Static Electricity Articles library

By :Ali Jamalan

If you’ve ever walked across a thick carpet and felt a shock after touching a grounded object (or shocked a friend on purpose) you know about the general effects of static electricity. But do you know how it works, or how damaging it can be to computer components? Although it may seem a bit silly and unimportant, “static shock” or Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) can cause significant damage to your hard drive. Comparable to a lighting bolt damaging a tree, ESD can act like a bomb exploding in your drive, blowing apart parts of the circuit board. But don’t worry – if you follow a few simple steps you can ensure you’re well protected and avoid letting a minor thing like ESD cause major problems.

WHAT IS ESD?
ESD or "static shock" is a portion of an imbalanced high voltage field on a non-conductive surface (e.g. your hand, the carpet, a screwdriver) that has just moved to a conductive surface in a rapid, uncontrolled fashion. "Static electricity" is the same portion of an imbalanced high voltage field on a nonconductive surface, but it has not yet reached the point of releasing it's electrons to equalize the imbalance between a conductor with a greater positive charge than itself. This imbalanced high voltage field will not "discharge" until conditions are right, that is until the number of electrons the charge grabs from around its location builds to a point in which no more electrons can be sustained. When a conductive surface of some type gets within 'jumping" distance, the process of equalising the electrical field is experienced.

Imbalanced high voltage fields are everywhere, constantly flowing over and around us, and people feel them because we are good conductors. The shock you sometimes get when touching a door knob after shuffling across the carpet is made in the same way a thunderstorm makes a lightning bolt.

Some Examples of Voltage:

• 3,000 volts - the average human can't feel voltage below this threshold.
• 8,000 volts - yawning and stretching with clothes on.
• 15-20,000 volts - shoving a plastic-coated box across the carpet with foot.
• 18,000 volts - getting up from a foam cushion on a nylon-covered couch.
• 35,000 volts - walking across a typical carpet.5

WHAT CAN ESD DO?
While ESD won’t kill you, it can definitely kill your computer components. While it takes an electrostatic discharge of 3,000 volts for you to feel a shock, much smaller charges, well below the threshold of human sensation, can and often do damage semiconductor devices. Many of the more sophisticated electronic components can be damaged by charges as low as 10 volts.

ESD damage occurs when a charge on a hand or tool finds a path of lesser resistance from itself to a drive. If the energy of that charge is larger than the amount of energy the drive can safely dissipate, damage may occur.

Especially sensitive to ESD are integrated circuits: processors, memory, cache chips and expansion cards. This damage can be immediate, resulting in melting, junction breakdown or oxidation. Even scarier, you could electrocute your drive and never even know it – the effects of ESD are difficult to trace and often do not affect the drive until several days to several months after the ESD occurrence.

PREVENTION TIPS
Luckily, a few simple steps can help you avoid ESD damage and promote long life for your disk drive.

• Keep your drive in an ESD bag until you handle it – an ESD bag is specially designed to prevent ESD.

• Always wear an ESD wrist strap grounded to an unpainted surface on the chassis of your computer.

• If a wrist strap is unavailable, touch an unpainted surface on the chassis of your computer before handling your drive.

• Only touch the connector pins on your drive with the proper cabling ends or jumpers. Never use a bare finger or non-insulated tool.

• Protect your drive from sources of high voltage power such as fans or vacuum cleaners.

• Never try to plug a power or data cable into a drive unless power to the box is completely off.

Finally, by controlling the temperature, you can also help limit ESD. By increasing the relative humidity of the room where the computer is located, you can greatly reduce build-up of ESD. Static builds up more readily in dry environments than in moist ones; this is why you get zapped much more often in the winter time in northern climates than in summer.

So what happens if by some freak accident your hard drive experiences ESD and your data is lost? Don’t panic, because your best solution is only a phone call away. Many ‘Data Recovery’ companies have experience dealing with hard drives damaged by ESD and will apply the most advanced technology in the industry to perform data recovery. Contacting these immediately upon discovering ESD damage is the best option to keep you and your clients working and productive.

Knowing that ESD exists is the first step in prevention. By following ESD handling procedures and understanding the dynamics behind “static electricity,” you can ensure that working with a hard drive is never a shocking experience.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
Low Cost Data Recovery Service
UK's cheapest logical data recovery service for all hard disk drives (IDE/SATA), diskettes, memory sticks and flash cards.

at 27.6.07 1 comments

Labels: hard disk drive

By:James Walsh

Electrostatic Shock: Get your Basics Right

Static or Electrostatic shock occurs when two objects that are differently charged come into contact with one another. When a contact is established between two objects, the electrons from one of them move to the other resulting in charged particles. The like charges repel and the unlike charges attract leading to the transfer of energy from one object to the other. This results in an electrostatic shock.

