What happens when you touch hardware while it's running?

[warup89]

Im probably the worst Hardware/electronics handler ever, i touch hardware running or not, i place them em on rugs, or clean them while running [old toothbursh is great for dusting] and never had issues with them, but I strongly recommend to do the opposite.

 

[[Ion]]

Just don't to it, you may end up zapping yourself or the hardware. That being said, I still do sometimes

Sometimes I just have an urge to fell how hot the GPU PCB or heatsink is, so I touch it
DO NOT unplug or plug in anything while the computer is on, the only time I tried it blew up the mobo and PSU (but it was just a P3 rig, so no big loss)

 

[niko084]

Im probably the worst Hardware/electronics handler ever, i touch hardware running or not, i place them em on rugs, or clean them while running [old toothbursh is great for dusting] and never had issues with them, but I strongly recommend to do the opposite.

So do the rest of us

School scares people away from doing things this way... I remember my friends A+ classes they were really big on static straps... You know the most of us do all the worst things "according to the book" and nearly non of us have ever fried something with a bit of static charge.

 

[W1zzard]

Yeah, I've touched heatsinks and stopped fans as well, but I don't go poking and prodding at circuit boards with current running through them.

i do, nothing ever happens... expert tip, touch with your tongue

DO NOT unplug or plug in anything while the computer is on, the only time I tried it blew up the mobo and PSU (but it was just a P3 rig, so no big loss)

that is really good advice .. of course it didnt stop me .. killed a hdd, cpu, graphics card on separate occasions with that. nowadays i try to avoid it

I remember my friends A+ classes they were really big on static straps... You know the most of us do all the worst things "according to the book" and nearly non of us have ever fried something with a bit of static charge.

never used any and i probably touched more hardware in my life than your whole class

 

[pbmaster]

The worst thing that happened to me...killed my old Asus A8N with a huge bolt of static electricity to the heat sink lol. Any other time nothing happens.

 

[niko084]

never used any and i probably touched more hardware in my life than your whole class

Wasn't my class... I never wasted my time.

But ya it's really quite silly.. It's like not talking on your cell phone while your pumping gas...
*Yes technically sure maybe, probably not*

 

[pantherx12]

Just noticed people saying about unplugging things, because I'm so used to ripping out molex out of fans and also 3 pin fans I thought I could do the same with a cathode, unplugged it and ZPPPPPPPPPPPPOP computer shuts down, luckily it was okay but it taught me a lesson.

 

[louise071]

You'll feel the electricity running through your veins! lol. My teacher told us never to touch Hardware, ESD gloves

________________________________________

Technology expert and member of youserbase, the technology wiki

 

[AsRock]

You'll feel the electricity running through your veins! lol. My teacher told us never to touch Hardware, ESD gloves

________________________________________

Technology expert and member of youserbase, the technology wiki

Well it's more like a thump if the powers great enough and it can get you a bit stunned.

Not a computer but one day back some time with a old Technics tape deck needed a service like belts cleaning cogs cleaned re greased. And with the transformer being right behind the unit my hand touched one of the solder points which totally stunned me for about a minute and lessen was learned.

Pretty different with comps as ling as your carfull with the molex plugs and a like and not touching the 6/8 pin PCI-e plugs your pretty safe as most dangerous is in the PSU.


Although TV's are the worsted but easily tamed if you know how to earth one. Scary when ya 16 and learning how to do it or even just for the 1st time.

 

[W1zzard]

You'll feel the electricity running through your veins! lol. My teacher told us never to touch Hardware, ESD gloves

teachers also told not to drink, smoke and have sex

 

[Steevo]

My female teachers tried to give me a drink,and then have sex.

 

[Mussels]

My female teachers tried to give me a drink,and then have sex.

my electronics/IT teacher used to tell us "lick it and see" as a method of identifying a live circuit

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

I remember I opened up a PSU at school, and put Jolly Ranchers between the circuits, trying to get as close to the caps as possible, and then just put the PSU in the hallway, went to sit at a bench and watch. About 10 minutes in a line of 4th graders appeared. It was bad.... for them. I was laughing.

 

[cbupdd]

I've always touch the back of my gpu, just to see if it's hot.. I would like to see you making a processor hot swap

 

[dr emulator (madmax)]

ahh this reminds me of when i looked inside a cream crackered 300 watt amplifier for a cb radio because it was making a strange ticking sound ,so being the explorer i was when i was younger, i opened the case and keyed up on the mike, only for the main capacitor to blow up in my face
my mate said he'd never seen someone rush to the kitchen sink faster to wash there eyes out
suffice to say i now have a strong fear of capacitors :shadedshu

 

[Nailezs]

I remember I opened up a PSU at school, and put Jolly Ranchers between the circuits, trying to get as close to the caps as possible, and then just put the PSU in the hallway, went to sit at a bench and watch. About 10 minutes in a line of 4th graders appeared. It was bad.... for them. I was laughing.

laughing so hard right now lol

why didnt i think of this when i was in school????

 

[ChromeDome]

i throw cold beer all over my running hardware on a regular basis

np

 

[JTS]

I once vacuumed the inside of an old P3 while it was running... for some strange reason it never worked after that

 

[r9]

I get aroused

 

[Reefer86]

i move wires and stop fans etc inside my pc. I never go poking at crap while its turned on, but touching the underside of a gfx card no problem. Ive done it many times to feel temps etc.

Plus people that wear anti static bands and pin them to an earth.....................LOL complete joke. Ive never once had a static shock when messing around with my pc. Building or inside messing with something. Tbh i hardly get static shocks once in a 6 month period in daily life.

 

[Wile E]

my electronics/IT teacher used to tell us "lick it and see" as a method of identifying a live circuit

Exactly how I taught my sons to check for a live circuit. For some strange reason, shortly after, they chipped in and bought a DMM, and asked me to teach them how it works.

As far as touching stuff while running, I do it all the time. Especially to check heat.

And I've never used a static strap in my life. I've even managed to zap a few things with ESD. Never killed them. I've even zapped a few things while they were running. Caused a BSOD once, and a restart all the other times. Nothing ever fried.

About the only thing I won't do is try to hot plug molex powered drives. I fried a couple trying it a couple of occasions.

 

[Mussels]

after thinking on it, heres a brief summary of how i do things when poking hardware.


1. if it moves, dont touch the pointy bits.

2. if it doesnt move, avoid the stuff that looks like it could short. EG, touch a memory chip = fine, but dont touch the wires leading to it from the PCB

 

[dr emulator (madmax)]

i also remember touching the fan on my cpu (as it was making a god awfull noise) and it stopped making a noise for about ten seconds then it started again so i put my finger back on the fan(or so i thought) only to stick my finger in the blades holy f does one of them 60 mm hurt smashed the blade aswell so it hurt twice once on the finger and once in the pocket:shadedshu

 

[toyo]

I sometimes .... test ... the accuracy of Everest and other alike apps... fingering the CPU cooler, or back of the GPU. I also put my whole hand on the HDD... and play with the fans (just a little.. maybe?)
But.
Only when I still do have warranty on these products.
It's like a test ride.

 

[Corduroy_Jr]

(What happens when you touch hardware while it's running?) what kind of question is that,

nothing happens, either u burn yourself or dont