ESD Static Concern...Upgrading Ram in new laptop

[Recon]

I am going to be upgrading my laptop memory and I am scared of zapping my new computer. Gloves, wristbands, or a esd mat is not an option. I will be standing barefoot on a wood floor without clothing and working on a wood table. It's the only room without carpet and its surrounded by carpet. What is a proven way to ground myself? There are no power outlets in the room but there is a metal light fixture on the ceiling. If I touch the metal exterior of the ceiling light will that ground me? Please let me know ideas that actually work. I also own a copper cooking pan and wondered if I stand with one foot on it will that eliminate static? Thanks in advance for the advice.

[Electric Cupcake]

Touch a copper water pipe that runs to the ground. Or get a wire and stick it in the ground hole of a wall socket. But none of the other holes, obviously.

[Cathulhu]

No need to go to such excessive lengths. Just ground yourself before touching the hardware itself and maybe every few minutes to be safe.
No need to assemble RAM in the nude.

[Recon]

Well the Ram is coming in the mail and I'm sure that it will have anti static packaging. I will try to use that to swap out the ram modules. I'm thinking its a paper package lined in bubble wrap and inside is a anti static bag containing the new modules. I will use the bag as a "condom" for my fingers.

[Supafly]

Just touch something metal before you work. Keep a hand on the laptop then touch a Radiator, radiator pipe, table or chair leg to ground yourself. Oh and FYI I have quite often worked in my shoes, slippers and socks on carpeted floors for years without shorting components. No silly gloves or bands either. Even have a PC case on the floor(Carpet) while I've worked on it.

Oh and I can't stress this enough myself and millions of others have worked on computer fully clothed. Pretty sure YT would be blocking every video that involves the user working on a computers interior if they had to do it in the nude.

[Beato_dim]

It reminds me of the scene in Serial Experiments Lain where she was building her PC - she mostly undressed to prevent static. But I don't think you actually need to do that, unless you're into that.

[Autumn_]

That's WAY overkill.
In all the years of messing around with hardware, I've never killed a component because of ESD, and I've done things people INSIST are terrible and should be done (i.e vaccuming PC)

I'm not saying not to 'protect' your hardware if you really don't want to run the risk, but you can ground yourself on lots of things (listed above.)
You should never have to take off clothes (unless its to move freely.)

You shouldn't worry about ESD, every component I can think of these days has ESD protection.

I guess I'll use a bit of anecdotal evidence to prove my point; not long ago, I was experiencing issues with my RAM, so I took them out of my PC, dragged my feet across the majority of my house, so I could sit down and watch TV while I cleaned the contacts on the DIMMs, and my dog was rubbing up against me, I was finger-♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ the DIMMs constantly.

There's also the time(s) that I've used the vaccum on my PC.

I figure, if my parts are going to die of ESD, I'd need to do a lot more than that.

In short, stop worrying so much, just do the job, chances are nothing js going to happen.


Side-note, I probably just made a bunch of people cringe with the 'I vaccum my PC' thing, lmao.

[Supafly]

Originally posted by Autumn:

Side-note, I probably just made a bunch of people cringe with the 'I vaccum my PC' thing, lmao.

I used to do it all the time. Only switch to a compuVac when one was on offer. Honestly I'm tempted to vac still has carrying system downstairs and outside to blow out is a pain in the ***. Vacumning was soooo much quicker. Like you said most hardware nowadays have some sort of ESD anyway so a vacumn should be an issue. Unless it sucks up a loose part.

[mtono]

Originally posted by Recon:

Well the Ram is coming in the mail and I'm sure that it will have anti static packaging. I will try to use that to swap out the ram modules. I'm thinking its a paper package lined in bubble wrap and inside is a anti static bag containing the new modules. I will use the bag as a "condom" for my fingers.

this works!

[Magma Dragoon]

Originally posted by Recon:

Well the Ram is coming in the mail and I'm sure that it will have anti static packaging. I will try to use that to swap out the ram modules. I'm thinking its a paper package lined in bubble wrap and inside is a anti static bag containing the new modules. I will use the bag as a "condom" for my fingers.

don't do that