SAFETY AND PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE
Caution: Before working on PC
Backup
Record Settings
Unplug PC
Ground yourself
Maintenance and Safety Precautions
Backup
Record Settings
Unplug PC
Ground yourself
Maintenance and Safety Precautions
Maintaining a well-functioning PC requires that you do a lot more than running an occasional ScanDisk or deleting temporary Internet files. You need to follow some fairly extensive physical maintenance routines, such as cleaning, bathing, shampooing…err…. you get the idea. This chapter goes through the important routines.
Further, although the PC might look like a benign beige box connected to a nice monitor and a quiet laser printer, it can reach out and bite an unwary tech-sometimes with deadly effect. This chapter examines the most dangerous areas of the PC and peripherals, teaching you what to avoid and how to avoid damaging you or the PC. Let’s get started.
Further, although the PC might look like a benign beige box connected to a nice monitor and a quiet laser printer, it can reach out and bite an unwary tech-sometimes with deadly effect. This chapter examines the most dangerous areas of the PC and peripherals, teaching you what to avoid and how to avoid damaging you or the PC. Let’s get started.
Preventative Maintenance Procedures
To prolong the life of your PC, you simply must inspect and clean it regularly. Cleaning your PC on a regular basis can prevent overheating and ESD.
During the inspection process, look for damaged or cracked components improperly seated components, frayed cables, and loose connections.
Liquid Cleaning Compounds
Before using any liquid cleaning compound, make sure that your computer is turned off. If the PC has power when you use liquid cleaners, you run the risk of frying or shorting out your components, which is an expensive risk to take. Also make sure that the component you have cleaned with a liquid cleaner is thoroughly dry before turning your computer back on!
Clean or Soapy Water and a Damp Cloth
In some cases, you need only a bit of water and a damp cloth for cleaning chores, such as when cleaning the mouse ball, the outside of the mouse, or the exterior of the monitor or computer case. If water alone cannot do the job thoroughly, you can use mild soapy water on your damp cloth. Make sure that the cloth is damp and not wet and that you do not splash or drip water into your components.
If the keys on your keyboard start to stick or you’ve spilled a cup of coffee into your keyboard, or, for that matter, you just know that there is a lot of grunge under the keys, you can clean the keyboard with distilled water. Some techs will use a light silicone spray lubricant, but I find that water does nearly as good a job. Keep in mind that if you want your keyboard to work again, you need to make sure that it’s unplugged before you clean it and that it is thoroughly dry before you plug it in again. As a general rule, wait at least 48 hours before re-attaching the keyboard to your system.
If the keys on your keyboard start to stick or you’ve spilled a cup of coffee into your keyboard, or, for that matter, you just know that there is a lot of grunge under the keys, you can clean the keyboard with distilled water. Some techs will use a light silicone spray lubricant, but I find that water does nearly as good a job. Keep in mind that if you want your keyboard to work again, you need to make sure that it’s unplugged before you clean it and that it is thoroughly dry before you plug it in again. As a general rule, wait at least 48 hours before re-attaching the keyboard to your system.
Denatured Alcohol
The best thing to use for cleaning floppy drive heads is denatured alcohol. But how do you get in there? You can’t just pour it in! You need to use a lint free swab dipped in the alcohol to clean the floppy drive heads, or you can purchase a floppy drive cleaning kit, which almost always comes complete with denatured alcohol. Don’t clean the mechanical mechanism with alcohol because the parts are lubricated and the alcohol will dissolve the lubricant.
When cleaning your mouse, you can use a damp cloth to clean the cover and ball, as mentioned earlier, but what about the rollers? Some people pick at the rollers with their fingernails to get all of the grunge off them, but if you want to keep your fingernails clean you can use a cotton swab dipped in denatured alcohol to help loosen and remove the dirt.
When cleaning your mouse, you can use a damp cloth to clean the cover and ball, as mentioned earlier, but what about the rollers? Some people pick at the rollers with their fingernails to get all of the grunge off them, but if you want to keep your fingernails clean you can use a cotton swab dipped in denatured alcohol to help loosen and remove the dirt.
