[Lucbert]

Hey!
Yesterday I opened up my MacBook Pro (I have the Mid09 13inch) because the fan was making some kind of a buzzing noise and I wanted to make sure that no cables or other stuff was caught up in it.
After opening the MacBook and checking the fan I touched some of it's components because I wanted to see if they were loose and therefore creating the noise.
The problem is I forgot to touch the SuperDrives Metal-frame first, which you have to do to ground yourself.
Do you think that my MacBook was damaged by a static discharge (I did not feel anything and it seems to be working fine)?
Does touching the Alu body of the MacBook also ground you or do you HAVE to touch the Metal frame thats inside of the computer?

[Dysfunction]

Couple things about static discharge.

The amount of voltage required to damage modern IC's is MUCH lower than anything you'd ever feel. We're talking an order of magnitude lower in voltage. This will also only reduce as IC's get more and more compact.

You should ground yourself to the ground plane of the device, which may be the case it would depend on the design.. which I'm unsure of in this instance. Are you actually having problems now, or is this just curiosity?

[Lucbert]

Neither, it's pure paranoia.....
It is working just fine but I have heard a lot about static damaging internal components without rendering them useless right away.
I man Aluminum is a kind of metal, so it should ground, right?
And also I heard that you have to be grounded to the same voltage as the computer, so you cannot use something like a quarter to ground you.
But if the alu chassis is not directly connected to the computers internals it might have another voltage then the actuals components, right?

[csegeek]

Ok ... as Dysfunction has stated .. yes the amount of voltage is way lower than you will feel to damage integrated circuits..

But with that said.. Most static discharges will not kill your laptop immediately most of the damage will be done over time.. and most likely appear long after you have moved on to another computer.

I have been dismantling and resembling computers since before the TRS-80 days (trash 80's) and knock on wood have not found a dead comp due to static..

I am relatively careful but don't normally use a ground strap or static mat. This is not to say you can not kill them with a zap ... it just does not happen that often if you are at least a bit mindful of touching metal ground first.

Check the pic's in this post .. just at my desk... BTW love all computers.. sry not just Mac's...

[chscag]

I agree with the "geek". Back in the old days it was a lot easier to zap components in electronic equipment since even the most delicate were exposed to static discharges.

Nowadays, there's almost no danger of zapping a component unless it's removed or being replaced in a piece of equipment. Even at that, I haven't heard of anyone who destroyed a memory module due to human body static by inserting or removing it from their machine. I'm not saying it's OK to be careless, but casual handling or touching of electronic components is probably not going to do any harm to them.

Regards.

[Dysfunction]

yea, it's not exactly like I strap on my heelstraps (I actually have anti-stat shoes. they're more comfortable), use an anti-static mat and wrist straps at home... I sure do at work though

Oh and I have seen ESD destroyed components. Typically though.. more complicated IC's.. more complicated machines... harder installs.. etc

although FAR MORE zinc whiskers have killed components in my experience.