I need grounding equipment

[burningrave101]

I have a belkin ESD wrist-strap but i need something to attach it to that will ground me. I know most people attach the clip to their case while the PSU in the case is plugged into the outlet to provide a ground but i dont like to do that because the clip leaves scratches on the case wherever you attach it and i sold my desktop in favor of a notebook now so thats not evena n option any more. Is there some sort of cheap device you can just plug into a grounded outlet and attach the ESD strap to it? Do they not make something like that just for grounding a person?

 

[unterhausen]

How about using the ground wire from a drive extension cable? The wrist straps have a large resistance to ground anyway for safety, so you don't need to be able to handle a lot of current.

 

[davidhammock200]

I don't believe this!

You attach the wrist strap to your anti-static mat &
attach that through a 10K ohm resistor to a hard ground, like a properly grounded electrical outlet.

 

[burningrave101]

I don't believe this!

You attach the wrist strap to your anti-static mat &
attach that through a 10K ohm resistor to a hard ground, like a properly grounded electrical outlet.

I dont have an anti-static mat. Dont they just sell something cheap that you can just plug into a grounded outlet or something? I dont want a bunch of crap to lug around. I just want to use my ESD strap and get it grounded somehow.

http://www.anti-staticmat.com/CommonPointGroundCord.htm

How would you connect something like that to a 3-pin grounded wall outlet?

 

[larrymoencurly]

If you have pink bubble wrap or pink foam wrap, then you have an anti-static mat.

Grounding to the AC outlet won't protect you unless the case is also attached there, and you don't want to do that because it increases the shock hazard if you touch some high voltage.

Can't you attach the anti-static clip to a screw on back of the case?

 

[burningrave101]

If you have pink bubble wrap or pink foam wrap, then you have an anti-static mat.

Grounding to the AC outlet won't protect you unless the case is also attached there, and you don't want to do that because it increases the shock hazard if you touch some high voltage.

Can't you attach the anti-static clip to a screw on back of the case?

I dont have a case any more. I have a laptop now. And grounding to the AC outlet will protect me just fine when i'm wearing my anti-static wrist strap once in figure out how to get it grounded to it.

 

[jonnyGURU]

Take an old PC power cord.

Cut the "blades" off of the receptacle end so you only have a ground prong.

Cut the other end off of the cord and strip the casing down to expose the three leads.

Take the green lead and strip the insulation off of it enough so you have a good place to clamp your wrist strap's clip.

Tape the other two leads up just in case there's enough "prong" left in the receptacle to conduct electricity.

 

[oboyco]

LOMAO, Oh my Christ

The purpose of the strap is to make the difference in potentional = to zero

No matter where the difference comes from, the purpose is to equalize

When difference in potential = no voltage = no current= wriststrap

The purpose of the wrist strap, is to make the case and other components at an equal potenional which idealy should be zero

 

[JTY]

Ground to your laptop, it's easy. Once you get the keyboard up, or whereever you are entering it, there should be plenty of exposed metal shielding to ground to.

As others have said, it's all about eliminating potential. You, and the item you are working on, need to share a common ground.

 

[davidhammock200]

Take an old PC power cord.

Cut the "blades" off of the receptacle end so you only have a ground prong.

Cut the other end off of the cord and strip the casing down to expose the three leads.

Take the green lead and strip the insulation off of it enough so you have a good place to clamp your wrist strap's clip.

Tape the other two leads up just in case there's enough "prong" left in the receptacle to conduct electricity.

Make "DAMN SURE" that the outlet is wired correctly first!

 

[larrymoencurly]

It's possible that a laptop may not be grounded to earth through its PSU; there's a chance that the PSU is completely isolated. You'll have to check it with an ohmmeter while it's unplugged from the AC outlet.

How about grounding the wrist strap to the metal surrounding one of the rear ports?

 

[davidhammock200]

You'll have to check it with an ohmmeter while it's unplugged from the AC outlet.

Instant ohm-meeter death & magic smoke!

 

[gee]

It's possible that a laptop may not be grounded to earth through its PSU; there's a chance that the PSU is completely isolated. You'll have to check it with an ohmmeter while it's unplugged from the AC outlet.

How about grounding the wrist strap to the metal surrounding one of the rear ports?

2 pin AC plug - fully isolated.
3 pin AC plug and laptop power connector with exposed metal - metal is grounded.
3 pin AC plug and laptop power connector without exposed metal - anything goes.

CE rules.

 

[Ice Czar]

How would you connect something like that to a 3-pin grounded wall outlet?

I wired mine up directly with a nice fat wire to the ground of my outlet tester
from the central ground point on my mat
http://www.desco.com/catalog/product.asp?Prod=284
then attach the wristrap and alligator the case to the central ground point on the mat

http://www.desco.com/catalog/sub_cat.asp?Sub_ID=144&Cat_ID=92&Sub_ID_Order=4

Id say in the case of that common point ground cord just wire up the end opposite the snaps to an outlet tester
http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/AEMC/ElectricalTestTools/OutletTesters/OT1.htm

 

[oboyco]

Ice Czar, I would highly recommend "pigtailing" a piece of #12 cu wire off the grounding conductor of the outlet, and running it thru or between the faceplate for an effective ground using wirenuts. Sometimes a loose contact to ground, in the case of a short circuit is worse than no connection at all.