Glass Cleaner
You need to turn your monitor off before cleaning to avoid damage to the screen. Many technicians clean the monitor screen with regular cleaner. Under most circumstances, however, water and a damp cloth will do the job just fine. Water is the safest cleaning liquid you can use on a monitor. When cleaning the LCD display screen of a laptop, do not use glass cleaner at all. You will melt the screen!
Fabric Softener
Some technicians like to use a mixture of 1 part fabric softener to 10 parts water to clean the plastic casing of their computer components. As a cleaning solution it’s not as good as mild soap and water, but as an anti-static solution it’s excellent! Use it after the cleaning process to help protect your computer from the harmful effects of static electricity.
Cleaning Contacts and Connectors
To protect your contacts and connectors from becoming dirty, avoid touching them with your hands. Your skin contains natural oils that can leave a residue on contacts and connectors, and that residue needs to be cleaned off. Leaving the contacts untouched will reduce the amount of residue and make them easier for you to clean.
Denatured Alcohol
You should regularly inspect your contacts and clean them with denatured alcohol. Denatured alcohol is the best solution for cleaning the oily residue caused by human oil secretions, and it evaporates, leaving no residue behind.
Erasers
Some technicians use an eraser to rub residue off contacts, but this leaves a residue of its own and may actually rub the contacts right off. If you absolutely must use erasers, make sure you use the white ones, and immediately clean any rubber residue off the contacts. Never, ever use pink erasers to clean contacts as these contain acids that have the potential to destroy your contacts.
Non-Static Vacuums
Common household dust kills PCs. Throw in some dog and cat hair and you might as well call a priest right now. A dust buildup can cause dreaded static and can cause your components to overheat and become useless. When removing dust buildup from your keyboard, inside your computer’s case, and from your components, use a non-static vacuum (shown in Figure 2-1). Many hand-held vacuums are designed specifically for use on PCs. Note that you should definitely not use a common household vacuum cleaner. These create static electricity and can toast your PC!
Compressed Air
Compressed air works well for getting the dust out of power supply fans, expansion slots, and keyboards, but you need to exercise care in using it for blowing the dust off components and the inside of the case. It is not uncommon to blow the dust off one component right onto another component.
You also need to exercise extreme care when using compressed air, because the liquid that compresses the air sits in the bottom of the can and is usually not released unless you turn the can upside down or sideways. This liquid can damage or destroy your components.
You also need to exercise extreme care when using compressed air, because the liquid that compresses the air sits in the bottom of the can and is usually not released unless you turn the can upside down or sideways. This liquid can damage or destroy your components.
Lint-Free Cloths
Lint-free cloths are excellent for removing dust from your computer. The cloths used for cleaning eyeglasses work the best, because they will not scratch surfaces or leave lint behind.
Component Protection and Storage
You need to protect your computing environment from any kind of power surges or power sags, as either of these events can cause severe damage to your system. Many things outside the control of normal folks cause sags and surges, such as electrical brownouts and blackouts, spikes on the electrical grid, lightning, and electromagnetic interference.
Brownouts
Power sags are usually caused by brownouts, where your lights may flicker or grow dimmer. In other words, power sag occurs when the supply of electricity drops dramatically but does not go out completely. When the power or electricity returns to its original level, your computer cannot handle the quick and drastic change and damage may occur.
Blackouts
Power surges are caused when the power or electricity goes out completely and comes back on suddenly. In the event of a power surge, any files that you have not saved will most likely become corrupted or lost forever.
Power Spikes
A power spike is a lot more powerful than a power surge and will almost definitely result in the damage of computer components. The damage caused by a power spike can irreparably affect one or several components.
Lightning Storms
Any time you use your computer, or even leave it plugged in, during a lightning storm you are asking for damage to occur. No commonly available PC accessory can protect your PC from the damage caused by electrical storms. You need to unplug your PC and peripherals with power cords until the storm ceases. Leave no stones unturned: make sure you unplug even your modem, because lightning can travel through the phone lines and cause damage to computers and their components through the modem.
