19 January 2011
Electrostatic discharge or ESD in the context of electronics refers to the momentary unwanted current which may cause damage to electronic equipment. ESD is a grave risk especially in solid state electronics such as integrated circuits which are made up of voltage-sensitive semiconductor and insulating materials. Even a low voltage can cause irreversible damage to these materials.
Static electricity is one of the causes of ESD. Static electricity occurs commonly as even a simple rub with your fingertips on the PC keyboard can cause it. Much of static electricity occurs via a process called triboelectrification, when exchange of electrons occurs as two materials rub and then move apart.
Walking across a rug and touching a grounded metal object can involve 10,000 to 12,000 volts
The amount of voltage involved in static electricity sounds fearsome but is actually harmless to humans. Walking across a rug and touching a grounded metal object can involve 10,000 to 12,000 volts. But the amperage is minute. And it is amperage, not voltage, which is life-threatening to humans.
Unfortunately, what cannot kill humans can kill your PC. Integrated circuits can be damaged by static electricity of as low as 4,000 volts, which is the minimum voltage that the average human can barely sense. This PC-killing voltage can happen by a simple act of opening up your PC, plugging in a RAM or some add-in card. You may never have any sensation whatsoever of static but still, you may have rendered a fatal blow to the integrated circuit.
The add-in you installed may appear fine but after weeks, days or months, your PC may act strangely and even lock up. Low-voltage static charges can cause latent or delayed damage as it insidiously destroys some of the millions of gates in the integrated circuitry. In many cases, the hidden damage may not cause any problems at all and therefore remains undiagnosed for a long time but it ultimately leads to permanent damage.
To avoid static damage, the best way is still to have sufficient grounding which equalizes the electrical potential of both your body and the components you are working on. In grounding, all static charges are drained to the ground via an object connected to the earth.
There are also other ways of minimizing static damage such as using electrical grounding, anti-static wrist strap and other components and avoiding the use of static-inducing components.
In all but the most extreme cases of static damage, a professional data recovery company will be able to rescue most, if not all, of your precious data - speak to the experts at Kingdom Data Recovery for more details.
