ESD Fried my 3DO
Dave Brown
Static Discharge) protection on 3DO controllers. It turns out
that there is not any. I found this rather surprising, but proba-
bly typical of consumer electronic products.
The other day I went to turn my 3DO off, and a big ZAP went to the
on off switch from my finger. Now my machine will not turn off,
via the switch. The switch, no doubt controls a soft start for the
off-line power supply, which is now fried.
I've also blown out my Nintendo controller from ESD.
I really wish these products were more robust.
Dave Brown
+----------------------------------------+---------------------+
|BNR Ottawa Cananda | 3D0 |
|brow...@bnr.ca | SNES |
|ATM H/W development | NES |
+----------------------------------------+---------------------+
Scott Fitzpatrick
This post makes me ask the question, "what prevention can be taken?
Is there a way to ground this sucker?"
Dave Brown <brow...@bnr.ca> wrote:
Later,
Scott
Madden on Deion: "He's as fast as he has to be, and that
makes him the fastest man playing the game."
Frank Booth
> I was involved in a thread a few months ago regarding ESD (Electro
> Static Discharge) protection on 3DO controllers. It turns out
> that there is not any. I found this rather surprising, but proba-
> bly typical of consumer electronic products.
>
> The other day I went to turn my 3DO off, and a big ZAP went to the
> on off switch from my finger. Now my machine will not turn off,
> via the switch. The switch, no doubt controls a soft start for the
> off-line power supply, which is now fried.
Well, I don't know what exactly happened, but I had a SHOCKING experience
over the summer while playing WCIII.
There was a VERY bad storm outside and I was in my basement, playing the
game in my nice recliner.
All of a sudden I heard this very loud crack and it felt like I got hit
in the side of the head with a board or something like that. I didn't
really know what the hell was going on, but my arm started to kill after
that as well..
I don't knwo if it was from the controller or what, but it was very
interesting, but my 3DO still's running fine.
--
Bring back the shame of the many for the few
Get on your knees, cuz I'll be coming back to you..
Bring back the pain of an inverse world for two
It keeps me coming back to you...
-Mr. Bungle-
Don't let me die with that silly look in my eyes...
-Faith No More-
Dave Platt
>Is there a way to ground this sucker?"
From computer and data-processing supplies companies, you can buy a
whole bunch of products which are intended to help prevent ESD
discharges.
Probably the most reliable type - although one which requires deliberate
use each time - is a conductive mat or strip which is placed in front of
the computer (or VCR, or videogame, or whatever). It's connected to a
grounded location (typically the "third prong" on a power plug) through
a 1 megohm safety resistor. You simply touch this pad or strip with
your finger for a second or so, before touching the computer - it drains
any static charge on your body away to ground. Some of them have a
small touch-pad, and a neon bulb - the bulb flashes orange when you
touch the pad, indicating that static is being drained away to ground
(it's a mostly-useless but occasionally amusing special effect, and it
does confirm that your static drainer is still properly grounded).
You can treat rugs, sweaters, etc. to make them slightly conductive, and
thus not likely to cause static buildup. There are commercial sprays
you can use, or you can simply use an aerosol pump-sprayer filled with a
diluted solution of Downy or a similar fabric softener (most of them
have an anti-static element added, to prevent "static cling"). The
treatment must usually be repeated every few weeks.
Another method which works (and which has some health and comfort
benefits, too!) is to use a household humidifier, to raise the humidity
in the air. ESD discharge is primarily a problem in winter, due to the
low relative humidity of the air... add a bit of extra moisture to the
air, and the static charges will drain away harmlessly rather than
building up and startling the cat.
The amount of static which can build up on your body, and jump over to
nearby objects, can be pretty frightening - my recollection is that the
potential difference can easily reach 10,000 volts or more. It isn't
always easy to shunt this much voltage away to ground in time to ensure
that it doesn't fry something.
--
Dave Platt dpl...@3do.com
USNAIL: The 3DO Company, Systems Software group
600 Galveston Drive
Redwood City, CA 94063
Matthew Martin
>
>>This post makes me ask the question, "what prevention can be taken?
>>Is there a way to ground this sucker?"
>
>From computer and data-processing supplies companies, you can buy a
>whole bunch of products which are intended to help prevent ESD
>discharges.
The UltraStat FST is the most reliable, effective and least costly of any
anti-static device on the market. A small accessory that installs on your
computer, the UltraStat FST continually drains harmful static from your
system and from you. The UltraStat Clearview likewise drains static from
your TV and you. The FST for computers and Clearview for TVs reduce the
10,000 to 20,000 volts of static electricity typically emitted by a
computer or TV screen to less than 50 volts.
>Probably the most reliable type - although one which requires deliberate
>use each time - is a conductive mat or strip which is placed in front of
>the computer (or VCR, or videogame, or whatever).
The FST requires absolutely no _conscious_ effort to use after initial
installation. The user can forget the FST is even there and it will still
work. The unit is attached to a space bar strip. The strip dissipates
static from the user. UltraStat also manufactures mousepads. The pad is
connected to the unit that sits atop the computer. An anti-static
wristpad is also available. Thus, the FST can drain static from the user
at the strip, the wristpad and/or the mousepad. The user does not need to
touch the strip, the wristpad or the mouse with the express intent of
draining static, it just happens.
