Static Electricity Misconceptions: Fake vs. Real ESD Wrist Straps & Proper Grounding Deep-Dive

This video aims to educate on electrostatic discharge, ESD related to computer components, types of ESD failure, and some common misconceptions of how to use ESD wrist straps.
Sponsor: Kioxia SSDs & Memory (BG4: geni.us/zxXgG9T mini SSD, XG6 geni.us/E1ayI M.2 SSD)
As stated in the video, we're being upfront about making static control products (but you all know this by now). This means we're very informed and have done a ton of research on static control, but we're obviously not as neutral as we are in a product review.
If you want to buy one of our PC building modmats & work surfaces, you can guarantee you get the next run of new GN Volt modmats here: store.gamersnexus.net/product... (these sell-through fast, so getting on the back-order list guarantees next run availability)
You can get a common ground point & wrist strap and support us at the same time via the GN store: store.gamersnexus.net/product... (these are included for free in the Modmats!)
The Original GN Modmat design is in stock and shipping now: store.gamersnexus.net/product...
As is the Medium, although stock is very low (!): store.gamersnexus.net/product...
Our Gigabyte SMT Line Factory Tour: • How Motherboards Are M...
Our Factory Tour Playlist: • Electroplating & Nicke...
One of the biggest topics we've researched over the last few years has been materials used in anti-static mats, soldering mats, and ESD wrist straps, alongside the pros and cons of dissipative vinyl, conductive rubber compounds, and insulators. We take our product manufacturing very seriously to not just be a logo sticker factory, and that means a lot of research. We decided to finally compile a lot of our research into one video to answer some common misconceptions on ESD and static discharge, talk about the reality of unlikely component damage from ESD (but the types of damage -- like upset, latent, and catastrophic), and address some fake anti-static products on the market. There's a ton more to talk about in this topic, but we had to cut it off somewhere. This goes over ANSI / ESDA spec and standardized testing methods used by the industry.
Like our content? Please consider becoming our Patron to support us: / gamersnexus
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - ESD Education
01:23 - Keeping It Real: We're Not A Neutral Party
03:30 - Home vs. Factory Use of Dust & Static Control
06:08 - Defining Static Electricity
06:52 - Types of ESD Failure: Upset Failure
07:53 - Catastrophic Failure
08:15 - Latent ESD Failure
10:11 - How an ESD Wrist Strap Works & Is Made
12:37 - Scams & "Wireless" Anti-Static Straps
15:03 - Common Ground Points Are Overlooked
17:33 - Conductive, Dissipative, & Insulative Surfaces
19:30 - Mat Materials, Layers, & Construction
21:10 - Active Operation & Test Benches
21:52 - Rubber Compound Conductive Pros & Cons (& Solder Mats)
23:28 - Vinyl Dissipative Mat Pros & Cons
25:59 - Awesome Factory Footage & Fighting Dust & ESD
29:50 - And Now for Reddit
31:10 - When You Actually Need Anti-Static Tools
34:00 - Cold & Dry Environments
** Please like, comment, and subscribe for more! **
Links to Amazon and Newegg are typically monetized on our channel (affiliate links) and may return a commission of sales to us from the retailer. This is unrelated to the product manufacturer. Any advertisements or sponsorships are disclosed within the video ("this video is brought to you by") and above the fold in the description. We do not ever produce paid content or "sponsored content" (meaning that the content is our idea and is not funded externally aside from whatever ad placement is in the beginning) and we do not ever charge manufacturers for coverage.
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Host, Writing, Test Lead: Steve Burke
Research, Writing, Testing: Patrick Stone
Video: Andrew Coleman & Keegan Gallick

[@GamersNexus]

Tons of cool factory footage in this video. Can't wait to do tours again. Our Gigabyte SMT Line Factory Tour: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZ-kd4eDlrhoiJI If you want to buy one of our PC building modmats & work surfaces, you can guarantee you get the next run of new GN Volt modmats here: store.gamersnexus.net/products/modmat-volt-large (these sell-through fast, so getting on the back-order list guarantees next run availability) You can get a common ground point & wrist strap and support us at the same time via the GN store: store.gamersnexus.net/products/esd-wrist-strap-common-ground-point-cable (these are included for free in the Modmats!) Our Factory Tour Playlist: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIK4Zp-BZ56VqJo Medium Modmat is in stock and shipping, although stock is very low (!): store.gamersnexus.net/products/medium-modmat-gpu

[@leviathanpriim3951]

interesting

[@B2MAI]

okay, I built a pc, and it's working just fine. but there is a static charge coming from my case/motherboard every time I touch it. what can I do to fix this? btw my pc is on a wooden table. I searched for any solutions but I found none. ------ SPECS: MB: Asus z490 prime -a CPU:i7 10700k CASE: Coolermaster Masterbox TD500 MESH RAM: corsair vengeance 3200 RGB pro PSU: Corsair MWE 750 GOLD V2 FULLY MOD GPU: GTX 1070FE

[@davidbeams8705]

Thank you Steve, for the video. Like the shirt :-)

[@MadViking82]

Great video! Very informative. Had a debate about this with my brother the other day. Suggestion: remove the "before that" from your ad content, and start from "this video is brought to you by". Makes it snappier!

[@kamipls6790]

Is there a chance for an adapter that goes right into the power socket for the time you just had enough?

[@Zosu22]

Hey, maybe those wireless bracelets discharge static into the 5th dimension like where the glass paneled fans draw their air from.

[@deathwoomy6749]

Maybe they can consult Thermaltake as well. I hear they’ve got a time cube in operation near their fans! Maybe some of the static can discharge where all that air is coming from.

[@tyber_roman313]

@@GamersNexus Love the livestrong bracelet reference to Kyles video on the Verge PC. Keep up the great work Steve and Co

[@brandi8907]

Now we need some Lore about this 5th dimension

[@Rroff2]

It is all about them 5Gs

[@Arashmickey]

That's why the Ramesses fries everything you put in there. Not because of the heat but because of how much static-filled air it pulls in from the 5th dimension. And also because of the heat.

