<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_extra"><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, May 29, 2013 at 9:44 AM, Michael B. Trausch <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mbt@naunetcorp.com" target="_blank">mbt@naunetcorp.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
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<div>On 05/28/2013 02:13 PM, Dennis Ruzeski
wrote:<br>
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<blockquote type="cite">I keep a small toolkit (Don't forget the static
wristband), an external hard drive, and my preferred distro for
this kind of work is Backtrack. If you haven't checked it out you
should.</blockquote>
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In 30 years, I've always simply followed the rules for grounding
myself frequently during repair. I've never need to use mats or
wristbands, and I have yet (knock on wood) to <i>accidentally</i>
destroy a component due to ESD. </div></blockquote><div><br></div><div style>That's what I usually do, too, but it is good to remember that a lot of semiconductors are damaged by static electricity without completely failing. Static discharge can take years off the life of a component and be basically undetectable in the short term.</div>
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