Grounding by touching a ground lead

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    Ground Grounding Lead
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SUMMARY

Grounding oneself by merely touching the negative lead of a power supply wire is insufficient for effective grounding. Continuous connection to an Earth ground is necessary to maintain a safe grounding state. Factors such as wearing a wool sweater can lead to a rapid build-up of static charge after initial grounding. It is recommended to use a large value resistor, such as 1 MegOhm, when grounding to minimize shock risk, as seen in ESD control wrist straps.

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  • Understanding of electrical grounding principles
  • Knowledge of static electricity and its effects
  • Familiarity with ESD control measures
  • Basic concepts of power supply wiring
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  • Research the principles of electrical grounding and safety
  • Learn about ESD control techniques and equipment
  • Study the effects of static electricity on electronic components
  • Explore the use of resistors in grounding applications
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Electronics technicians, electrical engineers, and anyone involved in handling sensitive electronic components or working with power supplies.

rasen58
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Is it possible to sufficiently ground yourself just by touching the negative lead of a wire coming from a power supply once?
 
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No you need to stay connected to be grounded, and it needs to be to Earth ground.
 
rasen58 said:
Is it possible to sufficiently ground yourself just by touching the negative lead of a wire coming from a power supply once?

If you are wearing a wool sweater on a dry day, you will charge back up within a few seconds of moving around after touching the ground lead. If you're not doing anything that charges you back up, it will take a while for any charge to build up on you again.

BTW, it's good practice to ground yourself though a large value resistor like 1 MegOhm. This reduces the possibility that you can get shocked badly if you happen to be connected to some other voltage. ESD control wriststraps, for example, contain such a current-limiting resistor.
 
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Plus, the negative lead from the PSU may not be grounded ( ie. its " floating")
 
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