[@crisco753]

When I finally finished building my first PC I went to push the power button on top of the case and some ESD from my finger to the case caused the PC to turn on without hitting the switch and my heart definitely skipped a beat or two. Luckily everything is still running well a few years on now.

[@loonie5468]

A helluva way to christen the system's first run tho!

[@jerryhu9005]

Baptism by fire. Or well...electricity

[@MrHandsomeStudios]

When you are blessed by the Gods and are at the same time building yourself a pc

[@dennisjungbauer4467]

Wow, that must have been a special moment. :D

[@Gtasplayer]

Thor?

[@Heroedon]

3:04 Shows intense carving into dense material with an x-acto knife, the very next frame shows a band aid on a middle finger, lol.

[@ToBeAloneUK]

We have all been there XD

[@SnakebitSTI]

Yep. If you're working that hard to cut something, best to get a new blade before you need a new finger lol

[@theconsummatenerd]

I actually did have a catastrophic discharge once. Many years ago (while wearing socks on a carpeted floor) I reached out to point at my new Voodoo2 card to show a friend. A small lightning sized spark arced from my finger, killed the card, and the Sound Blaster card next to it. It was that day that I began my research into grounding. I was nodding along during this whole video.

[@captaincrankysdock9730]

I was so paranoid about something like this happening, I actually used to build in my bare feet. Now I have the added worry of my cats getting into the case. Petting them is relaxing for both parties, both it charges them up big time.

[@IRefuseToUseThisStupidFeature]

Was the computer on at the time?

[@theconsummatenerd]

@@IRefuseToUseThisStupidFeature Not on, but the power supply was still connected to the wall.

[@prignony]

Same, got catastrophic ESD when I got my first expensive graphic card, a matrox millennium. Since then I use a grounding bracelet and when I don't have it with me building stuff I touch bare cooper tubing of central heating system or just the ground pin of the electrical socket.

[@supertrexandroidx]

Fortunately, I've never fried a component because of it. (Knock on wood!) I've been building and fixing PC's for myself and friends and family for around 25 years now, and just being sure to always touch metal before messing around with anything has been sufficient for me. Of course, yeah, if I worked in an electronics factory, or handled as much stuff as these guys, I'd probably want to take more precautions.

[@poopsiexpants]

I worked at a battery maker for govt and medical systems and one of their safety videos was someone who built up static while handling a combustible material and a fairly large explosion happened in a dry room. Very frightening to see.

[@2masMusik]

As a former ESD coordinator im impressed. This is a very good video about ESD. Regarding when the damage is most likely to occur it is true that it is when handling SMT components like a CPU on their own. It might be interesting to know that many of the individual leads on a IC do have protection inside in form of diodes. These can only protect so much though. The further you go in the assembly the less risk there is and in the end fully assembled products also have filters on every input (like USB on your phone) to ensure they can survive a direct disscharge. Beneath a certain level of voltage of course. Also for those stating ESD is "fake" i can guarantee you that this industry that is under heavy economical pressure (especially in the west) would drop ESD in a heartbeat if it was meaningless. ESD protection is very expensive for the industry.

[@1pcfred]

I worked in a board assembly house and the only time we ever used ESD was when a customer visited. Other than that we'd stuff boards right on styrofoam sheets. That conductive foam stuff was expensive! Zero Fs were given.

[@2masMusik]

@@1pcfred Sure you can cheat with stuff like that and SMT oven profiles, solder certificates for your workers etc but if you have medical or automotive customers and their cars needs to be recalled they will crush that company. When they come to investigate the root cause all those routines needs to be 100%.

[@1pcfred]

@@2masMusik sometimes we subcontracted for a mil spec coms outfit. I guess when they didn't have enough in house workers to meet orders? But they had enough QC people to plant them behind us while we worked. I never asked how that worked. I just soldered. They didn't give a rats ass about static either. They were very particular about the soldering though. They always wanted to be able to see the form of the conductor under the solder. They'd carry on about it incessantly. OK OK less solder. I don't have a solder certificate. Don't want one. I know I can solder. I never thought there was much to it really. But I've seen other folks struggle trying to do it themselves.

[@GamersNexus]

Great thoughts! Thanks for that.

[@Guru_1092]

I don't understand how anyone could think ESD is "fake". Those must be the same people who have never touched a metal doornob after rubbing their socks on a carpet.

[@ericpenrose3649]

Electroboom did a more comprehensive video on wireless anti-static bracelets a while back. He came up with some ideas based on the fact that sharp metal points actually do dissipate static into the air. He went to a BDSM shop to get some spiked collars and bracelets, which made metal-on-skin contact and came to sharp points. They also didn't work because they didn't dissipate static nearly fast enough.

[@candle86]

it has me thinking though given that we can dissipate into air, why not setup in the circuit some high-capacity capacitors to store the static charge and allow it to slowly dissipate into air

[@bami2]

@@candle86 Because you'd only make the problem worse? Issue: humans have capacitance and can be charged with static electricity. Your solution: add more capacitance? Think of capacitors more like batteries, without some external point that is lower potential than the rest of the circuit, you can't discharge one battery fully into another: you can only equalize charge between them. Same goes for capacitors, but like the batteries now you're just increasing the total capacity. Without a reference to ground to let the charge flow off to (or like Electrobooms example, try to have as much surface area to dissipate it), it's not really going to change anything.

[@TomJacobW]

Riiiiiight. “Static”. Guy needed a reason to enter that store to spice things up a bit, wink wink.

[@rodiculous9464]

What if you cover your whole body with them like an iron maiden from resident

[@ThatsPety]

​@@TomJacobWhe was looking for something electric alright

[@PhilipKlippenstein]

Something that seems to be continually missed (though Patrick Stone seemed close to getting it when he said "touching the case reliably grounds you if it's plugged in") is that ESD between two things doesn't only happen between two things that aren't grounded, it happens between two things at different electrical potentials. So for starters if your computer is at the same potential as ground it doesn't matter that it's not plugged in, it'll get you to the same potential as ground anyway (unless sufficient change builds up to bring the computer away from the same potential as ground). On the other hand if the computer is at a different potential than ground and you ground yourself, now you're at a different potential than the computer you're working on and there can be an ESD between you and the computer you're working on. If instead you had connected yourself to the case of the computer you're working on you would be at the same potential, as that computer, and ESD wouldn't be possible. tldr; unless what you're working on is also grounded, don't ground the wrist strap. Instead connect it the common of what you're working on.

