Help Me Overcome the Fear of Electrocution

[BlackSpotter]

Hi guys. I'm a new member to this forum and a newbie PC owner. I've been using a macbook all my life and last month I thought to myself "I need a desktop". So when Apple announce their M1 processor, I waited to buy M1 iMac. Turns out, they're releasing M1 only on macbook and mac mini. I don't want to buy x86 iMac because it'll be obselete in 1 years' time. When I searched online on iMac to buy, I came across a system integrator. I looked on their offering and I was surprised what I can build with the price of an iMac (this is the first time I research about PC). So I contacted them and choose my component.

 

Ended up with:

• MSI Z390 Tomahawk
• Intel Core i7-9700K
• GALAX RTX 3070
• Team Delta 8GB X 2 3200MHz RAM
• ThermalTake UX200
• Corsair RM 750 PSU
• Corsair 4000D Airflow Case

And I saved $200 instead of buying an iMac

Here it is.

Spoiler

 

The problem is, I'm REALLY REALLY AFRAID of getting electrocuted. I'm connecting the USB for the mouse and I think my finger touched something (probably the IO shield) and I'm electrocuted. I ended up asking my sister to connect all the IO. So since the computer came on December 2nd, I never touch it again. I'm planning to just call a specialist if I want to upgrade the ram and hard disk since I was so afraid of opening it. This is obviously not ideal.

 

How can I overcome my fear? I think it 's coming from when I touched a wall outlet when I was a kid. It's almost a phobia. How can you guys can fiddle with your PC without fear of electrocution? And can I prevent the electrocution? I already turn off my PSU and I think there's still electricity.

 

And do you guys also afraid of touching your PC?

[Slottr]

It's not impossible, but damn close seeing how everything you'd be touching is grounded

 

If you're swapping parts you wont even have it plugged into an outlet

[BlackSpotter]

Just now, Slottr said:

It's not impossible, but damn close seeing how everything you'd be touching is grounded

Can you really die from touching your component?

[Tehkast]

Need to build up a tolerance start by licking a 9v battery each morning and over time use bigger and bigger batteries, I'm up to using the car battery each morning now. 

[NaniSalmon]

1 minute ago, Tehkast said:

Need to build up a tolerance start by licking a 9v battery each morning and over time use bigger and bigger batteries, I'm up to using the car battery each morning now. 

Absolute madlad. Next step should be a 24 volt battery from a diesel truck.

[Coolmaster]

1 minute ago, BlackSpotter said:

Can you really die from touching your component?

No.

 

Spoiler

If you stick something into the powersupply maybe, but just don't so that.

 

[WhitetailAni]

I play around with so many PC components (mostly older ones, which were NOT designed for mass consumer handling that some people are like "How are you not dead from electrocution yet?"
In 6th grade science class, I was messing around with some Snap Circuits running off of B3/3 AA batteries (so 4.5 volts) and my teacher comes by and says "Don't get electrocuted!"
My response: "Watch this! <completes the circuit with fingers on opposite arms>"

Unless you're fiddling around inside a CRT without properly discharging it or inside a power supply, you will be fine. The max voltage that parts can get is 12V.

Edited December 13, 2020 by ragnarok0273

[NaniSalmon]

3 minutes ago, BlackSpotter said:

Can you really die from touching your component?

I mean... If you keep your PC powered up and running when you swap internal components, worst you can get a 120V shock simillar than if you stuck a fork into a wall outlet. Probably won't die but that's a heck of a shock. As @Slottr said, your PC should be unplugged, power suply off and spam the power button a couple times to drain the excess power remaining in components. Then it should be 99.9% safe to do anything.

[Slottr]

6 minutes ago, BlackSpotter said:

Can you really die from touching your component?

When its unplugged?

You'd have more luck actually getting struck by lightning

 

Unless you're planning on opening up a power supply and jamming a fork in there, you'll be absolutely fine

[PlayStation 2]

6 minutes ago, BlackSpotter said:

Can you really die from touching your component?

Unless you're dicking around with a bare power supply (something that pretty much no one should be doing unless they abso-fucking-lutely know what they're doing), you won't be shocked by anything at all. 

Basically, if you wanna overcome the fear of building a PC because of you're afraid of electrocution, don't plug it into the wall until you have everything together and unplug it if you need to make any changes, as you really should be doing with a PC anyways.

[BlackSpotter]

1 minute ago, NaniSalmon said:

I mean... If you keep your PC powered up and running when you swap internal components, worst you can get a 120V shock simillar than if you stuck a fork into a wall outlet. Probably won't die but that's a heck of a shock. As @Slottr said, your PC should be unplugged, power suply off and spam the power button a couple times to drain the excess power remaining in components. Then it should be 99.9% safe to do anything.

