Static Electricity

[LucidSmoke]

First off, I am glad to have been directed to this forum by an old GoneGolder.....I was wondering where many of you had gone to. I have been frequenting ConsoleGold, but the traffic was a bit on the light side.

I am having some serious static electricity problems in my home office. When I sit down in my chair, I can just feel the static going through me. It is so bad, that I am using a plastic rod to turn my computer on and off so that I don't get a spark. Doing so in the past has screwed with my cmos settings, caused "checksum bad" errors, and even fried a mother board a few months back.

Unfortunately, my office has carpeting that doesn't help matters and may be the cause. Does anybody know anything about anti-static pads that I can place under my chair? Any other suggestions would be useful as well. BTW, my computer desk has six metal legs that are the only thing touching the carpet. The case itself is on it's own little platform (actually part of the desk specifically made to hold a case).

[Default]

I would think that a humidifier would help, particularly with the dry winter weather. I would think that any kind of floor protector would reduce the static caused by foot contact on the carpet. I would try that first. You could also run a ground wire from the metal leg of your computer desk to the coverplate screw (the tiny screw holding on the plate that keeps you from being electrocuted- that's for the legal disclaimer) and touch the metal from time to time to bleed off static.

[LucidSmoke]

Yes, I do notice that it has become worse with the cold weather. I will try your suggestions. The wire sounds like a possibility too. I actually had a thought last night as I lay reeling in bed from last nights festivities of trimming the fingers off of some rubber gloves and putting them over the ends of the metal legs to insulate them from the carpet.

[Jeff V]

Antistatic floor mats like this one,courtesy of the Office Despot.

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much better idea Jeff!

[LucidSmoke]

Thanks, Jeff. That looks like the ticket. Ouch on the cost though Guess it beats frying components though.