[@Cheepchipsable]

Was wondering about that myself. They had the ElectroBOOM clip of the of the dude with the static gun, sparking on the board, then on his finger....but then he zaps the board, disconnects the ground, (i'm assuming), and no spark. Then he touches the board and he gets the shock. This is much like a demonstration used in some science classes about static and potential etc, but usually by rubbing things together.

[@pootispiker2866]

@@Cheepchipsable The ONLY reason there would be no spark is because the gun doesn't magically jam electrons into the air. This come from the power grid, which has a ground refence somewhere along it. Removing the earth/ground wire removes that path to ground, so a much smaller spark occurs because the two are at rouglly the same potential and the only current that flows would be because of coupling to ground. If it was you touching the board and you both had a very, very high static charge, there would be no discharge.

[@ryanjay6241]

Yep, I was looking for this comment after watching the video, since this seemed to be poorly explained. A doorknob is not grounded, yet that's the most common place people experience a "zap" from ESD. Theoretically it is all about potential difference, but most commonly large pieces of metal open in the air will have almost no charge, while you will pick up a charge from various activities. That is why touching the case will discharge your potential into it, which will leave you close enough to neutral to not have a large difference between any other components. Everything (even you) will slowly discharge into the atmosphere, which is why high humid environments have much less chance of ESD occurring.

[@leovsaeris]

I'm actually very surprised this wasn't mentioned more in the video.

[@HyperMario64]

This. Secondary of power supplies are not earthed nor connected to neutral (insulation from the transformer and some optocoupler). They have a common potential instead for 12V and other lower voltages. Not a lot of people tamper with PSUs so they assume the ground is the ground for every part of the device. But try with a multimeter to see if there is any connection from ground to the common of the low-voltage side your device, you'd be surprised. Nowadays it's common to have the motherboard screws being coated as the rest of the case so there is not much guarantee it even shares its common potential with the case. Practically, earthing is used to protect the AC side of the supply with the dangerous higher voltage but that's about it. If it is limited to a small unit like a well insulated charger, they don't earth it because there is no point to. Still, being connected to earth is not crazy as it is a reasonable zero potential for most consumers. Knowing the common of the part being worked on and using it is definitely the best.

[@TheKazragore]

GN not competing with NASA in componentry testing is very courteous of them to NASA, not wanting to show them up.

[@ewoodley82]

I mean at least GN isn't trying to mix and match units of measurement

[@GamersNexus]

haha, NASA got nothing on... well, there's probably something we do better than them. We'll figure out what that is and get back to you.

[@OsamaRana]

@@GamersNexus Commercially available anti-static merch maybe?

[@BRC_Del]

@@GamersNexus Pronouncing "RTX 3080 Ti" is a valid comparison to make.

[@TheInverseGentleman]

@@GamersNexus You are WAY better at staying down to earth. Ah. Ha, Ha.

[@JarrodsTech]

Me building PCs on the carpet while wearing socks: *interesting* 🤔

[@johncapodilupo6876]

😄

[@Tom5TomEntertainment]

rip

[@GamersNexus]

Yeah, I mean, like we said -- everything depends on the environment, the literal atmosphere of the area, and exposure. Latent discharge is what we encountered most when in cold/dry environment and handling on carpet, and it's the hardest to root-cause after the fact.

[@sonicboy678]

They're made of cotton, right?

[@GrockleTD]

@@GamersNexus made me suddenly realize the potential cause of my PC's random BSOD's... ah well lol

[@GeneralLeeIrritable]

Humidity definitely makes a big difference. That is why I always work on my electronics under a sprinkler.

[@lennym1636]

Good one you actually made lol with that comment...

[@fragelicious]

Lol

[@JP-fl8py]

😂

[@todayonthebench]

An honestly good video on the topic. I can see this as somewhat "mandatory" viewing for electronics factories to be fair. Though, it lacks the most important part! It doesn't matter how well grounded the operator is, the component being worked on can have accumulated charge on its own! And this is also something one has to keep in mind. The resistor in the ESD bracelet isn't doing anything against the surface charge of the operator nor the component. The charge wants to even out between the two surfaces when a connection between them is made. And this is why ESD gloves is also a thing, since ESD gloves increases the resistance of that path. (in a pinch, a 1 Mohm leaded resistor will do as a poker to discharge any differences in a somewhat safer manner, just aim for the ground on the component.) Where I work we have dissipative work sources, ESD bracelets, humidity control, ESD rated floors, wear ESD rated shoes. Casual things like component storage boxes is also made with ESD safe plastics. (somewhat conductive, also absorbs a good 20-25 dbc of broad band RF, just put the RF project under a ESD safe box and one has the poor man's anechoic RF chamber. With likely abhorrent reflections from the flat walls...) ESD is indeed a worry, especially the latent type. Increasing humidity is a fairly effective method of reducing electrostatic buildup, but it has a huge disadvantage, especially as far as board assembly is concerned. A lot of components are moisture sensitive, but not in the way most people might think. But rather that high air humidity leads to moisture buildup in plastic encapsulated packages, something most components have... When one then puts the cards through the soldering oven, the trapped moisture starts boiling and expands within the package, fracturing the bonding wires and resulting in broken chips, or worst case, chips that works fine when one test them, but 3 weeks/months in the field and they suddenly fall dead... This means that most PCB assembly lines can't crank up the humidity all that high. Though, moisture ingress is proportional to the exposure time at that humidity level, so if one is fast, one can have a higher humidity. But generally speaking, PCB assembly will have lower humidity than other manufacturing lines. And this means that one of the more simple and effective ESD protections is largely not an option. But for assembly of a PC, this type of humidity related problem is a non issue since consumers aren't expected to reflow their cards in the oven. So crank up the humidity to 80-90% if you like.

[@tipturkey1283]

"he's not fighting static, he's fighting cancer!" - Lyle

[@awgmax]

Will the community ever forget and forgive that Verge vid? I hope not, because it's funny every time LOL.

