This might seem wimpy dumb, but I have to put papers in and pull papers out of a filing cabinet quite often on a daily basis. The filing cabinet has the local office server sitting on top of it. Every time I touch the cabinet a visible shock occurs etc etc. Not that it's that big a deal but I'd be nice not to have to brace oneself everyday Carpeted flooring, rubber soled sneakers and a server sitting on top of the filing cabinet = sigh. Any suggestions on grounding?

2/19/2010 2:52:10 PM

I'm thinking you should let this be and use it for pranks

2/19/2010 3:01:11 PM

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS343US343&q=anti-static+bracelet&oq=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=te5-S5a1IouVtge_l8yuDw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CB0QrQQwAA

You could just wander around with an anti-static bracelet on.

Well, actually I don't know if that'd work more than a few times.

2/19/2010 3:04:44 PM

^ ummm...do you not know how those things work?

2/19/2010 3:50:44 PM

ground the cabinet to a metal pipe or something

2/19/2010 4:16:21 PM

Take off your shoes and drag your feet when you walk towards the filing cabinet.

Stop being the shockee. Be the shocker.

2/19/2010 4:28:49 PM

Keep a dryer sheet handy. Hold it whenever you have to touch the cabinet.

I'm a genius, I know.

2/19/2010 4:40:05 PM

tell someone to move the server, it should have a home other than on top of a filing cabinet.

2/19/2010 6:21:29 PM

I managed to dump coffee on myself twice in two days last week because of this.

I now make sure I've dumped all the electrons off of me before I go grabbing carafes.

2/19/2010 6:37:48 PM

Quote :

"^ ummm...do you not know how those things work?"

I, rather naturally, assumed that they were magic.

2/19/2010 7:41:43 PM

^ nm, you DO know how they work

2/19/2010 8:13:13 PM

rubber gloves and goggles

2/19/2010 8:21:54 PM

if you KNOW it's gonna happen then just take your keys out of your pocket and touch a metal key to the cabinet first. The shock jumps from the tip of the key to the cabinet and you don't feel it. Trust me, it works

2/20/2010 3:29:55 AM

This works a little better but you still feel it. I was going to grab a low value resistor and see what that felt like. Might be cool to grab a diode and see if I could blow it up.

2/20/2010 10:00:36 AM

old school 36" mitsubishi tube TV + just turned off + dust wipe attempt = KA-POW!

every time.

Quote :

"ground the cabinet to a metal pipe or something"

2/20/2010 6:44:37 PM

no pipes around

2/20/2010 8:29:14 PM

What the hell would grounding the cabinet do?

You're charging yourself up to pretty high potentials and metal objects make nice paths to dump this charge on The electrons charging you up scatter out over the surface of the cabinet and then they dissipate pretty quickly. Grounding it would just mean they'll run to the ground, you'll still get the shock.

It's winter, lotioning up your hands would help. Not wearing wool will help. Waiting until summer will help.

2/20/2010 8:53:22 PM

The solution is to keep yourself chained to a metal pipe wherever you go. Or you can put a humidifier in the room .

2/20/2010 9:52:50 PM

Quote :

"Or you can put a humidifier in the room . "

That'll be perfect for the server!

2/20/2010 10:49:31 PM

pick up something metal like a key and use it to touch the cabinet first; the static will still discharge, but it'll hurt a lot less

2/20/2010 11:07:10 PM

jam a opened paperclip into the carpet and wedge against the metal of the cabinet to ground it? prolly really dry in ur office if that much static is building up, tell maintenance the low humidity is damaging equipment in ur office.

2/21/2010 6:26:07 PM

Throw a chain on the cabinet

problem solved

2/21/2010 11:03:54 PM

120V outlets are supposed to be grounded

2/23/2010 7:22:44 AM