Electrostatic shocks are more common in insulators since the electrons can move from one insulator to the other when rubbed against each other. Also, electrostatic shocks occur mostly during winter when the humidity is very low. Otherwise, the humidity in the air does not support building up of huge static charge.

Consequences of Electrostatic Shocks

Electrostatic shocks produce heat that can damage electronic items in its proximity. While it cannot cause fatal accidents to humans, it is capable of destroying computer circuitry, the hard drive being the most common victim. If you have critical data stored on your hard drive, you stand a risk of losing all the information. It can melt the sensitive parts on the circuit board and damage it completely. While the damage might occur instantly, in some cases, it might take several days before you realise the damage and it might be too late for you to trace the problem or even rectify it.

Tips for Preventing Hard Drive Damage

Hard drive has become an important and integral part of our lives. Be it your client’s list or your personal information pertaining to your savings, you have all the information stored on your computer hard drive. People often lose data on the hard drive that eventually affects their business and personal lives. But the good news is that the damage due to electrostatic shock can be easily avoided. Here are a few tips that can help you avoid these unpleasant consequences of electrostatic shock and hard drive damage.

1. One of the major causes of electrostatic shock is you. Yes, when people are at their workstations, their hands rub across items present in the vicinity and can result in electrostatic discharges. When they come in contact with computer components, it might result in their damage. So use a grounding wrist strap that is available in the market that can avoid the problem.

2. While shipping your computer parts, make sure to pack them in ant-static bags that avoid building up of electrostatic field. However, placing the components just above these anti-static bags would not help.

3. While installing your computer components or opening your computer case, make sure to ground yourself, switch off the power supply, use screw drivers that would not cause electrostatic shock and, above all, discharge the static electricity from the components before installing them.

4. Flooring that dispels static electricity at workplace would also help to avoid electrostatic shock.

5. Avoid using materials that would cause static electricity such as plastic, polystyrene, etc.

6. Controlling the humidity at the workplace is also useful to avoid electrostatic shock.

7. Make sure the employees who work with sensitive computer parts are aware of electrostatic shocks and how to prevent them. Only trained personnel should be allowed to handle these parts.

8. Before plugging or unplugging the power or data cable to your computer drives, make sure the power to the drive is completely cut off.

In short, all these steps help you to avoid electrostatic buildup or assist in dissipating the static charge that is accumulated. In spite of all these precautionary measures, if you still have an accident that damages your hard drive, do not worry. There are a lot of data recovery companies in the market that help you to recover the data.

In addition to the hard drive, electrostatic shocks can also destroy the circuit board on your computer. Statistics show that businesses experiencing computer breakdown owing to electrostatic shocks constitute a higher percentage. To avoid any dire consequences, it is always a better idea that you play the game safe.

Article Directory: Articledashboard
James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. For more information on Data Recovery see www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk

at 27.6.07 0 comments

Labels: hard disk drive

We've all done it. Every time we invest in new carpet, we take an internal oath and solemnly swear we will take care of this brand new carpet, and rightfully so. It doesn't take a mathematical genius to know that for most folks, the third largest investment after the purchase of our home and cars is the home's interior.

So we read the manufacturer's warranty and notice that it says to vacuum often. Daily might be the frequency in the high traffic areas. But who has time any more to spend maintaining carpets on a daily basis? The only time you see people vacuum that frequently is in the hotel and motel industry.

Rarely does one actually see the carpets being replaced at the hotel and motel industry unless there is a major remodeling project happening with new color schemes to match. So it would serve one well to learn from the hospitality business.

How do we usually buy carpet? In most cases it comes with the home already installed. It will either be a newly built or a previously owned re-sale home. If a new home was built, if you are in the beginning stages of construction, you have a choice to upgrade to the better carpet and padding offered. Or you can choose the cheapest carpet known to mankind commonly referred to as 'builder's grade' materials which also includes the cheapest, thinnest carpet pad also known as 'FHA grade' 2 lb. rebond.

