Had a senior tech tell me static is a myth... until I zapped a drive

3 comments

3 Comments

Not quite a myth, more like people don't see it until it hurts them. Static zap is real, it just takes the right conditions to actually cause damage.

grace8924d ago

My brother works with electronics and he's seen static fry a circuit board from three feet away. That's not just a zap, that's real damage. The issue is people think it's harmless because they've only felt a little spark. But those sparks can hit sensitive components like microchips. I've replaced a motherboard in a computer that got zipped through the case. Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's gentle.

nina_campbell24d ago

Oh, I get what you're saying, @grace89, but I gotta gently push back on the "three feet away" part. Static can definitely cause damage, but the distance thing is kinda tricky. The basic rule is you usually need a direct path for the zap, like through a metal tool or your finger touching the component. A spark jumping through dry air that far is super rare unless you're dealing with some serious voltage, like from a carpet shuffle on a really dry day. I've seen it happen maybe twice in my years messing with electronics, and both times it was right next to the board, not three feet out. You're totally right that it's real damage though (I've swapped out a few fried PSUs myself), just wanted to clarify the range thing so people don't think it's magic or something.