[@countmorbid3187]

@@awgmax Nope ... a clasic ... will remain a meme forever ... the interwebs does not forget 😂

[@loonie5468]

First thing I thought of when Steve said 'Livestrong bracelet' in the vid lol.

[@virtual-adam]

Haha, knew I'd find a comment like this!

[@rednammoc]

@@awgmax Forgive Stefan (and not the editor for his crappy handling of the debacle and empty virtue signalling), sure. Forget the video? Not so much.

[@louskunt125]

You're mistaken, Steve. Wireless ESD straps send static to the shadow realm.

[@GamersNexus]

IS THIS A SHADOW RAID AD?

[@jrsomethingnumbers9704]

@@GamersNexus "Looks like you're headed to the shadow realm, Tech Jesus." ~ Hugh Neutron

[@Blue-cq2hl]

You have to duel the static first before you can banish it tho

[@ahmedanssaien6449]

*Marik Ishtar from Yu-Gi-Oh! approves*

[@Y0G0FU]

You mean the Purple Realm?

[@brownph99]

It can't be said enough. GN's commitment to quality journalism and education, as evidenced by transparent disclosures and such, really keeps GN head & shoulder's above the rest in the tech space.

[@fragelicious]

Thats no shit.

[@jchowe07]

Building and working with PCs since 1990. I've heard the spectrum of opinions regarding ESD. I really appreciate this kind of content as it helps clear up years of misinformation/misunderstandings while also giving someone like me a refresher. Thanks GN! Cool in-factory vids too...

[@BarntCrust]

I was waiting for you to cover humidity this whole video, and you didn't disappoint! I work in a small server room in the Mojave Desert. We have two (redundant) huge air conditioning units. I was not surprised that the room has dust and temperature control when I started working in that environment. But I was surprised to learn that the ac units have humidifiers/sensors/alarms. I am a one of those viewers watching this video that "does live in one of those situations."

[@GamersNexus]

Also super cool! Love comments like these that inform us on the practical use cases and environments.

[@generfeld]

extra precautions due to low humidity is well worth the benefit of living in an area with low humidity. high humidity = garbage quality of life

[@cahoutcharles961]

I'm thankful I live in a place with 60% humidity year round

[@gmodib]

Something I really appreciate from GN, as a media outlet, is disclosing the fact that they are not neutral in this matter. It makes sense to begin with, but its something that I dont usually see in most media, and I think thats just an amazing disclosure to your audience! keep up the great work Steve and Crew!

[@digitalconsciousness]

What I find interesting is that I am more susceptible to his advertising than I am of regular advertising simply because he's not trying to use what amounts to "marketing tactics" to convince me to buy his product. What makes this obvious is his integrity: he's not in this business to make money, but rather because he legitimately enjoys hardware. That makes me feel like he probably wants us to buy his stuff because it would genuinely help us.

[@jackiechan6460]

@@digitalconsciousness Yeah, that's why I recently bought a big mousepad from them. It's on the pricy side but this level of integrity should be supported, and because of the scrutiny they subject others to, I'd also expect GN to hold their own products to the same standard. Crazy how honesty can influence people to actually trust you. Weird right? 😏

[@benruss4130]

GN consistently sets the bar for integrity and thoroughness in their industry

[@NocturnalMarshmallowOrder]

Thanks Steve. 😀 I watch a few tech media channels, because each one has a good combination of fun versus education. But yours is my favorite due to the technicality and drive you and your team has to learn new things. The more you learn, the more you share with us. Thank you for sharing this process the way you do, and for including more of your GN team recently.

[@matheuswohl]

I like that these videos are made even if I already know the bulk of the information beforehand because when someone asks me about this kind of stuff I can direct them to a full reference that they can rewatch however many times are needed

[@chriss4799]

Aww man i just ordered a bulk order of wireless ESD bands to go with my good value prebuilts and my fireproof Thermaltake PCIe risers

[@yukarimmorpg6672]

You get your Swiss Army knife which hopefully contains a screwdriver, tweezers and table too?

[@guyatrandom]

#shmeckledorfed

[@yukarimmorpg6672]

@Tano those ones can be bought cheap too they are having a fire sale

[@NQUSTN]

We had a lady keep killing all her computer's we gave her in the office as she would come into contact with usb port creating a charge killing the board, much like those usb killers. As she would wear a complete wool outfit. (Only reason I can think of why she's managed to kill 3 computers that were in perfect working condition)

[@sonicboy678]

**groan intensifies**

[@farawaythrower]

Wow. Honestly just wow.

[@matasa7463]

Why didn't anybody give her an ESD discharger or something? Hell, just give her a metal desk and ground that, lol.

[@Lollllllz]

Could be as there were intel chipsets in the pentium 4 era that was particularly sensitive to ESD damage from plugging usb devices especially on computers with ungrounded front panel usb ports(which burned a hole in mine)

[@rwhite9994]

If the computer was connected to a properly grounded electrical outlet, any static would disperse without damage, probably a bad USB damaged device.

[@TalonGaming_YT]

Excellent description of ESD, its effects and controlling it. I work in the industry and have provided the training to the shop floor on numerous occasions. One thing I like to use to illustrate ESD is lighting, which is a form of electro-static discharge. ESD events are essentially very small examples of lightning between two objects. It takes approximately 5000 Volts for a person to feel it and even more for it to be visible and audible. Some devices are susceptible to discharges of less than 10 Volts. Walking across a carpeted floor can generate over 30,000 volts at 10% relative humidity, so we use conductive flooring with anti-static footwear to prevent build-up. It's all about ensuring there is no voltage potential between those two objects. Keep up the good work.

[@paxdriver]

Excellent work as always guys. Just wanted to make a ever-so-slight correction: Right at the end you say "water is conductive, thus moisture makes the air more conductive" but it's the impurities of water, such as those on surfaces, that makes water conductive. Water isn't iteself conductive but becomes very conductive practically speaking when it forms a monolayer on other materials. Only mentioning it because this is an informational/educational piece :P Most people watching probably like to learn stuff and most people who learn stuff apply their knowledge elsewhere so that's why I think it's important to nit-pick - definitely not saying so just to troll. I would hate to hear of people humidifying rooms as a form of upgrade to their wireless static wristbands lol Very very well done, thanks for the hard work GN

[@ghoststomper]

glad you posted this - heard the quote and i too was about to type your response.

