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Old 20-March-2007, 12:18 AM
ktesibios ktesibios is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Los Angeles
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tofu View Post
I wonder if there would be a way to carry around a resistor and use it to slowly equalize yourself with an object like a light switch before you touch the thing bare skin.
You could try wearing an ESD wristband and touching the grounding clip to the object before touching it with your hand- that would discharge you through a 1 meg or so resistor, hopefully limiting the current to a level below the "OW! @#$%^&!" level.

A few things I can recommend trying- using a humidifier to keep the relative humidity near the top end of the comfort zone- say 50%- is a good idea. Use a good dose of fabric softener when washing your clothes and a dryer sheet when drying them. If the problem is mainly in a space you control, like at home, there are anti-static treatments available for carpets and furniture- a carpet cleaning company can probaly inform you about that. Or you could try the homebrew static treament we used to use in the studio when I lived back East- take some liquid fabric softener like Downy, dilute it with about 8 parts water to 1 part softener and use a spray bottle to mist the rugs and upholstery until the surface is damp. If you use a commercial or homemade treatment you'll probably have to repeat it a few times over the course of the winter.
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