Nice bench. Is it made of anti-static material?

no, but never had a problem that I am aware of

Well, with the solid state equipment it does not take much to kill
components. If it is ever a concern you can buy an inexpensive mat with
a high resistance wire connection to the AC mains ground to bleed off
static charge.

Put the unit on the mat and your hands on the mat before you touch the
inside circuit board.

One thing some people may not be aware of is that semiconductors can be
"wounded" and not just killed. If "wounded" the electronics can die at
a later time for no apparent reason.

With the computers I turn it off but leave it plugged in and touch the
chassis before I touch anything else. If I add something like a drive I
will touch chassis to chassis first or mount it before plugging
anything together.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California


Since the ATX form factor arrived you are supposed to unplug the
computer to turn off all power inside the case there is a standby +5 VDC
that can cause problems. Just put a 1 Meg resistor between a pair of
alligator clips and use it to ground the case, or take a spare power
cord and cut off the two flat blades so that only the ground pin makes
contact.

A wrist strap with a cord and the one meg isolation resistor should
be worn, as well. If an item is shipped in an antistatic bag, lay it on
the bare chassis for a few seconds before opening it. I worked in
surface mount electronics manufacturing for four years and static
protection is a science of its own. If you do have a antistatic mat,
NEVER clean it with anything containing silicon. I use plain old
household ammonia without any soap (Sudsing).


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida