R. Paul McCarty <mccarty@reg16.admin.rochester.edu> wrote: >hands. :) Only problem is it only worked for 10 minutes and then it >suddenly stopped working. I unplugged it and tried it again and it worked >for a couple of minutes and then it stopped. The IC got really hot, and I >decided it was dead and got a new keyboard and repeated the tests. Same >problems only this time the computer shutoff, so I suspect a wiring >problem in the cable is shorting out power to the key-glove. Luckilly it >didn't short through my hand. :) Check to make sure you're grounding yourself at the wrists. This will stop currents from flowing through your chest (most of it goes across your skin, but if even the tiniest spike goes through your heart it could induce an attack), and, more pertinently, will prevent electrostatic buildup and discharge. ESD messes up a lot of stuff in weird ways. I've had problems with a logitech mouse that gets lost; the cursor no longer responds to it and I have to reboot. I'd suspected ESD, but never associated the problem with a shock, until a week or so ago when Laura came in and kissed me on the head while I was moving the mouse. She zapped me and the cursor froze. Case solved. ESD doesn't always involve a noticeable zap. The least noticeable discharge is several hundred volts. Many electronic devices can be discombobulated by just a couple of hundred volts. GaAs transistors can be destroyed but as little as 100 volts, but I doubt your keyboard controller has any of those in it. --Blair "'Static-dissipative' is not a synonym for 'magic'."
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