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Re: $20 key-glove

From: "R. Paul McCarty" <pmccart1@rochester.rr.com>
Date: Tue Jun 23 14:17:43 1998
Newsgroups: comp.sys.wearables

Blair P. Houghton wrote:
> 
> 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.

That's probably a good idea.  Thanks.

> 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.

Yeah, no more kissing in the workplace. ;)

> 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.

Probably not; its dated 1980 on the ceramic case.  

-Paul

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