EMI
EMI, or electromagnetic interference, is caused not by storms, but by noise created by high voltage between two cables or excessively long cables. When EMI occurs, your PC may experience sags and surges in the amount of electricity that is provided to it. The threat of EMI can be combated through the use of cables with a Mylar coating and through a noise filter, which will control the amount of electricity that reaches your PC and remove the EMI. Noise filters can be purchased as stand-alone products or can be incorporated into an uninterruptible power supply (more on those in the next section).
Saving Your PC from Electrical Problems
Any kind of power failure, sag, surge, or spike can cause irreversible damage to your PC and its components. So you simply must protect your PC from these events! Fortunately, many products on the market can help you prevent these events from damaging your PC. These products are called uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and surge suppressors.
Uninterruptible Power Supplies
A UPS helps in blackout situations, during which the electricity cut offs completely for a period of time, and brownouts, during which the electrical supply sags well below the level needed to run your PC. Every UPS has batteries that provide backup power, thus enabling you to save your work and shut down your PC properly. A UPS is thus sometimes called a battery backup. Note that a UPS does not provide unlimited power so you can keep working while the city lights are out. What it does provide you is a short window of a couple of minutes to save and shut down.
UPS come in two main varieties, standby power system (SPS) and online UPS. Both of these will protect your system in the event of a power outage or sag, but they work differently and provide different levels of protection.
UPS come in two main varieties, standby power system (SPS) and online UPS. Both of these will protect your system in the event of a power outage or sag, but they work differently and provide different levels of protection.
Standby Power Systems
An SPS has a battery that begins generating power as soon as the unit detects a sag in the supply of electricity. It takes a split second for the SPS to come online, however, and therein lies the main disadvantage to using an SPS. The brief lapse of time could result in your files being damaged before the UPS has kicked in.
Online UPSs
An online UPS, in contrast to an SPS, provides electricity to the PC all the time, using the electricity from the AC outlet simply to recharge its batteries. If you have an electrical brownout or blackout, your PC does not even flinch, and you’ll have plenty of time to save and shut down properly. As an added bonus, most online UPS boxes act as power conditioners that help your PC run better. Electricity coming from the power company does not come in a single stream of electrons at constant pressure, but rather in gentle fluctuations. Because the online UPS runs the PC from its batteries, the UPS can provide a much smoother flow of electricity that the typical wall socket. An online UPS costs more than an SPS, but in the long run its benefits justify the expense.
Surge Suppressors
Surge suppressors help to absorb power surges so that your computer does not feel their effects. They come as either separate modules or incorporated with a UPS. The best suppressors to purchase are the ones with the lifetime or 10-year guarantee. When purchasing stand-alone surge suppressor, avoid the cheapest ones. They are usually little more than power strips and provide minimal protection against power spikes.
Power surges and sags can wreak havoc on an unprotected PC, and not just in the obvious ways. (“Hey, my PC got struck by lightning and it’s a smoking ruin. Do you think it still works?”) Common surges and sags can damage power supplies and components, and they can even cause file corruption. The cost of a good UPS and surge suppressor is nothing compared to the cost in time and money caused by lost components or corrupted files that you may have to endure if you don’t use either one.
Power surges and sags can wreak havoc on an unprotected PC, and not just in the obvious ways. (“Hey, my PC got struck by lightning and it’s a smoking ruin. Do you think it still works?”) Common surges and sags can damage power supplies and components, and they can even cause file corruption. The cost of a good UPS and surge suppressor is nothing compared to the cost in time and money caused by lost components or corrupted files that you may have to endure if you don’t use either one.
Storing Components for Future Use
When storing your computer components for future use, you still need to prevent them from the hazards of ESD, corrosion, and other damage. You should store your computer components in cool, dry places. Heat or warmth can cause premature aging of your components in much the same way that the sun can cause premature aging of your skin. Moreover, heat can also destroy data that has been stored magnetically and dampness can cause corrosion to your components.
It is important that you store your components away from high-voltage devices, and never store batteries of any kind for a long period of time. Old batteries can leak or corrode.