 

1 minute ago, Slottr said:

When its unplugged?

You'd have more luck actually getting struck by lightning

 

Unless you're planning on opening up a power supply and jamming a fork in there, you'll be absolutely fine

Ah that really relieves me. Thank you guys. But I’ll probably still be afraid of touching it. 

[BiotechBen]

I've come in contact with AC 115v outlet power, finger brushed a live plug pulling out a plug, was kinda like a tingly hum for that brief contact. I've been shocked by some stuff in my time, but nearly everything is such low voltage and wattage that at most it would tingle. wouldn't recommend bridging capacitors becasue those could kill you, but all the little connections are fine. its about as dangerous as plugging in your phone to the charger for nearly all the components.

 

[BlackSpotter]

1 minute ago, BiotechBen said:

I've come in contact with AC 115v outlet power, finger brushed a live plug pulling out a plug, was kinda like a tingly hum for that brief contact. I've been shocked by some stuff in my time, but nearly everything is such low voltage and wattage that at most it would tingle. wouldn't recommend bridging capacitors becasue those could kill you, but all the little connections are fine. its about as dangerous as plugging in your phone to the charger for nearly all the components.

 

That’s a relief

[NaniSalmon]

1 minute ago, BlackSpotter said:

 

Ah that really relieves me. Thank you guys. But I’ll probably still be afraid of touching it. 

You should not. For example, a USB port is only 5 volts. You will never feel anything fom a 5v shock. Maybe it was just statick that you felt? You honestly probably have more chances to get burned by an overwhelmly hot CPU or GP than getting any kind of shock from a PC. AND PLEASE DO NOT PUT A SREWDRIVER INTO THE POWER SUPPLY. The powersupply is the only component that could actualy hurt you if you mess with it cause of the giant capacitors.

[jaslion]

To start the system you are getting is outdated and better can be done for the money most likely.

 

Also well there is no risk if the system is not plugged in. At worst you get a static shock from some leftover power somewhere. I mean just don't go around poking inside the psu with a screwdriver and puncture the capacitors (like you really have to try to do that stuff even) or when working on the hardware as in installing stuff have the system off and uplugged (and hit the power button a couple time to flush any remaining power)

[BiotechBen]

the good thing to know is that the amperage required to kill you is about a 100mA window. below that: nothing happens, little tingle maybe, 10,000 amps: your body contracts and it'll shoot you back. it takes some pretty specific conditions to really kill you if you are putting together a pc.

https://www.asc.ohio-state.edu/physics/p616/safety/fatal_current.html

[WhitetailAni]

I've accidentally touched a live plug via something going into it.
Felt like someone put a massager thing except all of it going to my finger.

I hope that we get a revision to the male US plug design, where part of it is plastic but older devices are still compatible.

[BiotechBen]

you actively have to try to get electrocuted to die from using your pc.

you are more likely to kill your components than yourself.

[bmx6454]

only the psu will have enough juice to do some damage. got a bad shock working on one years ago without it being properly discharged, i don't recommend it lol.

[Coolmaster]

I stuck a wire to connect both holes in an extension cord, and I was fine. You won't die from a consumer PC.

[DG House]

if you realy that afraid, get yourself a RCD for you wall outlet

the Residual-current device breaks when you get in contact with electric, way before its lethal

that one for example is with german socket standard

[HanZie82]

If im afraid of getting zapped ill just slap it.

If then i get zapped i would then hardly notice it, and if no zapp i just smacked the case. No big deal.

 

[trag1c]

Besides the Capacitors/AC side in the power supply there's is no way you can die from electrocution from a computer (without actively trying). The highest voltage nominal voltage found in a computer is 12VDC which is absolutely nothing considering that the resistance of skin is typically 10s to 100s of kilo ohms. So with I = V / R, I = 12V / 10000Ω = 0.0012mA. To stop a human heart you typically need 10s of milliamps applied directly to the heart so you're no where near that level. In addition the electrical circuit has to flow through or near your heart so you're really hitting a brick wall with actually being electrocuted. 

 

Hell even 110-120V AC isn't fatal except in a few circumstances. About the only real danger in a computer is the power supply with the large capacitors which can discharge nearly instantaneously which can cause them to break down your skin (burn you) lowering your skins resistance allowing higher current to pass to your heart (assuming that is the path it's taking) Or the other possibility with capacitors (the big ones any ways) is that when they short they heat up rapidly enough to explode and blow your face or fingers off.

 

I've also been shocked numerous times working on cars which have 12VDC systems and I am most certainly still alive (At least on the outside lol).