Sure the carpet is fuzzy and comes in a light color and the padding might as well be called foam because it easily crushes to the sub-floor when any weight is applied on the carpet's surface. After all, carpet is just carpet and pad is just pad, right? WRONG. Once again the old adage "You get what you pay for" still rings true.

DuPont, one of the top four major fiber producers, conducted a study years ago about the behaviors of the consumer as related to the way they make a purchase decision when it comes to picking carpet. I suppose human behavior still has not evolved that much since. Please note that the following results are not a misprint.

They rank from number one to number five in order:

1. Color
2. Color
3. Color
4. Texture
5. Price

While not disclosed, the first three might have been trying to color match the hard surface flooring like tile, hardwood flooring or stone. The second might be for the paint in a given room and the last color match to compliment the home's other furnishings such as window treatments, and furniture.

Texture refers to the 'feel' also known as the hand of the carpet referring to how it feels when you touch the carpet by hand. It would also take into account the weight of carpet measured in ounces. For example, a carpet weighing 32 oz. per square inch has more carpet fibers then say a 16 ounce carpet. A good way to test this principle is to go to carpet a retailer and ask to see two different swatches.

For example with all things being equal, such as the same Carpet Fiber Producer manufactured by DuPont, same carpet fibers milled at Shaw Industries, same color dye lot, etcetera, you can perform this simple comparison test side by side.

Simply form your fingers like a claw and push directly straight down from top to the bottom of the fibers using your fingertips only. You should notice an immediate difference in carpet density. It will also reflect in the price per square yard. The difference is the number of stitches per square inch. On a much more dense carpet, it will be difficult to see down to the primary backing where the carpet is stitched in.

Here's the benefit:
If there are more carpet pile fibers, then each carpet fiber actually supports one another side by side on all four corners of the fiber forming a nap. The less pile there is opens up the potential damage for gritty soil to 'cut' the fibers at the base of the pile where the primary backing is. This cutting effect comes with every step, pivot and turn on the carpet nap's surface. This also causes thinning, pitting and marring of fibers making carpets dull in appearance even after restorative cleaning.

It is also worth mentioning that 60 percent of the soil that falls into the carpet can be removed safely and effectively with routine dry vacuuming of high traffic areas such as halls, stairs, entry ways and traffic paths in front of furniture. This single process alone can greatly extend the performance and life use of the carpet. Remember the hospitality industry housekeepers?

The second most fatal mistake a carpet purchaser can make is ignoring the quality of the carpet pad. Padding for the subfloor is like the spine of the carpet. It provides support to aid in preventing indentations left by heavy furniture legs after re-arranging a room.

It also has the job of holding water like a sponge whenever a copious amount water floods the room such as a broken water pipe. It provides the comfort under our footing so our feet and backs don't ache. This is the one place you don't have to worry about the color matching as the carpet will cover all the pad.

Pad is also measured in ounces and pounds. Once again, the higher the number, the more dense the pad. The density can range in feeling. By using a pinch test between the top and bottom of the pad you can compare densities. There is foam all the way up to feeling like a large pencil eraser. The higher the better.

Try to stay away from rubber based products like a waffle print as they have been known to dry rot where hot water pipes run through the concrete subflooring. They also don't provide any absorption for collecting water spills. In fact in a typical flood scenario, the water just continues to migrate further by saturating a greater area of carpet space.

It would also be wise to choose the right carpet for the right application. If you were born during Baby Boomer era, you would have ran into carpets that were made from polyester. Those fibers were dyed first before they were extruded as fiber. They never faded from the sun or bleach spills and lasted forever but were harder to clean.

Nylon came around and was softer to the hand and cleaned up better but spills could permanently stain the fibers and due to costs, generally come in lighter colors. Almost all darker colors will be more expensive to produce due to more dye in the process. More dyes prevented stains due to the lack of dye sites available.

Fourth Generation carpets removed the nuisance of static electricity when walking across a room and touching anything conductive to release a jolting shock.

Fifth Generation carpets involved the incorporation of stain resist carpets. The key to this technology was to create a transparent dye. Normally after dyeing half of the carpet's dye sites in a light color the remaining dye sites would be open for stains once installed. The solution was solved by re-dyeing the remaining dye sites with a transparent dye. Dye sites are like skin pores on your arm.

Benefit:
If all dye sites on a fiber are filled, then no stains could penetrate immediately. This would give the end user time to remove the stain later even if it dried on in many cases.

