#623

Static electricity can zap and damage circuitry when it tries to find ground. You want to discharge static before touching your electronics to prevent damaging them. I would not recommend covering your equipment with a blanket as that sort of thing encourages a build up of static electricity.

#624

I see, so no covering with blanket, I will do some more dusting but that’s a smaller issue, isn’t it? and what would you suggest for discharging static? shall I use antistatic gloves? Sorry if this is going into O.C.D. territory .-)

#625

In terms of personal safety I’m really not too worried. No frayed AC wires. Unplug AC power or turn off a power strip before reaching inside my Euro case. Avoid touching big capacitors on PSUs. Since I don’t DIY, or service CRT monitors or rewire my house I don’t have a lot to worry about.

In terms of protecting the gear, I have this routine of touching lots of things on my way into the room and as I sit down – the door frame, a wire shelving unit, the steel legs of my desk, etc. to judge how bad the static might be and whether I’ve discharged it adequately before touching any of my gear. On bad days I keep dryer sheets with me :slight_smile:

Last year we had our furnace and blower replaced, and they also installed a cold plasma air purifier. I think that’s done a lot to reduce the static electricity in the house.

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#626

Just make sure your outlet has proper ground connection.

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#627

what about the dryer sheets?

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#628

In the US would this just be a matter of using three prong plots?

#629

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/how-to-avoid-getting-shocked-by-static-electricity-during-winter/70003963

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#630

thanks :slight_smile: and how do you take care of dust? do you use plastic deck savers on your synth or you just leave them as they are?

#631

Yes but no, because many outlets are not wired appropriately. You should test your outlets if you haven’t. Testers are cheap on Amazon.

In other countries it may be necessary to ground your equipment to plumbing, etc.

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#632

Are you talking about multimeters? How do you test?

#633

Poorly :slight_smile: I have a cotton dust cover for my Lyra-8 since I’ve heard the pots are susceptible to getting scratchy without it, but I don’t have a cover for my oddly shaped Eurorack case. I do have a brush I use once in a while but there’s always more dust.

#634

Multimeters work. There are also purpose-made outlet testers.

#635

the dryer sheets thing is so legit. my last house in AZ had radiant wall heating, which made already-dry & staticky even-more-dry & staticky. a coworker suggested the dryer sheets, in multiple applications, and they worked like charm.

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#636

@WhiteNoise re safety, I feel obliged to state the obvious: be incredibly careful with mains power, don’t literally put multimeter near an outlet. [unless of course you know your tools and procedures very well]; ESD can hurt some electronics; mains power will hurt you

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#637

So u would rub your hands on them?

#638

If you’re willing to spend some money on this problem, then get a sheet of static-dissipative fabric instead of a blanket. This fabric is made with 1% carbon fiber, sold for medical clean rooms. It will get rid of static buildup on the equipment, and will softly discharge the static buildup from your body when you touch it.

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#639

I was about to disagree with this point, but I admit that I sometimes forget that my engineering background comes with a lot of safety instincts.

Do not play with mains if you don’t understand electricity. Get a purpose-made outlet tester from your local hardware store and read the instructions carefully.

3 Likes
#640

At some point I would like to expand my MN Shared System case (I have the older tolex version). My preference would be to get a new lid that incorporates an additional 7U 104 hp, but with a deep enough recess so I could close the case when both sides are patched.

Any recommendations of who I could contact?

#641

Elite Modular made those tolex cases if I’m not mistaken. I recently purchased a 6U expansion top for my Elite case, and I love it. I expect they would be willing make you a 7U expansion top…http://www.elitemodular.com/

#642

Just finished building a case out of some local walnut. Managed to put the first scratch in it putting the modules in.

Really enjoyed making this.

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Woodworking