[@ghostratsarah]

I would be scared of degrading the components. I know that my TV, according to the internet, is very sensitive to humidity and is not recommended for anyone living in humid environments- let alone for it to be tinkered with in an artificially humid place.

[@kcbsuiejd]

"Upset ESD is generally a Minor annoyance". Shows Jay

[@kcbsuiejd]

@@morpheas768 can understand that :) guess its personal preference, i just like the accurate style of GN way more

[@TheZPKiller]

10 seconds in and already a the verge reference.. lmao

[@SH-Accountant]

16:12 I thought that was Slim Shady for a minute, then I realised it's 2009 Linus

[@rashkavar]

I have a hilariously terrifying ground wire that my dad made back when he was first getting into computer builds in the late 80s/early 90s. It's a standard 2-cord wire, with one of those screwed together plug terminals at one end and some stripped wire twisted together on the other end. It looks like an electrician's nightmare (though if it did work the way most people would think, it'd just trip the breaker on that circuit as soon as you plug it in since the wires are touching eachother). As you might expect, the trick is that both wires are connected to the ground pin only, so it's effectively the same as the plug that was shown in the video with the plastic blades that fit into the actually powered parts, but using metal that's not connected to anything. So far it's been effective at preventing static related damage, as far as I can tell....though I can't be sure I'd ever have lost a component to ESD anyway, since I always use it. I must admit, I thoroughly enjoy the reactions I get when people see me plug it in and grab the other end.

[@abhinandanmanna49]

Just woke up and GN released a vid. What could be a more energetic way to start the day?

[@abhinandanmanna49]

@@GamersNexus Haha. Exactly!

[@7ftdustbunny]

Were you exstatic about it?

[@abhinandanmanna49]

@@7ftdustbunny you can definitely put it in that way!

[@riba2233]

Bj?

[@abhinandanmanna49]

@@riba2233 🤣🤣

[@OriginalRaveParty]

If there's one thing GN do well in every video, it's going that one or two levels deeper into the explanation or the figures, for those people who want the advanced information. Thank you.

[@Atlessa]

I used to work at an electronics company, and we had wireless ESD bands. However they weren't wristbands, they were ankle bands and one part of them looped around the sole of the shoe, thus putting your skin into (electrical) contact with the factory floor. In fact, to enter the factory at all you had to push a button while standing on a metal plate, and the door would only open if the resistance between the button and the metal plate was in a certain range (too high and you were an ESD hazard, too low and there was shock hazard since SOME areas worked with live voltages upwards of 200V). And as a matter of fact, my work boots (from previous employment) would actually pass the door test even without those ankle bands, so I only had to wear one for 'peace of mind' of the higher ups. (usually you'd wear one on each foot) I still put on those boots every time I open up my PC, just for my own peace of mind. :D

[@shanemorton2921]

Patrick Stone is really damned good in front of camera. His delivery is clear, concise and really accessible for people with different levels of understanding. I really look forward to seeing more educational bits delivered by him, it's a great watch!

[@D0wnshift]

A friend of mine worked at Intel, many years ago. He was given one of two chips they had to test for performance for future release. He fried it with static. He still works there today. But he was super nervous. He said they were worth millions at the time with all the RND and manufacturing to make it.

[@pappy374]

He showed a shocking lack of care.

[@shreeshsharma1618]

He was too expensive to let go!!

[@AnonyMous-lk7zi]

R/thathappened

[@agc2801]

Ghosts did it boss!

[@1pcfred]

If he fried it then I'd say it's not worth much.

[@garchamp9844]

I came to see subtle digs at The Verge, and yes, you’ve got them!

[@oafkad]

The deadpan sass is one of my favorite parts of this channel. Informative and entertaining.

[@andy70d35]

Good video. I have used ESD wrist straps for years, I used to work in an electronics factory, and was in charge of checking the ESD mats and grounds. Our mats were all connected to a ground spike outside the factory, and we also had heel straps for our shoes, they went around the back of the shoe under the heel and had a special fabric that went inside your shoe under the foot, once both heel straps were put on then you had to step on the testing station and touch the tester with your finger to test if the straps were working. The floor in the factory had a conductive floor covering and wrist straps were worn at all times when sitting out your bench. This was over 23 years ago, the factory no longer exists. Going into the clean rooms were done by various air locks, you were clothed from head to toe in a full clean room suit. Even now, I use a wrist strap when working on the PC's and connect the wrist strap to the PC case, never an issue in the UK as all our mains sockets have on/off switches on the socket so just switch off the socket is never an issue.

[@mattsmechanicalssi5833]

The Verge... The gift that keeps on giving!

[@brandonl9286]

One year late but this video is excellent. It is well laid out and has way more information than I needed, but I appreciate the education. In depth videos such as this one are what make Gamers Nexus such a great channel.

[@daviddebroux4708]

This came to my recommended on KZbin's front page. I reluctantly clicked on this video, figuring I already did watch it, or just "oh? they made a new video about it?", and I was like, "oh, this was a year ago". So anyway I'm watching it and it's still worth rewatching. The video editing, however, is just pure class: the fire animations are just killer. lmao

[@kcmsterpce]

Outstanding presentation. Very informative, too. I have gotten in some highly charged discussions with people about this topic.

[@dontmatter4423]

Those wireless wrist straps work, I've seen them being used in a build guide from The Verge.

[@bigalexg]

That video was "groundbreaking" in quite a few ways.

[@1pcfred]

By the end of the video Steve pretty much builds a case where a wireless wrist strap could work. But if what he said was true then how come there's lightning during thunderstorms? Air is pretty moist then. Lightning is a really large electrostatic discharge. Your PC gets hit by that and it's kaput. Wrist strap or no wrist strap.

[@strawberyyicecreamdream216]

@@1pcfred Lightning is 300 million volts... No they don't work.

[@1pcfred]

@@strawberyyicecreamdream216 being a natural phenomena I think the potential of lightning varies. Some bolts are definitely stronger than others are.