The last point to consider is the primary backing of carpets. For a number of years, India exported to the United States jute which is what ropes are made of. An unfortunate deadly industrial accident involving chemicals at Union Carbide's battery plant, cause strained relations between both countries and jute stopped being exported.

Jute backed carpets also occurred when they became wet from flooding. The natural fiber made of plant (organically)based material released a tannin dye similar to coffee and bled into the carpet's surface; thereby causing it to permanently discolor the carpet and ruin it.

It was also a food source for mold and mildew and if not treated quickly, it would dry rot causing the primary and secondary backing to delaminate and destroy the carpet.

Since the mid 1980's polypropylene backing has become the norm. It's a tough as fishing line and can hold up to most abuse end users give it. It's also cheaper to produce. In fact, 70 percent of all carpets involved in a clear water food damage loss can be dried, cleaned and re-engaged with no evidence of a pre-loss condition.

Good luck on your next carpet purchase as you now possess more knowledge than most of the carpet cleaners and retailers in the industry. And don't forget to vacuum!

By: Sintilia Miecevole

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Sintilia Miecevole, host has a keen interest in carpets as you can see on www.iwantcarpet.com. This is an excellent resource site including discount, area rugs, commercial, installation, cleaning, custom, oriental, persian and outdoor carpets to wall to wall, marine, wholesale and more. Visit www.iwantcarpet.com to find your carpet.

at 23.5.07 0 comments

Labels: carpet

Using a fabric softener in the final rinse cycle is a terrific way to get your clothes, sheets and towels to come through the laundry feeling soft and fresh. But, few people realize that the right fabric softener can do so much more than that. Over time, many fabrics can fade in color, or lose the intensity of their whiteness. A good fabric softener will brighten both your white and colored items, keeping your clothing looking new for a long time to come.

Looking Sharp

A quality fabric softener works hard to keep you looking neat and fresh. The appearance of most beautiful and fashionable outfit can be spoiled by messy lint and annoying static cling. But, simply adding fabric softener during the final rinse cycle of your wash helps to keep clothes from attracting lint or developing static cling. In addition, fabric softener will leave your clothes easier to iron, so your outfits will always show you at your well-groomed best.

Being Soft on the Earth

In addition to caring for your laundry, a good fabric softener should care for our planet. Be sure to choose a concentrated formula that creates less waste and that will last you up to 3 times longer than a conventional softener. The container should be a material recyclable in almost all communities, such as HDPE 2 plastic. Read the ingredients carefully to be sure that your fabric softener does not contain any chlorine or phosphates, which would contaminate our soil and water.

Hand Washing with Fabric Softener

Most people are familiar with the use of fabric softener in the washing machine, which is added in the final rinse cycle. But, you also reap all the benefits of fabric softener when you hand wash your delicate items. Simply add 2 teaspoons to the water you use to rinse your hand washables. Fabric softener should never be poured directly on fabrics, whether you are hand or machine washing.

Avoiding a “Shocking” Experience

Most of us have had the unpleasant experience of getting painful shocks in the winter after walking across the carpet and then touching just about anything. When we heat our homes to stay warm during the colder months of the year, moisture is removed from the air, creating a condition of low humidity. This causes the buildup of static electricity we often find in our carpets. To remedy the situation, try mixing a solution of 5 parts water to 1 part fabric softener. Pour into a spray bottle and lightly spray all carpets in your house. You’ll find winter takes on a softer touch.

Visit http://www.fuller-brush-products.com
By: hari


Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Author Vincent Platania represents the Fuller Brush Company. Fuller Brush has been in business since 1906, and offers safe, environmentally friendly products for keeping your home and your body clean. Visit www.fuller-brush-products.com

at 23.5.07 0 comments

Labels: fabric softener, static cling

Many organisations spend lots and lots of money in their ESD control activities. All the money spent is used to buy wrist strap, wrist strap monitor, ionizer, static shielding bag just to name a few to protect their parts from being damaged by ESD.

There are many controls and awareness on ESD among organisations that build parts that are susceptible to ESD damage.
However, there is poor awareness among the public on the danger of static electricity especially at the gas pump.
According to Steve Fowler who is a static electricity expert says it happens more than you think, “We believe about 1,000 times a year in the U.S.”

To save your life and other person’s life, it is very important to know:

How does fire happen at the gas pump?
Fire breaks out at a gas pump due to static electricity.
When a person goes back to his vehicle, rubbing against the seat while sitting, talking to his children or taking his wallet, static charges are built up within his body due to his movements.
He transfers the static charges when he touches the gas pump nozzle, which generates a spark. The spark then ignites the gasoline vapours and fire breaks out.


