Would ESD damage my motherboard easily?

[Jetus]

Hello, would small ESD damage motherboard? Just touched there (yellow area) with my hand and mobo was not plugged in. Felt so tiny feeling but I’m not sure.

 

[Ruru]

I doubt not. Hard to say without any testing.

 

[Shrek]

Probably OK, but I am not suggesting not taking ESD precautions.

 

[freeagent]

I used to build computers on my living room carpet lol.. you are probably ok.. maybe..

 

[_roman_]

Just don'T LTT.

Predamage for sure. I doubt that has changed in teh past 30 years.

I do repair electronics, service and build pc's with proper esd equipment. ESD plug + wire (which needs to be replaced regularly - not the first one i use) + arm strip.

Using no ESD equipment is acceptable for kids who build their first computers and are not aware of. I highly doubt big companies would use ESD in the manufacturing process when it would not makes sense!

 

[sram]

I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Jetus]

Just don'T LTT.

Predamage for sure. I doubt that has changed in teh past 30 years.

I do repair electronics, service and build pc's with proper esd equipment. ESD plug + wire (which needs to be replaced regularly - not the first one i use) + arm strip.

Using no ESD equipment is acceptable for kids who build their first computers and are not aware of. I highly doubt big companies would use ESD in the manufacturing process when it would not makes sense!

should I worry about it after if it even works properly?

 

[sram]

should I worry about it after if it even works properly?

No. Not really. Static usually fry things right away.........if it didn't happen, then it will not happen later.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Would ESD damage my motherboard easily?

Had you said "Could" instead of "Would" and left off the word "easily", I would have said, "Absolutely! ESD can damage a motherboard".

Manufacturers over the years have built in many ESD damage mitigation techniques to greatly reduce the risk. But there is no way those can eliminate possible risks complete.

That said, looking at your picture, it seems you touched the PCB edge and I "suspect" the ESD you sensed was the voltage jumping to the motherboard's ground plane - by far, the safest place to jump too. After all, circuit cards should be handled by the edges.

I say, press on and use it. I would bet it will work fine. But from now on, especially when handling sensitive devices like the CPU, RAM modules and cards, try to remember to touch a grounding point (bare metal of case interiors are good) before reaching for the sensitive device.

Using no ESD equipment is acceptable for kids who build their first computers and are not aware of.

"Acceptable"? ??? Ummm, not the word I would use.

Common? Sadly, yes.

Most professional manufacturing and repair facilities use proper ESD equipment. Not only do they use it, but they perform regular testing and maintenance to ensure it remains effective.

Everyone should be aware of the risks and if careful and disciplined, the occasional home user does not need special equipment. They just need to remember to discharge any static BEFORE reaching into the case or for any sensitive device, and discharge again frequently thereafter to keep new static from building up in the body. After all, just squirming around in our clothes can build up destructive charges, especially in low humidity environments.

BTW, dogs don't appreciate you discharging the static in your body on their wet noses.

My bold underline added below,

ESD plug + wire (which needs to be replaced regularly

I think this a critical point WAY TOO OFTEN overlooked or ignored, that should be emphasized more often.

This is especially an issue with ESD wrist bands. Sweat, dead skin, dirt and other contaminate will quickly degrade the bands ability to drain off the static from our bodies. And sadly, if the user is used to relying on the band alone, that can result in ESD damage anyway.

So if one uses a band, then I agree 100% and they should be replace regularly - even if they "look" perfectly fine.

should I worry about it after if it even works properly?

Not "worry". Just be aware of the possibility and remember to discharge yourself before reaching in.

 

[Jetus]

Thank you, I’m not into electronics that much but aı guess that’s what you mean by ground plane. Would test tomorrow and say the result here.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Ground plane is often used to describe the "common" ground in electronic devices. On a motherboard, for example, there are 100s of "ground points" throughout. And they are all connected to form a common ground to ensure there are no differences of potentials between them that might result in unwanted current flow, or electronic "noise".

Note that choke and that cap in your image above both have ground points and that IC probably has 2 or more. Then each layer too. And they are all connected, then connected again to the case, power supply, out the cable to the monitor, speakers and so forth - hopefully to "Earth" ground.

But not always - for example, airplane electronics are all tied to a common ground, but obviously not Earth ground.

Clear as mud, right?

 

[texh]

Hello, would small ESD damage motherboard? Just touched there (yellow area) with my hand and mobo was not plugged in. Felt so tiny feeling but I’m not sure.

Depend on percentage of ESD was, but I think you should be ok tho...

 

[Jetus]

Depend on percentage of ESD was, but I think you should be ok tho...

Thanks, I felt it so faintly that I couldn’t even tell if it was there, so I think it was very slight.