[@1R15H182]

When I built my pc i did it in my kitchen on the counter top. I have a metal rack for pans and that with in arms length. I must of touched it probably 1000 times from start to finish while building it. I just tried not to move as much as possible and if i shifted my feet, i touched the metal rack. It was probably the most nerve racking part of building except the first power up and praying it turns on and no issues. Thanks for the awesome work you guys do to show us the tear downs of stuff. Can’t wait for the new fan testing down the line.

[@dosgos]

That was exciting! One of my favorite videos of all time. These tech education videos are a good addition.

[@Geardos1]

reddit: electrostatic discharge doesn't happen above 50% humidity me: ever seen LIGHTNING

[@Redslayer86]

Everyone knows that just before a lightning strike the humidity drops below 50% in an instant.

[@SamTheEnglishTeacher]

Hmmm yes now that you mention it, lightning is much more common in the tropics and during storms.

[@cainzjussYT]

Is the humidity lower because it rains out or because lightning heats up the air and moisture capacity increases. What came first?

[@PetesCreativeRecycling]

@@cainzjussYT the chicken... wait no, the egg

[@Epsilonsama]

Actually Lightning Discharges create a low humidity enviroment in an instant but for static electricity higher humidity and non carpet surfaces lower ESD by a huge amount. I know because when I lived in a dry enviroment I got ESD all the time but living in a humid place not so much.

[@Ghyus01]

10/10 on the ElectroBoom shout out!

[@GamersNexus]

He does great work!

[@chadbizeau5997]

Electroboom shocking Linus constantly is awesome!

[@StanAllDay]

You guys are the best! Thank you, happy holidays

[@maxotis4686]

Building my first pc now. Thank you SO much for the informative video, love the content you guys make.

[@aljosa777]

Was great to see TiN again, need more footage with the mad scientist himself!

[@christopherpedersen1820]

I never knew you could buy something to plug a banana plug into the ground of an outlet. I always just stuck the banana plug right in there. It fits fine and makes a connection.

[@RetroSwim]

The 1M resistor does two things. One, it reduces the zappiness of discharges if they occur, as mentioned. By extension and perhaps more importantly, it means there no low-impedance path through your body to earth for regular non-static electricity to flow, hugely reducing the risk of injury from electric shock if you accidentally touch something that is live at mains potential.

[@squelchedotter]

Would be awesome to have some info on the various type of ESD bags too! There's a lot of types with different applications and it's good to know which are which to avoid damage in storage and handling!

35:00 Cold temperature also means that the air can hold less water molecules and increase the risk that way too. Even if the relative humidity is the same in both temperatures, the cold air has less water in it.

[@1pcfred]

I don't think the cold has that much of an effect on molecular activity. Not unless you're approaching absolute zero or something. Like you said it has more to do with the dew point of the air itself. That's why static is more prevalent in the cold.

[@thomasgiles2876]

LiveStrong, Steffan, wherever you are...

[@foxboi6309]

😂😂😂

[@matasa7463]

I mean, he lost his job, so I don't think he's very happy. Attitude makes a big difference. He is exhibit A.

[@thomasgiles2876]

@@matasa7463 He seems like the kind of man who, without any outside interference, could drown in a puddle.

[@Deses]

@@matasa7463 really? When?

[@matasa7463]

@@Deses A while back. He’s no longer with the Verge.

[@IconOfSin24148]

Thanks for these, your informative dump vids are always appreciated GN

[@redaffix7320]

Wanted to mention one of my favourite methods is screwing an unpainted standoff into one of the screw holes of a plugged-in psu (screw hole should have unpainted threads) then connecting the clip from a wriststrap to the standoff. I remember seeing it first in an "easypcbuilder" video. Looking at the video right now, and not only is it 8 years old, it has 6m views and the channel has under 50k subs. That's how you know your video is a good reference.

[@Kuramna]

The flames at 8:14 made me crack up amazing effects lmao

[@yukarimmorpg6672]

He’s not fighting static he’s fighting cancer- Lyle

[@Chaosdude341]

You already won.

[@AnonyMous-lk7zi]

That dude is racist as hell

[@farawaythrower]

@@AnonyMous-lk7zi I hope you're joking bro lol

[@fredocuomo5386]

@@AnonyMous-lk7zi you must work for the verge

[@AnonyMous-lk7zi]

@Sean Price so if I was black I could make jokes about slavery every five seconds and it would be alright? Try again.

[@GeneralLeeIrritable]

I've been in IT for 21 years. Today is the first time I have heard of a "wireless esd strap." I honestly thought you were joking until you pulled one out. Great content as always Steve, thank you for making me laugh this morning.

[@zrodger2296]

I don't (lately) tinker with my hardware much, but this was a seriously informative video. Kudos!

[@tomb3782]

Man, I remember getting into a argument about why this wrist straps don't work! Thank you Steve and the crew from GN for proving my point.

[@mm8436]

Steven putting the disclaimer at the beginning. Legit honest testing

[@jrgingerninja]

Much love to you wearing an australian t shirt. We just got this video here in australia because we just got back our internet from the enemy emus that have had it for 2 years... The fight with the emus still goes on to this day.

[@kdawg3484]

Finally a solid explanation of something that's always worried me. Thank you. Now a new question that I have never been able to find an answer for: What about vacuums and air blowers for cleaning computers? They can build up significant charge on surfaces, correct? I've always figured that I'd prefer to vacuum dusty computers instead of just blowing the dust around. However, I'm nervous about putting a vacuum near my components because of potential static problems. The internet has been wholly unhelpful when it comes to explaining anything about ESD safe vacuums. I can't even get an opinion yes or no on the subject, and so-called ESD-safe vacuums don't in any way explain why their device is ESD safe. Considering that even average users may occasionally crack open their computer to blow or suck dust out, I think you'd do a world a real favor by doing an ESD video on blowers and vacuums.

[@pyroromancer]

Patrick Stone is a badass name

[@jerryhu9005]

"Is this Gamers Nexus?" "No, this is Patrick!"

[@SurvivorNVL]

Watched my best build his new computer back in the day. He wore socks, stood on carpet, and built it on his bed. He is still rocking that Ivy-Bridge computer today.