Key points to remember when refuelling gas at Gas Station

1. Turn off the engine of your vehicle
2. Touching a metal surface away from the nozzle to discharge your static electricity before fuelling (Some gas pump stations provide Touching Pad for you to reduce your static electricity)
3. Stay near your vehicle fuelling pint – DO NOT re-enter your vehicle
4. Never smock, light matches or use lighters during refuelling
5. Touch your vehicle or a metal surface to discharge any static electricity once refuelling is done before removing the nozzle


Warning: If fire starts, LEAVE the nozzle in the vehicle.
Run away and safe your life.
Contact gas pump attendant immediately to shut down the pump.


Article Source: http://learnesd.com
Article is published with written permission from http://learnesd.com

at 15.5.07 0 comments

Labels: gas pump

Six-year-old Taylor Zinderski slid down a plastic slide and slipped into silence. It was October at a church playground. Taylor, deaf for almost two years, ran to her father. She told him her cochlear implant - an electronic device that lets her hear -had suddenly fizzled.
It had been zapped by a static electric shock. Chris Zinderski hadn't switched off his daughter's implant because he didn't believe that static could really be a problem.
"Now I've learned my lesson," he said.
The shock didn't ruin Taylor's implant, but it did require an inconvenient trip to an audiologist. Static electricity is so much of a worry and hassle for the deaf that Washington University electrical engineer Robert Morley has a grant to study one of its main sources: plastic playground slides.
As playground slides evolve from metal to durable, cheap and colorful PVC plastic, deaf children face a sad choice: Don't play, or turn off their implants and play without sound.
Some playgrounds, such as new "all inclusive" ones, have deliberately included metal slides, which don't produce static electricity. But many others don't - including some that are supposed to be accessible to disabled children.
"Every time I look, there's another we can't go to," said Peg Jones, the mainstream coordinator at St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf in Chesterfield, Mo.
IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE
Morley, who helped pioneer digital hearing aids, got a small federal grant to study the issue. His first task: See how much static a slide can make.
He sent his two daughters down St. Louis-area plastic slides hundreds of times, wearing different clothes.
Static electricity occurs when a "positive" material sheds electrons by rubbing a "negative" material that attracts them. Good static-producing combinations include wool and PVC plastic, hair and rubber, and skin and polyester. Cotton, paper and steel are neutral.
The resulting charge on both objects can dissipate slowly in humid air, or cause a shock if it touches something that is grounded, such as a person, a car - or the metal pole that Morley had his daughters touch after each slide.
The type of clothes and length of the slide didn't matter much. But humidity did. In the cold, dry air of winter, Morley's daughters achieved charges of about 10,000 volts. Morley says that in the dry air of Tucson, Ariz., a colleague measured 20,000 volts after a slide.
In coming months, he will apply those voltages to test implants, which are rated to withstand 8,000 volts, according to Doug Miller, an engineer with Cochlear Americas, one of the manufacturers of the devices.
STATIC IN EVERY ROOM
Cochlear implants can cost more than $50,000. They require a delicate surgery to insert a wire into the snail shell-shaped cochlea. A hearing aid outside the ear picks up sound and converts it to an electrical signal that is broadcast through the skin to the internal device, which electrically stimulates the auditory nerve.
Miller and Morley both stress that static electricity is not a threat to the internal part of the implant. It can only zap the external equipment and force a trip to the audiologist for recalibration.
Miller says it will soon be a nonissue, as deaf people move to newer implants that can withstand more static. New rules will require a rating to 15,000 volts and most companies test the devices at even higher levels, he says.
But until then, each room at the Moog Center for Deaf Education in St. Louis County will keep a bottle of diluted fabric softener for spraying down staticky kids and carpets. On a cold November morning, family school director Betsy Brooks watched for signs of static.
At recess out on a wood and metal playground, the children played with their implants turned on. Taylor sailed down the metal slide, her mop of curly blond hair bouncing in the air.
Jones feels sorry for the children who have to turn their implants off.
"It's a completely different experience to go down the slide without the wind and the `whee,'" she said.

