Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!cadre!pitt!unix.cis.pittsburgh.edu!pdccs
From: pdccs@unix.cis.pittsburgh.edu (Patrick Champion)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: Help: Grounding against static
Keywords: static
Message-ID: <18262@unix.cis.pittsburgh.edu>
Date: 3 Jun 89 02:06:16 GMT
References: <2320@mit-caf.MIT.EDU> <18182@unix.cis.pittsburgh.edu> <1082@cbnewsc.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: pdccs@unix.cis.pittsburgh.edu (Patrick Champion)
Distribution: usa
Organization: The Zets
Lines: 52


	To clear a few things up...

	The "surge supressor" is an Inland ProGuard 3.  It has 3 mode
protection.  It uses cascaded diodes, gas discharge tubes (probably one),
and their own multi function ceramics which are supposed to have a 
better life-time and response than varistors.

	The response time is under 5 pico seconds.  The voltage clamps at
205 volts.  The thing will take up to 2.5 million watts of power.  Each
mode absorbs 60 joules, resulting in 180 joules being absorbed.  Oh yes,
and it of course has a circuit breaker for surges. The thing has a 25 
year warranty.  They will even pay the cost of fixing dammaged equipment 
if it can be shown to have been damaged static, etc. going through the 
protector.

**************************************************************************
Please do not construe the above to be an advertisement for Inland.  I am
in no way related to them.  I am only buying the product via a mail order
house.  I just think that the product seems to be a good product.  With
a near irresistable warrantee.
**************************************************************************

	Yes.  I did a bit of research before I bought the thing.  So
it does protect against EMI/RF, surge, and spikes.

	Yes.  My environment is staticy.  During winter I can get a nice
long half inch visible ZAP when I run my shoes across the carpet and touch
the radiator.  Also, if I take off an acrylic sweater and turn off the lights
I can watch a light show of static with dim arcs over a foot in length.

	The rug covers most of the floor. 

	How's that for static!

	My worry was:
			When I ground my self to the desk, that the static
would cross over into the keyboard or monitor and conduct down into the
computer off the side of the desk.

	My second worry was whether a 10,000 ohm resistor was too high or
too low in resistence to effectively ground out the desk.  If it was too
low of a resistance then I might get mild electorcution during summer storms
when I had the computer off but was working at the desk.  If I had the 
resistance to low, then the static might not be able to bleed off the 
resistor before it jumped overcame the resistance of the plastic insulating
the keyboard and cables and jumped into the computer.

	I guess WHAT I really want is to find out a reasonably "idea"
resistance value.  And if I should use static mats, and where. 
 
Patrick Champion