Weird small discharge when I touch the case

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Juic3

[H]ard|Gawd
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Dec 22, 2004
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Why does this happen ? Pretty weird because it didnt happen the first two weeks now if I touch anywhere in the case I feel the discharge, should I take out the mobo and reinsert ?

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Small discharge as in static ? or like a white discharge ... if its the later, well your box has been with some dirty rigs ...

but anyway .... check the wires in your rig and make sure none ans stripped and charging the case. Also take a look at other electrical devices on the desk or near your tower which could be charging it as well.

If none of these are present maybe its time to get rid of the shag carpet from around your tower.

You should not be touching any components in your rig if you are feeling a static shock tho. Part of what I do for a living is design enclosures for electrical components and through testing we have determined that even if you dont feel a shock, you can still do damage to your components.

www.esda.org

For example all class 1 devices are defined by having voltage sensitivity ranges lower then 2000 volts.

The lowest static charge that a human can feel is 2500 volts, so you can damage your equipment, even if you dont feel a shock.
 
Is it like static electricity? If so then I don't really see anything out of the ordinary. Or is it a continuous shock whenever you touch the case? If so then that could be quite bad. A bit more detail might be helpful. In any case, I really don't know what taking the motherboard out and putting it back in would do for you. :confused:
 
Its definitely a continious discharge, it doesnt stop wherever I touch, its getting worrying.

What could I do, I checked for cables and theyre ok, could be some contact with the motherboard and case, whats the recommended steps to take when attaching the mobo to the case ?

I basically just screwed the sucker on :rolleyes: :confused:
 
I don't think there is any way you could improperly mount the motherboard which would cause such a strong electrical discharge on your case, so if that is indeed what is causing it then you have a much bigger problem to worry about. Have you done any modifications to your power supply? That's the first thing I would check. Also, check the outlet that your computer is plugged into. It is sounding like there might be current on the ground line. Do you still get shocked when the computer is off?

edit: wait, when you say you just screwed the motherboard on, you did use standoffs, right?
 
Weird I just unplugged again and unscrewed just a lil TINY TINY bit the screws and now it doesnt... so its probably that, but the outlet makes sense too.

About the standoffs, the case didnt even come with those cause it uses the elevated thingies so you dont use those, bad idea ? :confused:
 
Well it sounds like the screws attached to the mobo were a little tight and were making contact with some sort of metal from mobo to case. There are these small felt, anti-static rings you can buy which you could put under the shoulder of the screw, to try and eliminate any charge getting to the case.
 
Get a multimeter and test to see if there is power coming out of the case. If there is, I highly suggest you find out where it is, cuz some of those caps contain a hell of a charge (read: dangerous, to you, and your rig). Anyway, get that taken care of. :)
 
bonkrowave said:
Small discharge as in static ? or like a white discharge ... if its the later, well your box has been with some dirty rigs ...
Click to expand...


rofl :p I remember during the winter every single time i would touch a server rack in my work server room i'd get a shock, now that its summer i get nothing.. heh annoying
 
Juic3 said:
Its definitely a continious discharge, it doesnt stop wherever I touch, its getting worrying.

What could I do, I checked for cables and theyre ok, could be some contact with the motherboard and case, whats the recommended steps to take when attaching the mobo to the case ?

I basically just screwed the sucker on :rolleyes: :confused:
Click to expand...


STANDOFFS!!! Please tell me you are using standoffs...
 
Techx said:
rofl :p I remember during the winter every single time i would touch a server rack in my work server room i'd get a shock, now that its summer i get nothing.. heh annoying
Click to expand...

Yup, dry poorly circulated air will build up an electrial charge.
 
Yeah its got these things:
pic9.jpg

Just for you to get the idea, the sviking is not my case, I WISH lol.

Didnt come with any standoffs, but anyways seems like the screws were a bit too tight.
 
I would get standoffs. I have attached a motherboard that way in my old generic case. It would be wise to at least get some insulator between the motherboard and the motherboard tray.
 
If you need some standoffs, I'm sure one of us here could help. (PM me if you need some)

 
Oldie said:
If you need some standoffs, I'm sure one of us here could help. (PM me if you need some)

Click to expand...


Thanx a bunch, I think I have some lying around here somewhere :)
 
No problem. I've got tons, so I'm always happy to share.

 
burningrave101 said:
Put a rubber on the discharges place of origin.
Click to expand...

Take this advice. It will serve you well, and in more places than you think. ;)





Actually, probably just that one place.
 
Wait, guys, are you telling him to put standoffs in the little punched up places in his mobo? If so, nothing will line up. The PCI cards and the I/O shield will not line up for sure. I made that mistake before. The only real option he has is to get some kind of small rubber gromment and mount it between the motherboard and the case. Or get another case that uses standoffs.
 
AMD[H]unter said:
Wait, guys, are you telling him to put standoffs in the little punched up places in his mobo? If so, nothing will line up. The PCI cards and the I/O shield will not line up for sure. I made that mistake before. The only real option he has is to get some kind of small rubber gromment and mount it between the motherboard and the case. Or get another case that uses standoffs.
Click to expand...


That is basically what every one is saying. I made the same mistake on my first build.
 
AMD[H]unter said:
Wait, guys, are you telling him to put standoffs in the little punched up places in his mobo? If so, nothing will line up. The PCI cards and the I/O shield will not line up for sure. I made that mistake before. The only real option he has is to get some kind of small rubber gromment and mount it between the motherboard and the case. Or get another case that uses standoffs.
Click to expand...


Where could I find these(online?), I just got a DFI LP NF4 Ultra and the case I got is the same, I dont need problems with this one since I will be oc'ing like mad :D

Some motherboards come with a spongelike thing, could I use this and screw the mobo in with this thing in between ? Id probably cut some pieces and using it on the screws.
 
Just go down to a hardware store, take the case screws with and match up a small stand off or a thick washer.
 
I know everyone is saying to get small paper or rubber washers, but you shouldn't even need those. The little metal rings around the screwholes on your motherboard are grounded(or at least connected to nothing) so there shouldn't be anywhere where current can go from the motherboard to the case. If washers solves the case problem then there might be a bigger problem at hand. Also, have you made sure that there aren't any of those raised motherboard tray screwholes where there aren't motherboard screwholes? In other words, is there any part of the motherboard tray touching any kind of actual circuitry on the board?
 
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