By Eric Hand,
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/13368310.htm

at 15.5.07 0 comments

Labels: hearing aid

Static Discharge Causes Flaky Damage
By Stephen Bucaro

Some time ago I purchased a motherboard, CPU, and memory from a local computer store. The sales person did me the "favor" of plugging the CPU and memory into the motherboard. I held my breath as this was done with no care what so ever taken to prevent damage from a possible electrostatic discharge.
A static discharge can damage or destroy integrated circuit electronics. The problem is that you may not see a visible spark. You may not know that a static discharge occurred. And, you are lucky if the static discharge totally destroyed the circuit.
Often a component is only damaged and appears to work. This type of damage can produce occasional or frequent errors. This is what technicians call "flaky" because the failure does not occur reliably enough to be able to track it down.
The technician can't determine if the errors are caused by software or hardware. All they can do is keep changing things and waiting to see if the problem goes away. This is very time consuming and costly.
The proper way to handle computer circuits is to wear a grounded wrist strap. Any electrical charge that builds up on your body is then immediately conducted to ground. But experienced technicians have tricks for controlling static electricity.
One trick is to leave the circuit board laying on top of an antistatic bag or antistatic foam as much as possible. Another is to leave the computer plugged into the AC outlet with the computers power switch off. This places ground on the computers metal case. Then the technician works with one hand always on a metal part of the case. Any electrical charge that builds up on your body is then immediately conducted to ground the same as with a wrist strap.
The important thing is to take static discharge seriously. Don't stick yourself or someone else with a flaky computer because you were too lazy to take basic care to protect against static discharge.


Resource Box: Copyright(C)2002 Bucaro TecHelp. To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit http://bucarotechelp.com .To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelpNewsletter Send a blank email to bucarotechelp-subscribe@topica.com.
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Article Source: http://findinarticles.com

at 14.5.07 0 comments

Labels: static discharge

Safety Tips to Building a Computer
By: Julien David

There are some important precautions you should take into account when building a computer to ensure the safety of you and your computer parts. This article gives you some helpful tips on building your computer in the safest way possible.

Stay Safe With Electricity

Electricity is an important issue to consider with dangerous implications for those who ignore it. When building your computer, be 100% sure that the power supply is disconnected from the mains. Also make sure that all network cables and telephone lines are disconnected from the computer.

Another electricity safety tip is to only turn the power on to your computer when the case cover is on. Don't ever work on the inside of your computer with the power plugged in and turned on.

Be Aware of Static Electricity

Static electricity is a real hazard than can cause significant damage to your computer components. To prevent this from happening, follow these simple tips:

- Always wear an antistatic wrist band when building your computer.

- Keep sensitive components in the antistatic bags that they came with, and only remove them from the bag when you are ready to install that component.

- Try to handle your computer components by their edges only.

- Avoid building your computer in areas of high static such as carpeted areas. If you can, try to avoid wearing clothing such as those made of synthetics as they may create static.

Use the Right Tools for the Job

These days, building a computer doesn't require many tools at all. But if you're going to be using a tool, make sure you use the right one for the job. Some tools that you may need for assembly are:

- Phillips screwdriver

- Flat nose screwdriver

- Pliers

- Antistatic wrist band (highly recommended)

- Nut driver (optional)

Conclusion

After reading this article you should now be aware of the main safety issues you need to consider when building a computer. Follow this advice and you will greatly reduce the risk of damaging your computer, or yourself.

Article Source: http://www.articlecube.com
Check out Julien's website on How to Build Gaming Computers for more information on building your own custom gaming computers.

at 9.5.07 0 comments

Labels: PC

How To Install A Motherboard
by: Anthony Elias

(Important make sure you read through this guide before you begin installation of your new motherboard.)

The motherboard is the largest and one of the most important components of your computer. It’s reliability and health is utmost important.

Once you have picked out and purchased your motherboard you are ready for installation.

Carefully remove the motherboard from the box, do not remove it out of the ESD (electro static discharge) bag. Do a quick inventory to make sure you have all of your parts. Most likely you should have all of you IDE cables for the hard drive and cdrom, and possibly I/O plate. If you purchased a motherboard that support ATA hard drives you should have those cables.

Once you have verified that you have all the parts, pick up the user manual, and read through it, you don’t have to read it from cover to cover but you want to familiarize yourself with the motherboard, in addition many motherboard manufactures will also include a quick installation guide so take a look at that also.

Now you are ready, your work area should be clean and static free. Put on your anti static wrist band, if you have one. A anti static wrist band is just basically a cloth wrist band that has a snap on stretchable cable that is grounded, the grounded surface area helps keep electrostatic discharge in control.