[@CustardCream515]

Best review of your modmats is the fact that all the other tech channels I follow use them

[@jadedbreadncircus9159]

YES! You randomly answered my question I couldn't find an answer for. I bought mass loaded vinyl sheets for my apartment floor to not have impact noise while doing drum pad practice with my kick. It's great to know it has anti-static properties.

[@pRaX85815]

I always just touch a radiator in my house before I start working on my rigs. Worked just fine for over 20 years.

[@19822andy]

Yeah it works. We used that technique at a pc repair shop.

[@giglioflex]

The problem with that is you can't 100% guarantee it's grounded. It's safer to just buy the strap and ground point. Even if we assume it does work for you, there's no guarantee it'll work for others. There's no requirement for any houses to have their radiators grounded.

[@CarbonPanther]

@@giglioflex But aren't all Radiators, in the most literal sense, connected to ground? The pipes have to come and go from somewhere after all, as well as that it is mounted to a wall for example? Or isn't that how ground works at all?

[@1pcfred]

Within reason ESD is not a big issue with hobby computing.

[@insoYT]

@@CarbonPanther I see nobody answered to your question, so please, let me. Thing is, there is no *one* magical ground. It's about having a *common* ground between you and whatever you work with and therefore practically a zero potential. There *can* be multiple "grounds" with potential difference, which means connecting these two imaginary grounds with each other would cause a discharge. In fact, those "wireless" straps have even their own ground, but it's totally meaningless if we don't physically connect it with everything we want to have a common ground. Obviously life will be so much easier when everything share an actual common ground, but that's not a self-evident thing. In fact, it's not always even cost effective. Therefore an anti-static wrist strap is only thing that anyone should really recommend to use. Just like how we teach everyone to use a seat belt, which is useless 99.9% of time. In Northern Europe, and hopefully in whole Europe, it's a requirement in the building code to have all conductive pipes grounded, just because it's a major electrical safety thing as well. You shouldn't ever have a risk of fatal electric shock by touching at the same time a faulty electronic device and a conductive pipe (eg. faucet) in your house. Obviously grounding alone doesn't save you in this imaginary scenario, but we're already going off topic here.

[@relpmeraggy4207]

Ya gotta love the multiple disclaimers. Shit Steve outta everyone out there, this is it. THIS IS THE CHANNEL. If you can’t trust those disclaimers, who can you trust?

[@christophermullins7163]

I trust Steve with everything except.. the ps5 vs gtx 1060 video... I have a hunch the ps5 is 2080 level. Idk how he came to such conclusion..

[@ArchaeanDragon]

Never had any problems with ESD, and I use the contact-bare-metal-on-chassis approach. I built up a habit of making regular and constant contact with exposed metal parts of a chassis. It doesn't matter that much whether the case itself is grounded; the whole point is equalization of charge potential. As long as you and the piece of equipment you are working on are at the same potential, there is no risk of ESD damage. Grounding yourself and the equipment simply puts both you and it at a "known good" potential. Clipping a grounding wrist strap to the case with a good electrical connection will work just as well, so you don't have to worry about habitually touching the chassis metal. Also, another thing to point out is that resistor in the grounding wire serves to protect you from getting shocked if you make a circuit between an active power source and ground. It's an additional safety feature.

[@evocybernation8839]

I like putting the ESD bracelet around my ankle (with the grounding wire). It came with an anti-static rubber mat as well. The one I have has a longer wrist strap. Works fantastic. Just pay attention when you have to grab something. My ankle has been yanked plenty of times.

[@joeydehart3429]

I advise against connecting to a wall outlet ground because there are some buildings that have poorly wired receptacles where there may be current (more common than it should be).

[@Goldy01]

I laughed out loud when you revealed the entity that is afraid of latent ESD more than catastrophic; ofc it's worse to send people to space with undetected damage in a NASA rocket 🤣

[@Apollo-Computers]

I do have to say your mod mats are insanely good at taking the static. During the winter static is crazy in my house. But the mat without being grounded properly and no wrist strap, so it's just on the table, I put my hand near it and zap!

[@cqbninja3045]

Great video guys. So simple and yet not widely known.

[@pudicus2]

PLEASE also do a piece on UPS recommendations. People on reddit just give random recommendations ignoring users’ situation and use case

[@vamwolf]

On that. It depends on what type of build and software your using. I check out home labs on Reddit

[@cweaver4080]

The part I've never quite understood though... So you ground yourself to your case, that's fine. But when you pull a component out of a package it is going to be at some random potential. How do you safely bring that to the same potential as you and your case?

[@Fulano5321]

Thoroughly informative video as always!

[@ELITECMDR666]

getting back to building pc's and this video was a great refresher.

[@8lacKhawKtheRIPPER]

Great stuff~ But the real question was left unanswered - When will you start selling branded anti-static cats in the GN Store? 🙃

[@KrikitKaos]

My brain kept interpreting that mic/kangaroo combo as a spider.

[@DRAGONFANG18]

@18:11 I always wondered how you attach it to the wall outlet. Thanks GN!

[@phlogistanjones2722]

Central Florida here... Even with the A/C blasting 24/7 the relative humidity is high enough to preclude most static build up except for about 2 weeks a year if we get a drought condition in the fall. Central Florida **IS THOUGH** the lightning capital of North America. When I bought my home I had a lightning arrestor system installed and the electrical system was tested and isolated with its own additional grounding system. Having to track down electrical gremlins in product testing and wiring systems over the course of my career made me **quite** sensitive about charge imbalances. Best to prevent them than to try to fix them. :)

[@muazyusof765]

time to revisit some good old The Verge reaction video after watching this

[@brantgurga]

I had one catastrophic ESD failure. N64 controller got zapped in college residence hall. Never worked again. I'm surprised that's been the only thing I can definitely attribute to ESD issues though.

[@rexyoshimoto4278]

*Good grief* I zapped my motherboard. Not to be mistaken for, "I zapped Mommie."

[@IRefuseToUseThisStupidFeature]

Are we sure someone hadn't spilled something on the controller? Or was just due to sketchy old dorm wiring? Some of those buildings...