The safest place to store your components for future use and to protect them from ESD is in an anti-static bag, and for the ultimate in component safety, store the components in their manufacturer’s original boxes and packaging.
It is important that you store your components away from high-voltage devices, and never store batteries of any kind for a long period of time. Old batteries can leak or corrode.
The safest place to store your components for future use and to protect them from ESD is in an anti-static bag, and for the ultimate in component safety, store the components in their manufacturer’s original boxes and packaging.
Potential Hazards and Proper Safety Procedures
While power issues can cause damage to your PC, many hazards can injure the technician, such as high-voltage shocks or electrical fires. You need to make yourself aware of these hazards and of ways to prevent them from occurring.
High Voltage Equipment
The capacitors in PC power supplies, monitors, and laser printers carry very high voltages that can easily cause severe bodily injuries. Fortunately, in most cases you will not have to worry about identifying high-voltage equipment because it is usually marked by a bright yellow warning sticker that will leave no question about the voltage levels of the components.
Whenever you work with a piece of high-voltage equipment, always make sure the device is unplugged and that you have removed your anti-static wrist strap (for more information, see “Anti-Static Wrist and Ankle Straps,” later in this chapter).
Whenever you work with a piece of high-voltage equipment, always make sure the device is unplugged and that you have removed your anti-static wrist strap (for more information, see “Anti-Static Wrist and Ankle Straps,” later in this chapter).
Power Supplies
Whenever you work on your computer, you need to make sure it is unplugged. In the old days, you could leave the PC plugged in and thus ensure excellent electrical grounding, but modern PC motherboards always have a small voltage running when the PC is plugged in. Unplug the PC or you’ll likely toast something.
When it comes to power supplies, though, even unplugging them does not make them safe to fix. The safest method of repairing power supplies is not to repair them at all. Better to throw them into the recycling bin and install a brand new power supply. It is extremely risky even to open the case of a power supply, because the capacitors can hold a serious charge even when the power supply is unplugged.
If you must work on a power supply, make sure you remove your anti-static wrist strap and discharge the capacitors on the power supply. A little static electricity won’t bother a power supply at all, but the metal resistor in the strap can attract voltage (or, more importantly, amperage) and lead to bad things-massive jolts through your body can kill, so be careful!
Use caution when working on power supplies. You might have the brilliant idea of rewiring a power supply to make it last just a little bit longer until you can get to a store to purchase a replacement. After carefully twisting all the wires and wrapping them in electrical tape, you plug the power supply back into the PC and into the wall. The result would likely be sparks flying from the wall, blue flames coming out of the power supply plug, and a jolt that knocks you clear across the room. (Not that I’ve ever done that!)
When it comes to power supplies, though, even unplugging them does not make them safe to fix. The safest method of repairing power supplies is not to repair them at all. Better to throw them into the recycling bin and install a brand new power supply. It is extremely risky even to open the case of a power supply, because the capacitors can hold a serious charge even when the power supply is unplugged.
If you must work on a power supply, make sure you remove your anti-static wrist strap and discharge the capacitors on the power supply. A little static electricity won’t bother a power supply at all, but the metal resistor in the strap can attract voltage (or, more importantly, amperage) and lead to bad things-massive jolts through your body can kill, so be careful!
Use caution when working on power supplies. You might have the brilliant idea of rewiring a power supply to make it last just a little bit longer until you can get to a store to purchase a replacement. After carefully twisting all the wires and wrapping them in electrical tape, you plug the power supply back into the PC and into the wall. The result would likely be sparks flying from the wall, blue flames coming out of the power supply plug, and a jolt that knocks you clear across the room. (Not that I’ve ever done that!)
Monitors
Never open a monitor unless you know exactly what you are trying to accomplish. The voltages inside can kill you. The capacitors in a typical PC monitor also carry extremely high voltages even when unplugged. In addition to the line voltage and capacitors, the flyback transformer is a dangerous part of the monitor. Don’t know what that is? That’s a good reason to keep out!
