How do i ensure im grounded and not damage my pc while working on it?

[IR76]

My bedroom has carpet flooring so if I want to work on my pc at my desk I need to ensure I dont damage my components with static so is it just as simple as buying this wrist strap but what would I attach it to?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anti-Static-Wrist-Straps-Anti-Static/dp/B017164JG6/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1IKULKX3LT136&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fDeelC3pcHlkYocF9WycAmGUY1i59gA0oM0vMJsJpswN0Z-c3NJjAohYM0KebDUBDIylfECrsbJBQflTaElRHDuhGE6sh7YQ7c-eHUtbkE2bZyckHoWvPLF-s8DHd_QDiBOmrCBSQcP0P-i_rzvQnm5e67mbfvq43z2k7Cvpwr3Qiu1VjAQ_NssBjtoDVX5lVaRkif24A2UhsuZd6EmNaGQFY1JiNz4_guhKDrmzfEptkb4Xletnnr9imcyCcspiEiN40IhcoSIHOSuFtnit9W8pF8FLqFJf9cpaXSWHzcA.DF2ZfZvpoE9v1I3jx6pXdSE8YBayfnbGOIOBuhdhMD4&dib_tag=se&keywords=anti%2Bstatic%2Bwrist%2Bstraps&qid=1712151808&sprefix=anti%2Bstat%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-5&th=1 

[Average Nerd]

1 minute ago, IR76 said:

what would I attach it to?

If your outlets have exposed ground prongs (to my knowledge only european outlets do) you can clip the strap to those, or you plug in your PSU (with the switch turned off and nothing connected to it) and clip the strap to its enclosure (make sure you get through the paint/powdercoat on it tto make proper contact).

If you have central heating with metal radiators, you can clip to exposed metal on those, they are usually grounded as well.

4 minutes ago, IR76 said:

simple as buying this wrist strap

Yes, pretty much.

[TatamiMatt]

13 minutes ago, IR76 said:

My bedroom has carpet flooring so if I want to work on my pc at my desk I need to ensure I dont damage my components with static so is it just as simple as buying this wrist strap but what would I attach it to?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anti-Static-Wrist-Straps-Anti-Static/dp/B017164JG6/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1IKULKX3LT136&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fDeelC3pcHlkYocF9WycAmGUY1i59gA0oM0vMJsJpswN0Z-c3NJjAohYM0KebDUBDIylfECrsbJBQflTaElRHDuhGE6sh7YQ7c-eHUtbkE2bZyckHoWvPLF-s8DHd_QDiBOmrCBSQcP0P-i_rzvQnm5e67mbfvq43z2k7Cvpwr3Qiu1VjAQ_NssBjtoDVX5lVaRkif24A2UhsuZd6EmNaGQFY1JiNz4_guhKDrmzfEptkb4Xletnnr9imcyCcspiEiN40IhcoSIHOSuFtnit9W8pF8FLqFJf9cpaXSWHzcA.DF2ZfZvpoE9v1I3jx6pXdSE8YBayfnbGOIOBuhdhMD4&dib_tag=se&keywords=anti%2Bstatic%2Bwrist%2Bstraps&qid=1712151808&sprefix=anti%2Bstat%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-5&th=1 

Screw the PSU into the case to make good contact, plug PSU into wall socket but dont switch on, this will make a physical path for static buildup to flow through. Then attach wrist strap (to wrist at one end obvs ) to anywhere on the case, this will ground you and the case and keep you static free, but this shouldn't fry any components, Linus did a video with Electroboom recently where they actively tried to destroy components with shocks much stronger than static shocks and found it VERY hard to

 

EDIT: oh true, what @Average Nerd said about exposed ground, always forget other countries dont also have this

[podkall]

6 minutes ago, TatamiMatt said:

but this should fry any components,

did you mean to say shouldn't?

[TatamiMatt]

Just now, podkall said:

did you mean to say shouldn't?

yup, thank ya, edited now

[PowerPCFan]

I've built and tinkered with TONS of PCs and static has never been an issue, I wouldn't worry about it. I actually built my PC and my friend's PC on a rug... but don't do that, a clean table is a much better option.  

[PDifolco]

12 minutes ago, PowerPCFan said:

I've built and tinkered with TONS of PCs and static has never been an issue, I wouldn't worry about it. I actually built my PC and my friend's PC on a rug... but don't do that, a clean table is a much better option.  

Agreed

I didn't build/upgraded tons of PCs but always did it without  any particular static protection and had 0 issues

I'm in Europe and everything is grounded, just took care of shutting down PSU power tho !

 

[Stahlmann]

Just don't build it while standing on carpet and you'll be fine. I never grounded myself before working on PCs and I never damaged anything.

[podkall]

30 minutes ago, PDifolco said:

Agreed

I didn't build/upgraded tons of PCs but always did it without  any particular static protection and had 0 issues

I'm in Europe and everything is grounded, just took care of shutting down PSU power tho !

 

u guys worry about static? I worry about buyer's remorse, dropping something, overtightening something, screw falling into the 4th Dimension, something not being plugged in properly and thermals

[mariushm]

A wrist strap is just a metal wire with a resistor on it .. it's nothing special.  The resistor is there so that if somewhere else something dumps some electricity into the ground, you won't get electricity into you through the wire.

 

The easiest way to discharge yourself is to touch something already grounded. For example, plug your computer power supply into your grounded power strip and now the whole exterior of the power supply is grounded. So touching any surface that's not painted ... any raw metal conductive bit, will automatically connect you to ground and discharge you.

 

If you screw the power supply to the case, the power supply will be automatically connected to the metal of the case through the screws, so touching anything metal on the case that's not insulated (paints insulate sometimes) will ground you.