>You can treat rugs, sweaters, etc. to make them slightly conductive, and
>thus not likely to cause static buildup. There are commercial sprays
>you can use, or you can simply use an aerosol pump-sprayer filled with a
>diluted solution of Downy or a similar fabric softener (most of them
>have an anti-static element added, to prevent "static cling"). The
>treatment must usually be repeated every few weeks.
The sprays are costly over time in terms of supplies and labor. Also, the
sprays smell, can cause headaches and are sticky.
>
>Another method which works (and which has some health and comfort
>benefits, too!) is to use a household humidifier, to raise the humidity
>in the air. ESD discharge is primarily a problem in winter, due to the
>low relative humidity of the air... add a bit of extra moisture to the
>air, and the static charges will drain away harmlessly rather than
>building up and startling the cat.
Except that the internal parts of your system continues to produce static
regardless of the relative humidity of the ambient air. Also, humidifiers
require constant maintenance, water must be changed once a day and the
unit must be cleaned once a week. The FST never has to be changed or
cleaned.
I am CCing this email to the President of UltraStat. Perhaps your posting
will stimulate research and development at UltraStat to design a product
specifically for video game aficionado.
For more information and advice about static electricity, see
http://www.cyberstat.com/.
Matt Martin
CyberStat, LLC
J_Hill
someone is trying to make a bunch of money from the fear and ingorance of
the general public.
ESD is a "concern" when your 3DO (or computer) is unplugged and the cover
is off. How many users find themselves in this situation? Almost none.
ESD is no threat to your 3DO or your computer if the covers are in place
and the unit is plugged into the wall outlet. The power cord provides a
"hot" side with 120 VAC on it, and a "neutral" side, which is,
essentially, ground. There is on way that ESD can threaten a plugged-in,
covers-in-place, machine.
There is a threat, however, from "line hits." The electrical service to
your house normally supplies the 120 VAC you use for almost everything
you plug in. But generating stations don't generate 120VAC, because the
resistance of the wire going from the generator to your home would reduce
the voltage at your end. So the power companies generate thousands of
volts, which they can efficiently send down the grid to a power
sub-station near your home, where transformers reduce this voltage.
Sometimes you'll find trasformers at various places throughout a
neighborhood, and they further reduce the voltage from the sub-station to
the 220 volts that comes into your house and gets "split in half" in your
basement to provide the voltage you normally use. That's the rough theory.
Now, let's say you're playing "Alone in the Dark" (pun intended) and
miles from your home a drunk crashes his car into a trasformer that is
used by YOUR neighborhood. ->POW<- In the process of wrecking the
transformer, the drunk causes the line voltage to go hundreds of volts
higher than normal. This comes down your line as a "surge" and it blows
up everything that can't handle it - and guess what - your computer or
game machine can't handle it. They die.
Thunderstorms can cause similar "line events." These "events" are NOT
the same as ESD, and can be protected against by using a high quality
surge protector on your computer and your game machine. Cheap surge
protectors are only good as extension cords. A good one - in the $50
range - will protect you against ONE event that could kill your
computer. If you know your house has been hit by lightning, the wise
course is to ASSUME that your surge protectors have "died in the line of
duty" and replace them. Some newer protectors offer an indicator light
that tells you if you still have protection, but most ofthe surge
protectors on the market have no indication of whether they're working or
not, and if they're not, they aren't protecting your computer or game
machine.
It is my opinion that if you don't know what you are doing and you remove
the covers from your game machine, you DESERVE to haveit die by ESD.
Consider it the price of education.
All flames should be directed to:
-- Jim
David Nagy
: I missed the original post on this ESD thing, but it looks to me like
: someone is trying to make a bunch of money from the fear and ingorance of
: the general public.
[...]
There has been some blatent advertising in this thread but...
I believe one can damage a 3DO by 'zapping' the exposed controller jack
whilst plugging and unplugging pads. I think someone once zapped their
3DO by touching the pad-mounted headphone jack. (I think)
Dave Nagy
Al Amaloo
>I believe one can damage a 3DO by 'zapping' the exposed controller jack
>whilst plugging and unplugging pads. I think someone once zapped their
>3DO by touching the pad-mounted headphone jack. (I think)
On a related note, I personally zapped a Panasonic controller with
static electricity in the manner that you described. Things started
to go weird after that. Some games would take a very long time to
load. Others had horribly slow frame rates. At first, I thought the
worst and guessed that something in the 3DO fried. Then, as luck
would have it, I unplugged the zapped controller from the chain (had 3
hooked up at the time), and everything started working fine again (and
has ever since). Plugged in the zapped controller by itself; back to
the slowdowns. So, it is definitely possible to damage the controller
by giving it some static electricity; as for the system itself, I
dunno...
___________________________________________________________________________
Al Amaloo 3DO. A videogame system barely alive. We can rebuild it.
Munster, IN We have the technology. We can make it better than it was.
pal...@niia.net 64-bit, stronger, faster... [Cue Opening Music]
a...@mcs.com Theme from "The One Hundred Million Dollar Game System"