Most adjustments are accomplished through controls on the front of the monitor. Internal adjustments are rare and require plastic tools and schematic layouts. A technician who hasn’t been trained in monitor repair should not open one.
If you must work on a CRT, you have two options. First, you can unplug and discharge the monitor. (Talk to a television repairperson for details.) Make your fixes, and then plug in the monitor and turn it on. Repeat as necessary. Or second, you can simply leave the monitor powered up so you can see what you’re doing and hopefully fear will keep you from doing anything incorrectly. Both methods leave a tad to be desired, don’t you think?
Most adjustments are accomplished through controls on the front of the monitor. Internal adjustments are rare and require plastic tools and schematic layouts. A technician who hasn’t been trained in monitor repair should not open one.
If you must work on a CRT, you have two options. First, you can unplug and discharge the monitor. (Talk to a television repairperson for details.) Make your fixes, and then plug in the monitor and turn it on. Repeat as necessary. Or second, you can simply leave the monitor powered up so you can see what you’re doing and hopefully fear will keep you from doing anything incorrectly. Both methods leave a tad to be desired, don’t you think?
Fires
Most of us will never experience a PC fire, but we may experience an electrical fire in our homes. It is important that you realize that just as smoke can harm you, it can also harm your PC and its components.
If you do experience a computer fire, or any electrical fire for that matter, never, ever throw water on it, because throwing water on an electrical fire can cause the electrical current to travel up the water and straight into you! Instead, if you experience an electrical fire, make sure you use a type C or type ABC fire extinguisher.
In fire situations, people have a tendency to panic, so you need to know the safety procedure at your workplace ahead of time and know the precise locations of the fire extinguishers in case you ever need to use them.
If you do experience a computer fire, or any electrical fire for that matter, never, ever throw water on it, because throwing water on an electrical fire can cause the electrical current to travel up the water and straight into you! Instead, if you experience an electrical fire, make sure you use a type C or type ABC fire extinguisher.
In fire situations, people have a tendency to panic, so you need to know the safety procedure at your workplace ahead of time and know the precise locations of the fire extinguishers in case you ever need to use them.
Disposal Procedures and Environmental Guidelines
Many computer components, such as batteries, CRTs, chemical solvents, and toner kits (for printers), contain harmful ingredients. Don’t throw these items in the garbage! Many of these items can be recycled, and a hazardous waste program can remove most.
Batteries
Batteries for the computer often contain lithium, mercury, or nickel-cadmium, which means that if they were to be thrown in the garbage and carried off to a landfill site, they could contaminate the water and soil. You can take batteries to a recycling depot or, in some cases, send them back to the manufacturer.
CRTs
Many CRTs contain lead. If you dump them in the trash (and ultimately in a landfill), you may contaminate the soil and water in your area and poison people. Don’t do it! For this reason, CRTs must be recycled or turned over to a hazardous waste program.
Toner Kits and Cartridges
The main concern about the disposal of toner kits and cartridges is that there are so many of them. Most people go through several a years, and if they were all thrown in the garbage, they would fill a landfill site. There are many ways of dealing with toner kits and cartridges.
You can now refill these cartridges, which save on environmental wear but wreaks havoc on your printer. The printing quality from refilled cartridges is often less than that of new cartridges and the refilled ink can cause the bubble jets on ink-jet printers to clog.
Many manufacturers of these cartridges will buy back the used cartridges, refill them, and then resell them, which is probably the best solution.
You can now refill these cartridges, which save on environmental wear but wreaks havoc on your printer. The printing quality from refilled cartridges is often less than that of new cartridges and the refilled ink can cause the bubble jets on ink-jet printers to clog.
Many manufacturers of these cartridges will buy back the used cartridges, refill them, and then resell them, which is probably the best solution.
Chemical Solvents and Cans
Chemical solvents or cans for PC use (or for any other use, for that matter) contain many harmful chemicals that should not be placed in the ground. For this reason, you simply cannot throw these in the garbage or they may damage the soil and water supply. Instead, chemical solvents and cans must be picked up through a hazardous waste program.