[@brantgurga]

@@IRefuseToUseThisStupidFeature Definitely static and the controller. Now it's possible something was spilled on the controller in the past that exacerbated the issue. Static shock between me and controller definitely occurred and controller did not work after that.

[@Chris558576]

Thank you for this video. I have become more conscious of unwanted discharges the hard way, including a leaky switch mode psu that put my sound card to death when i plugged the amplifier that it was powering into my pc. This psu had been re-used from a well known hdd docking station.

[@TheNooberd]

I work at a medical device manufacturer, and I got to tour one of our manufacturing sites in Ireland a few years ago. It's not quite the same thing as a PC parts factory, but there's a LOT of similarities, especially around protecting from static electricity. We had to gown up, brush our shoes (then cover them with cloth), and stay within a very specific area while on the plant floor. After all, medical devices like pacemakers are basically mini computers, except when they fail they don't just become an annoyance... they could stop life-saving therapy from being delivered. You should look into touring these sites some day! A little outside of the norm, I bet, but see how these components impact so many more things in our world! That would be a really amazing series to watch.

[@icanrunat3200mhz]

Of all the times Linus has shown the viewers how to ground to an off and plugged-in power supply, I'm glad you chose a video where he looks like a community college ecstasy dealer.

[@5federline]

The most important thing in this video, "no anti static cat provided",..aha..i've experienced this situation in 12 years ago where computer like a tin box and monitor like hunchback of notredame..not only the case but power socket also had me electrocuted when i wanted to shut down the power. But today it hardly to happen but it still exist

[@joeydehart3429]

This is hands down the best esd video ever.

[@Xfade81]

The factory tours are amazing. Please make more if regulations allow.

[@jelome1989]

For someone with no access to grounded points what do you suggest we do to prevent ESD? (Note: this is common in the place/country we live in, a significant portion of the houses here have 2-pronged outlets)

[@stale2665]

Your plumbing is almost certainly grounded, so you could attach it to the faucets in an adjacent room if you have a long enough wire.

[@AaronShenghao]

“Wireless grounding” do exist, but they are on airplanes… and they only work when air rush past them at several hundred miles per hour.

[@razerow3391]

Or wireless like phone wireless that is actually only wireless on technicality that a wire doesn't go from the phone to the socket. Technically an electric toothbrush is wireless charging.

[@elpapa68]

@@razerow3391 Wireless charging is only wireless in the sense that there's no wire. This is a very weird statement, yet hard to argue.

[@44R0Ndin]

@@elpapa68 I believe it's a statement on range. If you hear "wireless charger" but are then told that you have to put the thing to be charged on a special pad, you'll be dissappointed, as your naive assumption was probably that it's just like regular charging but without the wire, meaning you have more range, but the reality is that it uses magnetic fields not electric fields so the range is quite short (within a few inches of the pad). To get real "wireless" charging like your assumption, you'd have to have high intensity microwaves in the area you want to use the device, and on the device you'd have an antenna which doesn't try to discern any signal from the microwaves, it just rectifies the incoming radio waves back to pulsating DC, then used to charge a capacitor, and then it is power suitable to feed to a battery charging IC. The issue with this is that the microwaves must be of such intensity that it's like being in a microwave oven, meaning it would likely be uncomfortable if not outright painful to be in that area, not to mention hazardous to your long-term health (low intensity microwaves such as used for communications purposes are harmless, the reason high power microwaves are harmful is that they literally dump enough power into your body to heat it up, just like in a microwave oven).

[@bernds6587]

@AaronShenghao: that has nothing to do with the air or the speed of the air. In fact, when the airplane is high up flying, it basically got its own "earth" aka the planes outer hull. So it acts the same way as an isolated ground, with no connection to the "real ground" In fact, the airplanes ground could have a different potential than the one down below, but since you are that high above it, it doesn't matter. A good comparison is a car - you got rubber tires, and the negative pole of the car acts as ground in that case. so it doesn't matter if you drive 5 miles an hour or 50 or even 150.

[@AaronShenghao]

@@bernds6587 As an aerospace engineer I can tell you planes do need to be electrically grounded to avoid disruption to radio and navigation systems. Air (worse with rain, cloud, dust) rush over the fuselage and wings creates static electricity, and that charge need to be dissipated back in to air. Next time when you go to airport or take a close up picture of a planes, you will see tiny brush like "Static discharger" on the trailing edge of the wing (behind wing). You can look up a Wikipedia page of "Static Discharger" and no they don't work if you just holding it, it need air to pull charge away. It makes the plane neutrally charged so the plane will still get hit by lightning. A lightning rod works by connecting ground to the rod. Since those static discharger are not connected to the ground, it won't do anything about lightning strike.

[@perspicacity89]

Fantastic video! Thank you so much!

[@scottwatschke4192]

Very informative video. Well done.

[@randomm9683]

Never never never never directly connect yourself to any part of an electrical outlet. Ground yourself to a metal water pipe in your house. With the plug you are trusting that it was done correctly on that specific plug as well as no issues along the length of the wire and Inside the main panel as well as any subpanels along that wire path. All water pipes in houses in the USA are directly connected to the ground rod. Yes the ground/neutral wire should also be but theres a higher potential for error with the live wires run with it.

[@jimrhea5484]

Specifically, ground it to a cold water pipe. Alarm tech here. No alarm system manufacture will warranty their equipment if grounded to a hot water pipe. The cold side is the true ground between the two. The cold side is roughly equivalent to a grounding rod. The hot side can have thermal insulators somewhere in the pipe run to conserve heat. Those insulators break the ground connection.

[@randomm9683]

@@jimrhea5484 yes thank you very good point I forgot about

[@charleshorseman55]

I have never had a single ES discharge in years at my house. I don't know exactly why that is, but I can't get it to happen even if I try. I think it may have something to do with the foundation being well-grounded, although it doesn't account for the carpeted rooms.

[@Javierm0n0]

The bitflip possibility blew my mind. I love these technical vids.

[@_BangDroid_]

Look up soft errors from cosmic rays if you want another blown mind

[@alargebeaver]

Thank you. You've answered some lingering questions I had. Cheers!