ESD and why it is so Bad

ESD or electrostatic discharge is touted by the A+ Exam prep books as the Computer technicians WORST NIGHTMARE. It can apparently damage a PC with a charge that is below the threshold of human sensation. In others words you don't have to get zapped to goof up a PC. (Honestly I have never seen an example of ESD damaging a PC that I support. With the glaring exception of those home computers that have been zapped by lightning.)

Nevertheless...

An ESD shock of 30 volts can destroy a computer circuit, and an ESD shock that a person can feel is 2,500 volts or more. It you expect that painful little blue arc between your finger and the doorknob the voltage is kicked up to 20,000 volts before you can see it. Ouch!!*

In order to prevent ESD you should always wear a gounded wrist strap that's connected to either a grounding mat or the PC chassis. The exception to this rule is the monitor, DO NOT wear a grounding strap when working on a monitor. ( the monitor holds a powerful charge even when the power is off)*

An antistatic bag (like replacement part arrive in) is treated to be conductive. It actually abosrbs static electricity from the components it protects. Subsequently, never place a circuit board on antistatic material and then turn the power on. In this case ever pin and part on the board that has contact with the bag will short to every other part, different components require varied voltages and the small voltage parts will be destroyed by the connection created between them and the high voltage parts. (ie Any 5-volt component connected to a 12-volt component is gonna get toasted)*

As I learn more about ESD I will put it in this entry.

*This information is an adapted paraphrase from A+ Certification for Dummies: by Ron Gilster