Material Safety Data Sheet
Most compounds, chemicals, and components come with a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) that contains information about the product as well as any warnings, safe disposal requirements, and safe methods of transportation. If an item comes without an MSDS, you can obtain one from the manufacturer or locate one on the Internet.
Electrostatic Discharge Precautions and Procedures
This chapter has mentioned numerous times about the danger of ESD, but now it’s time for some details. Dust and ESD are the two main enemies of your computer. To maintain your computer and to prolong the life of components, you need to learn about the effects of ESD and how to protect your computer from those effects.
How ESD Is Apparent or Hidden
A prime example of ESD, or electrostatic discharge, is the small shock you receive when you walk across a carpeted floor and then touch an object or a person. Zap! The electrical discharge doesn’t do you any lasting damage, but such a seemingly harmless shock will destroy computer components. In fact, even discharges well below the level that you can feel will still damage or destroy PC components-and you won’t even know! (Hey, that modem worked just fine a minute ago….What could have happened?”)
Hidden ESD
A real concern, and another good reason to clean your computer regularly, is that the dust buildup on PC components can cause an electrical charge that you probably will not be aware of at the time. In most cases, you will not even be aware that a problem exits until a component begins to behave erratically, and by that point it will be extremely difficult or impossible to pinpoint the original source of the problem.
Catastrophic ESD
Catastrophic ESD causes a computer component to fail immediately. When catastrophic ESD occurs, it will be obvious. You can remove the components and replace it with a new one, and it most likely will not affect any other components.
Degradation
Degradation occurs when the effects of ESD are not immediately apparent in their full force, and the effects gradually get worse and worse. Degradation will cause your components to work erratically and can make the original problem hard to recognize. This condition can affect your other system components and cause their failures also.
Common ESD Protection Devices
Many devices are available that can help to protect your system from the effects of ESD to ensure a longer life for your components. These devices include anti-static wrist and ankle straps, anti-static mats, anti-static floor mats, anti-static bags, and anti-static sprays.
You can help prevent the effects of ESD by grounding yourself by touching the exterior of the PC power supply before touching any of your system’s components. Remember, though, that you are only at the potential of the system as long as you hold on to the chassis. When you let go, you can build up potential and cause an ESD event.
You can help prevent the effects of ESD by grounding yourself by touching the exterior of the PC power supply before touching any of your system’s components. Remember, though, that you are only at the potential of the system as long as you hold on to the chassis. When you let go, you can build up potential and cause an ESD event.
`Anti-Static Wrist and Ankle Straps
Anti-static wrist and ankle straps are composed of a wire with a 1 megaohm resistor. They keep you at the same relative electrical ground levels as the computer components on which you’re working, as long as you set them up properly.
Anti-static devices have a strap that you wrap around your wrist or your ankle on one end. Some anti-static straps have a clip on the other end that you can attach to a metal device to ground yourself (see Figure 2-2), or a prong at the other end that you plug into the ground wire of an electrical wall outlet. If you are going to use a strap with a prong, make sure that you fully understand that the grounding wire in the outlet is the round hole-the other two slots are for electricity, and you do not want to plug your ankle or wrist strap into them!
Anti-static devices have a strap that you wrap around your wrist or your ankle on one end. Some anti-static straps have a clip on the other end that you can attach to a metal device to ground yourself (see Figure 2-2), or a prong at the other end that you plug into the ground wire of an electrical wall outlet. If you are going to use a strap with a prong, make sure that you fully understand that the grounding wire in the outlet is the round hole-the other two slots are for electricity, and you do not want to plug your ankle or wrist strap into them!
Anti-Static Mats
Anti-static mats are conductive mats that dissipate ESD. They look much like place mats or those baby-changing mats that come with diaper bags, except they have a small clip attached to them that you can attach to a wrist strap to provide a conductive surface for grounding out ESD. These mats make an excellent place to place your tools and your components when you work on a system.
Anti-Static Floor Mats
Anti-static floor mats look similar to anti-static mats, and they also have the clip that you can attach to a metal object for the purposes of grounding. The main difference is that you need to stand on the floor mats to ground yourself and protect against ESD.