 

[freeagent]

I never strap up, I dont have one. I discharge myself (electrically ha) before I do anything with my system though.

 

[Jetus]

I never strap up, I dont have one. I discharge myself (electrically ha) before I do anything with my system though.

I was actually doing aswell but forgot for one moment

 

[_roman_]

should I worry about it after if it even works properly?

what I learnt in education. You predamage the stuff. "Reseach" or the knowledge 30 years ago was that you get reduced lifespan of the hardware. e.g. mainboard dies sooner.

H****h, stupid company who does the service in Austria for H*, does all the "fake" service work without ESD equipment. All printers, mainboard exchange for those H* microtowers, DRAM exchange for those H* deskto computers. I know very well what esd equipment is because of my work experience and my electronics education. H* = is a very old company for measurement devices, desktop computers, printers, ... everyone knows that brand very well for cheap microtowers

Usually it should not matter - especially for those guys who change their pc parts every 2 or 3 years. (cpu, gpu, mainbaord, dram, ...)

 

[Jetus]

what I learnt in education. You predamage the stuff. "Reseach" or the knowledge 30 years ago was that you get reduced lifespan of the hardware. e.g. mainboard dies sooner.

H****h, stupid company who does the service in Austria for H*, does all the "fake" service work without ESD equipment. All printers, mainboard exchange for those H* microtowers, DRAM exchange for those H* deskto computers. I know very well what esd equipment is because of my work experience and my electronics education. H* = is a very old company for measurement devices, desktop computers, printers, ... everyone knows that brand very well for cheap microtowers

Usually it should not matter - especially for those guys who change their pc parts every 2 or 3 years. (cpu, gpu, mainbaord, dram, ...)

For brand new part, its not good to hear that

 

[Bill_Bright]

Thanks, I felt it so faintly that I couldn’t even tell if it was there, so I think it was very slight.

It is critical to understand that a static discharge can be so tiny, it is below the "threshold of human awareness", yet still be "destructive" to sensitive devices. That is, we (mere humans) may not see, feel, or hear that a "destructive" discharge even occurred! Yet it can still easily have enough potential (1000s of volts!) to torch a Grand Canyon size (microscopically speaking), scorched trench through 100s of 1000s, even millions of transistor gates of ESD sensitive devices. And not such destruction is only visible through powerful microscopes.

So if you felt it, it was big. But again, going by your image in your opening post, it appears as though the arc from your fingers went to the boards ground and thus unable to cause any damage to sensitive devices.

Now, if, for example, you had loose RAM sticks or a CPU on your desk and you reached for the device and the arc jumped to one of the RAM's contacts, or the CPU's pins/pads, then I would be concerned. But with your issue, I am not.

 

[Jetus]

Its done, thanks everyone

 

[sram]

Congrats.

 

[Jacky_BEL]

Unless you regularly notice static discharge of yourself due to your activities or environment , i 'd say chances are low to damage a board by just handling it.
And you can take precautions , like using the antistatic packaging bags and if you handle a board, first handle it by the parts that are connected to the ground plane (IO-shield for example , or brackets).

 

[Bill_Bright]

like using the antistatic packaging bags

I strongly advise AGAINST using any antistatic bag!

There are different types but most bags used for motherboards and expansion cards have multiple layers and coatings that do different things.

It is common for the interior of these bags to have an insulating coating to prevent any current from touching the board.

HOWEVER, it is also common for the exterior of those bags to have a highly conductive coating specifically designed to shunt any static around the exterior of the bag and away from the interior to prevent any stray voltages from reaching the components inside.

This is similar to the "skin effect" that isolates and protects people inside cars and airplanes that get struck by lightning. The current flows around the outer shell of the car or plane.

Those bags are excellent for that purpose - protecting the component inside.

But if you lay a motherboard or circuit card on top of a bag, on the exterior layer of the bag, you might as well be placing it on a sheet of copper. Not good.

The much better solution is to use an unfinished, wooden bread/cutting board. In fact, assembling computers outside the computer case is often called "breadboarding" for that reason.

Alternatively, "plain" (no printing, no labels), brown cardboard is good too. I do NOT recommend using the motherboard boxes because we have no way of knowing what "ingredients" are used in the colors used to print the images on the outside of those boxes. For all we know, it could be lead or some other conductive material.

 

[Vayra86]

should I worry about it after if it even works properly?

No. ESD damage can shorten lifespan too. There is no telling what it might have done at this point.

 

[rv8000]

It will be fine, ignore the fear mongers. Modern day parts are incredibly hard to damage unless you’re actively trying to do so.

 

[Bill_Bright]

ignore the fear mongers.

Huh? I don't see any fearmongering going on. In fact, essentially every one above said the possibility is very slight.