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Day One Hardware Vs. Software DayTwo – notes Backing up your Data Day Three – notes Day Four – notes Malicious Software |
Static ElectricityStatic Electricity is a controversial topic. The problem with static electrcity is that any damage caused by it may not show itself for months or years after the incident. And if the trouble shows up, it may be intermittant, and seem unrelated to the work that was being done when the damage took place. With all this in mind, I will not preach to yu the evils of static electricity, rather I will simply make you aware of it, and give you a few resources to help you learn more about it. We are all familiar with static electricity. We all get to enjoy the shocking experience of touching a metal object after walking across a carpet during the dry season (Winter). What you may not realise is the amount of power that is actually being transfered in that process. Here is an example to attempt to 'enlighten' you.
A common question I get at this point is "If the voltage is so high, why does it not kill us?". The answer is that although the voltage is high, the amperage is very low. Amperage is what will harm a human. Electronics, however, are damaged by the voltage. Many chips are designed to operate at about 5 volts. They can handle voltages as high as 50 volts for very short periods. They cannot handle the thousands of volts that we are talking about here. When a chip is damamged, it may stop working right away. However it is just as likely that the damage will not be complete. Instead of breaking the circuit, it just weakens it. When this happens, the circuit will continue to function, but over time the weakened part of the circuit will wear. If you put the circuit under any kind of heavy load, it may fail. Next: Controlling Static Electricity |