Remove the motherboard from the box and all of the parts. Then remove the motherboard from ESD bag and lay it inside the empty box. Cut open your ESD bag on each side and turn it inside out so that you can lay your motherboard inside of it. Just laying your new motherboard on top of your ESD bag is not enough protection from electro static discharge.

Prepare your computer chassis. If you have already installed and mounted your power supply, tie the power cords out of your way with some wire ties, or some Velcro. You need a clear path from the opening of your chassis to the bottom of your chassis, where your motherboard will be mounted.

Something’s you need to think about before you drop your new motherboard into your chassis is, cooling. Depending on what type of processor you have purchased, the processor may run hot. So you have to think about good ventilation for your chassis. Heat can destroy your new investment in a matter of hours. If you do not already have at least two exhaust fans on your chassis you may have to think about actually cutting a hole either at the top of your chassis or on the side to mount the exhaust fans. Ok pick your jaw off the ground; it’s not as bad as it sounds. If you have a dremel with a cutting blade it can be very easy. Use an old CD as a template and draw around the CD with a washable marker. Then just follow the line with your dremel. Now you don’t have to do this, you can buy a chassis with plenty of exhaust fans already installed, so that is something to consider when you are in the process of buying all of your parts.

Now let’s get back to installing your new motherboard. Once you have a clear path to the bottom of your computer chassis, make sure that you have your bag of screws handy, and a long neck Philips screw driver. Take a look at the motherboard mounts, they are installed inside your chassis, these are the mounts that you will align with the holes on the motherboard. If you do not have any mounts you will have to installed them your self. The hardware should have come with your chassis if your chassis is new; if not make sure you save your screws, when you remove your old mother board.

Remove the old I/O plate and install the new one, take a look at the manual for reference. Make sure that it is secure. Look at the mounts that are on the bottom of your, chassis you want to make sure that you line up the mounts with the holes that are drilled on your mother board. (Important DO NOT DRILL ANY HOLES IN YOUR MOTHERBOARD) Angle the motherboard so that I/O ports will match with the holes on the I/O plate. There is a good chance that you might need to remove the break away pieces of metal the cover some I/O holes on the I/O plate. It is a good idea to check for proper match before installing the mother board.

As you angle the motherboard towards the I/O plates make sure that mounting holes on the motherboard are lining up with the mounts on the chassis. Gently push the motherboard towards the back of the chassis so that the I/O ports are snug against the I/O plate, and that all of the ports are protruding all the way out.

Once you have the motherboard correctly align with the I/O plate you are ready to mount the motherboard to the chassis with the screws provided. Tighten each screw down so that they are snug; do not over tighten the screws.

Use the manual as your guide and connect the power LED, speaker, reset switch ECT, coming off of the chassis to the F_panel (Front Panel) of your motherboard. Since each motherboard will be slightly different make sure to refer to the manual for exact instruction.

Ok well there you have it. You just installed your new motherboard. Need more information on motherboards, and motherboard form factor like the AT or ATX head on over http://www.amecomputers.com/form-factor-motherboards.htm

About The Author
Anthony Elias has been in the information technology field for over 10 years. If you need more information on computer software, hardware or networking please visit us at http://www.amecomputers.com

Products from Amazon
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Labels: Motherboard, PC

Give Your PC A Boost
by: Brad Johnson

There will be times where you feel your PC could be going a lot faster than it should. It’s time to take a look at some solutions to help make your PC run at peak performance.

The Windows registry is a big part in keeping your PC stable. The registry is essentially the catalog or reference source for your computer. When you open a program such as your media player or word processor or even an Internet browser, your computer queries the registry to find where the program is stored. The registry contains references to a large majority of settings and values for the operating system as well as its programs, user profiles, document types, hardware, ports and more. Whatever is inputted or outputted through your system is noted by the registry. And yet, Windows Registry problems are the common cause for a majority of crashes, reduced PC performance and error messages.

Tampering with a system registry requires a thorough knowledge of computers. It is recommended that if you do attempt to work on the registry, you should make sure you back it up in case a mistake is made, and secondly, you should make sure you know what you’re doing before playing around with it. If a mistake is made, you can cause some major errors on your system.

The unfortunate news is that your registry will require maintenance every now and then just like other components in your PC such as your hard drive and RAM. Think of your PC as a guitar. The more you use it constantly, the more it can go out of tune. You have to make sure to fine tune it on a gradual basis, otherwise it may not play so well.

