levene@APLPY.JHUAPL.EDU (Robert A. Levene) (02/05/91)
Here's the story:
I have a formica computer table with metal legs. I also have a standard
office chair with metal legs atop plastic casters.
Just by sitting in my chair I generate enough static electricity to cause a
spark when I touch ground. The chair also gets charged up, and when the
chair leg gets close to the table leg, a spark is generated.
My '83 TI Professional Computer (an MS-DOS machine) immediately crashes, as
indicated by the immediate blanking of the screen. A Vulcan-neck-pinch
(ctrl-alt-del) is necessary to re-start the machine. Both the TI Pro
and the Macintosh on the table are connected to an ISOBAR surge protector.
(The Macintosh SE is unaffected.)
My troubleshooting included:
(1) checked the office ground
- It is intact.
(2) disconnected all extraneous connections, leaving only the Keyboard
and the video plugged in
- The system wouldn't crash without the keyboard plugged in
(3) swapped keyboards
- The systems crashed on the second or third spark
Anyone out there have any ideas apart from "Reduce your static?" Perhaps
the spark generates enough EMP to crash the TI-Pro video board?
Please e-mail and I'll summarize the results if there's enough interest.
- R
--
Robert A. Levene Internet: levene@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu Bitnet: RXL1@APLVM
Disclaimer: I speak neither for my race, my culture, my country, my religion,
my political party, nor my employer, but for me alone.dunne@motcid.UUCP (Jim E. Dunne) (02/06/91)
From article <9102041615.AA04354@aplpy.jhuapl.edu>, by levene@APLPY.JHUAPL.EDU (Robert A. Levene): > My '83 TI Professional Computer (an MS-DOS machine) immediately crashes, as > indicated by the immediate blanking of the screen. A Vulcan-neck-pinch There's the problem! You're using a TIPC (pronounced Tipsy). Miserable wretch of a machine, even a DOS machine at that. About 70% compatible with true DOS machines (major differences were diskette formats and graphics). When I worked for TI I was provided with a screaming 4.77 Mhz job, with mono graphics and 2 floppies! Used to crash when you looked cross-eyed at it, often requiring a power cycle. I don't recall any static-related problems, though. TI machines got even worse (TI BuisinessPro) until they went totally DOS-compatible.
levene@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu (02/06/91)
I wrote: >> [Due to a nearby spark between my chair and the legs of the table on >> which the TI Pro is placed,] >> My '83 TI Professional Computer (an MS-DOS machine) immediately crashes, as >> indicated by the immediate blanking of the screen. A Vulcan-neck-pinch In article <4547@ash17.UUCP> dunne@motcid.UUCP (Jim E. Dunne) responds: > There's the problem! You're using a TIPC (pronounced Tipsy). Miserable > wretch of a machine, even a DOS machine at that. [deleted] Yeah, and while you're at it, how 'bout making fun of the 1973 Dodge Dart V-8 which I used to drive a few years ago. ;-) There have been about 4 or 5 replies, and the general consensus is that lots of strange things could be causing the crash to occur, so it's better to take steps to reduce static electricity, as in: Patient: "Doc, it hurts when I move like this." Doc: "Well, then don't move like that!" The most common solution recommended was to connect a small touch plate to ground and place the plate near the keyboard to enable quick discharging before touching magnetic media. I also made a similar set-up for my chair, so that it discharges to ground before it can touch the table leg. Thanks for your responses, Rob -- Robert A. Levene Internet: levene@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu Bitnet: RXL1@APLVM Disclaimer: I speak neither for my race, my culture, my country, my religion, my political party, nor my employer, but for me alone.