Need help finding USB --> FIREWIRE hub

AMVfreak · Post by **AMVfreak** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 10:42 pm

thanks everyone
i somehow got the PCI slot in
8)

/n00b i am not no more with PCIs

AMVfreak · Post by **AMVfreak** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 10:43 pm

**/n00b i am not any more with PCIs

dear me
sorry for the double post

TaranT · Post by **TaranT** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 3:34 am

Corran wrote:You don't seem to understand what I'm saying. The only thing that has to be the same charge is yourself and your computer.

ESD sensitive devices can be potentially damaged it they suddenly meet a charge different than what they already are. When you touch your case or attach an ESD wrist strap, you drain or add a charge to the ESD sensitive device in a non-destructive way.

Touching your plumbing before touching you computer will only increase the difference in charge between yourself and the computer. So not only does it not help but it potentially worsens the situation.

You're both right and wrong about different things. Suppose you're working on your PC, then leave for a bit, then walk back to it over a dry carpet. Suppose you touch the PC frame and a spark jumps from you to the metal. That charge is going to go someplace: into the case metal, the power supply box, through the ground wires to the motherboard and anything else connected to it. Theoretically, you can damage your PC just by discharging yourself like they tell you to do - although in practice I have never seen this happen.

Ideally, the PC would be sitting on an antistatic mat that is attached to an "acceptable" ground. You would then attach yourself to the same ground using an "acceptable" strap. Then you can touch the computer. In other words, you reach the same state of charge using something other than the device you're trying to fix. This is what we're taught in our certification classes at work.

As for "acceptable" grounds: Sink pipes as grounds are an old method based on the fact that the best ground around is literally ground; i.e. dirt, like that in your back yard or under your house. The wetter it is, the better. Most water piping reaches the dirt somehow or other, but it has to be metal pipe. Most homes use plastic PVC pipes for drains, so the cold water supply pipe is a better choice. In some homes, you can find a large metal stake driven into the dirt near where the power lines enter the house. This stake will have a wire or cable connecting it to the home's electrical lines.

In the labs where I work, we use 1 inch by 1/2-inch thick copper bars typically 10-15 feet long. They're connected to the building's electrical ground. Here at home, I have two antistatic mats and I've connected them to the metal frame of my desk.

By "acceptable" wrist strap, I mean something with a resistor built into it. When you grab a wire or touch the case, you make yourself the freeway for any current going to the ground. Read that as potential electrocution. A good wrist strap has a large enough resistor to keep the current to a survivable level. This is just a last-ditch safety measure. You should not be touching any power sources to begin with.

As Corran suggests, putting on a good wrist strap first, then connecting its wire to the case, should be safe enough in practice. The resistor in the strap should prevent a sudden current flow into the case.

Despite all the training I've had to take on this subject, I still build my own PCs with everything spread out on the carpet. Haven't roasted anything yet although I do try to keep some part of me (like toes, if necessary) in contact with the case when I'm working inside it.

Corran · Post by **Corran** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 9:01 am

Sorry for all the bickering on the subject.

I was just under the impression that his computer wasn't grounded to the plumbing as well.

I haven't had to use many of these items yet but if I handled the other half of the job then we too would use those kind of wrist straps and antistatic mats. For other stuff we would use a workbench where pretty much everything would be grounded.

Anyways... I'm done.

oldwrench · Post by **oldwrench** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 7:15 pm

AMVfreak wrote:thanks everyone
i somehow got the PCI slot in
8)

/n00b i am not no more with PCIs

Nice going AMVfreak,

I was sure you would find computer add ons easy and fun. Next you'll be finding parts and building your own. 8)
If your camcorder has a video input, you can use it to convert analog from a vcr to digital feed to your computer, in place of a capture card.

DaNuKa_SAN · Post by **DaNuKa_SAN** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 10:38 pm

haha^^
all this for static....wew...
I can say im just like you taran^^
and yes i do have the good ol wrist strap though i should get a anti static mat too sometime...

as for my plumbing...wew...no worries ...its grounded alright^^

well then nuff said

and congratulations for the Firewire AMVfreak^^

AMVfreak · Post by **AMVfreak** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 2:13 am

ehehehe
thanks everyone
i can now transfer video into my computer!

i owe you guys one
-amvfreak

DaNuKa_SAN · Post by **DaNuKa_SAN** » Mon Jul 05, 2004 11:29 pm

ahh...the joy of basking in file tranfer satisfaction^^

madmag9999 · Post by **madmag9999** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 12:19 am

ok well seems avm freak got it all and shit. so theres no need to post here again DaNuKa_SAN