Jun 22, 2011, 10:45 PM
I have a grounding strip I clip a wrist band to on the other side of my desk (where I was working since the hard drive is the most easily accessible on that side), and the towel didn't move. The towel isn't going to magically gain and impart a charge setup like that.
And I should have been clearer on the parallel ports - The project I was working on went from a multiplexer circuit to the port. Ground pins on the parallel ports were not the same as true ground; that difference in potential between "ground" on the port and the ground from the power strip is what fried the one of the data pins. By grounding to the case the issue didn't repeat.
As to finding it sexy - it's classic industrial design. Simple yes, but that's a point. It's a computer; it shouldn't have to have LED strips/fans, or an overly complicated plastic case.
And I should have been clearer on the parallel ports - The project I was working on went from a multiplexer circuit to the port. Ground pins on the parallel ports were not the same as true ground; that difference in potential between "ground" on the port and the ground from the power strip is what fried the one of the data pins. By grounding to the case the issue didn't repeat.
As to finding it sexy - it's classic industrial design. Simple yes, but that's a point. It's a computer; it shouldn't have to have LED strips/fans, or an overly complicated plastic case.