Anti-Static Bags
Placing components in anti-static bags, as mentioned earlier in this chapter, will greatly help your efforts to prevent ESD. Anti-static bags have a special coating or contain small filaments that help dissipate any static charge present when you pick up a component wrapped in such a bag. Better bags resist moisture as well. Always put PC cards and components (drives, RAM, and so on) in anti-static bags. Note that regular plastic or paper bags will not protect your components. In fact, if you put a PC component in a plastic baggie, you will almost invariably damage that component. Don’t do it!
Anti-Static Spray
Anti-static spray is normally used to avoid static charges in your clothing. Although many people use these sprays to help protect their work areas from the effects of ESD, it is not recommended. If any of the spray touches your components, it could cause damage.
Fabric Softener
As mentioned earlier in this chapter, a mixture of 1 part fabric softener to 10 parts water is an excellent solution to use on a damp cloth to wipe down the plastic surfaces of your PC and monitor. This can protect them from the harmful effects of static.
Potential Dangerous or Hazardous Situations
Temperature and the level of humidity outside can dramatically affect the risk of ESD inside. If it’s cold and dry outside, like an Alaskan winter, and the heater’s blowing inside, you are basically a PC-smoking ZAP! Waiting to happen. You need to take precautions.
You can protect your system against the effects of ESD by wearing natural fiber clothes (cotton, linen, wool, horsehair) when working on a computer. Synthetic fabrics have a tendency to produce static electricity, and you should avoid wearing them. Slinky polyester might be back in style, but save it for the clubs, not the workbench!
You should also wear shoes with rubber soles when working on PCs, and have a work area with a linoleum or uncarpeted floor, because walking on rugs and carpets can generate a great deal of static electricity.
Long hair is another concern when working around computers. If you wear your hair long, you should tie it back before working on a machine so that it does not accidentally get caught or stuck in any components. You should also try to use anti-static smoothing lotions that are now available to reduce the amount of static in your hair. If you don’t like the anti-static smoothing lotions, hairspray can help to prevent this problem to a certain extent. One of the authors of this book-the one with the long hair-accidentally took down a whole row of PCs just by walking through an office because of the static electricity in her hair.
If you wear rings and other jewelry, you need to remember to remove them before working on a PC, as these can cause electrical current problems. Another risk of wearing jewelry while working inside machines is that ring may become stuck on pins or components, which can cause cuts and scratches to your fingers or break off the pins or components.
Finally, to prevent dangers or hazards to yourself, remove your anti-static wrist strap when working on components with high voltages, and never touch a high-voltage device at the same time that you touch a low-voltage device-the two devices could use your body as a conductor to pass electricity
You can protect your system against the effects of ESD by wearing natural fiber clothes (cotton, linen, wool, horsehair) when working on a computer. Synthetic fabrics have a tendency to produce static electricity, and you should avoid wearing them. Slinky polyester might be back in style, but save it for the clubs, not the workbench!
You should also wear shoes with rubber soles when working on PCs, and have a work area with a linoleum or uncarpeted floor, because walking on rugs and carpets can generate a great deal of static electricity.
Long hair is another concern when working around computers. If you wear your hair long, you should tie it back before working on a machine so that it does not accidentally get caught or stuck in any components. You should also try to use anti-static smoothing lotions that are now available to reduce the amount of static in your hair. If you don’t like the anti-static smoothing lotions, hairspray can help to prevent this problem to a certain extent. One of the authors of this book-the one with the long hair-accidentally took down a whole row of PCs just by walking through an office because of the static electricity in her hair.
If you wear rings and other jewelry, you need to remember to remove them before working on a PC, as these can cause electrical current problems. Another risk of wearing jewelry while working inside machines is that ring may become stuck on pins or components, which can cause cuts and scratches to your fingers or break off the pins or components.
Finally, to prevent dangers or hazards to yourself, remove your anti-static wrist strap when working on components with high voltages, and never touch a high-voltage device at the same time that you touch a low-voltage device-the two devices could use your body as a conductor to pass electricity