A good way to clean out your registry and boost your PC’s performance is by finding some top rated registry cleaners. Once again, we will plug the download section on our website. The best free downloads or trial software can be found at www.outofthisworldpc.com. Be sure to check it out to make sure you are using the best type of software the Internet can offer. We have done all of the researching for you. All you have to do is find us, and use our resources.

To summarize what a registry cleaning program does, it literally fixes a large mass of PC errors and can end such headaches as computer crashes, system instability, error messages, severe lag time and more. You can definitely notice a large boost in your computer shortly after using these excellent software programs, but again, don’t just rely on this software.

Using Scandisk to clean your hard drive of bad errors can help solve some issues relating to your hard drive if errors occur. Remember to give your computer a very thorough cleaning from time to time to keep your performance at its peak rate. Also keep in mind to vacuum out your computer to avoid dust contamination.

Warning! Before deciding to open your computer case, you should be aware that your body can contain static electricity that may be discharged to the circuits inside your computer. A static discharge can damage or ruin your computer. Therefore prior to doing any work inside your computer, you should get a grounding strap. A grounding strap can be attached to one of your wrists and be plugged into the wall (if it is the type made for a wall outlet). If you don't have the ground strap made for the wall outlet, you may need to attach your ground strap to a cold water pipe. A ground strap grounds your body using the earth ground in the wall outlet or from a cold water pipe. A grounding strap should cost less than twenty dollars and should be available at an electrical equipment store. You should always wear a ground strap when working inside your computer case. Especially when working with the microprocessor, memory, motherboard, or other plug in boards.

Now, make sure your PC box is unplugged, take off the cover, discharge your system by de-pressing the power button twice. This is important because if your vacuum cleaner is metallic and makes contact with other metal while power is still residual, you can blow out components in your hardware. It is best to use a plastic vacuum when cleaning. Use the brush extension on your vacuum to get all the dust out of your PC’s air intakes, case fan, hardware components and more.


About The Author
Brad Johnson is a professional web designer, computer expert and Internet Marketer who owns http://www.pc-tutorials.com: A resource website that specializes in a vast amount of articles, tutorials and more pertaining to Internet Marketing and Information Technology.

Article Source:http://www.Articlecity.com

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Labels: PC

Humidifier Use In The Home
by: Kelly Gillis

Humidifiers get a lot of use in baby nurseries. When baby is having a breathing problem due to illness, improving and moisturizing the air will help him/her breathe easier. But, humidifiers are not just for baby.
Very simply, a humidifier puts moisture into the air. This moist air makes it easier for anyone who suffers with allergies, asthma, sinus headaches or swollen nasal passages to breathe. Humidifiers also help prevent dry skin and hair and static electricity in the winter time when the heat is on in the home. Humidifiers can also be beneficial for the home by preventing over drying of wood, peeling of wallpaper, and preventing cracks in drywall and plaster.
Humidifiers can make cool mist or warm mist. A warm mist humidifier has been compared to being in a greenhouse, whereas a cool mist humidifier puts out cool air and will not make the air in the room warm. You will choose based on your personal preference.
You can purchase humidifiers to handle one room, such as a bedroom, or nursery, or purchase a humidifier to handle a large space such as a whole house humidifier. There are many features available on humidifiers. You will probably want to look for a humidifier with an automatic shut off. It will turn off when the unit is empty. This is a good safety feature. Some humidifiers have built in humidistats. This can help when a humidifier is used frequently as they can make a room wet, or over-humidify a room. Some humidifiers come with an ultraviolet light that is used to kill bacteria in the water before it is dispersed into the air by the humidifier. Some humidifiers have quieter motors than others, and this can be important as they are often used while sleeping.
Studies done by the government have shown that cool mist humidifiers can disperse microorganisms and minerals into the air. The EPA suggests that you use a bottled distilled water in your humidifier to help lower the mineral content in the air. Also, you should not humidify indoors to over 50% as high humidity encourages growth of biological organisms, such as mold, in the home. It is suggested you keep the humidity level in your home between 35-45%.
It is very important that you keep your humidifier clean and follow the manufacturers suggested cleaning schedule.

About The Author
Kelly Gillis
Article courtesy of http://www.humidifier-guide.com
support@arundel.net

Article Source: http://www.Articlecity.com

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Labels: Humidifier