Static electricity takes place when 2 objects connect and 1 becomes positively charged and the other negatively charged. This is known as electrostatic discharge. We’ve all experienced ESD while walking on a carpet and touching a metal doorknob; the positive charge moves to the metal doorknob, making sparks of hot static electricity. However this isn’t like a lightning to us, to electronic parts, it is a lightning bolt. The shock we feel overpowers the heat coming from the event, but the microcomponents of an expansion card, HDD, or memory module can literally melt. There’s also a latent defect, in which the part continues to run for some time, but with a limited life period.

ESD kills many PC parts and is hard to identify in used parts. One can evade frying own components by taking some precautions. First up, make the habit of discharging any possible static electricity by touching something metal that’s earth-ground before you tough any PC parts. Secondly, set an antistatic workstation as finally you’ll forget to discharge before handling parts. One can even choose a wrist strap with the Megohm resistor to help produced ESD. A megohm resister is a device that will restrict the current flowing from the body within 0.5 mA not enough to produe ESD.

It’s also a great concept to wear anti static footwear for grounding yourself, an antistatic mat to cover up the workstation, and close all ESD-susceptible items in antistatic-shielded packaging while being either transferred or saved. One can go for a package of about 10 Ziploc-like antistatic bags costing about $6 at any PC stores.