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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3939333.stm



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"Daryl" <> wrote in message
news:...
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3939333.stm
>
And to think I went to put a 128MB CF card into one of those fuji Digital
Photo Centres, and a spark jumped about 1/4 inch from the card to the DPC
just as I was about to insert it. From that point on, the card was dead -
not even detected by camera or computer. Thankfully I had already backed up
my photos onto my computer. So be warned, before using a digital photo
centre, earth yourself to discharge any static electricity before putting
the card anywhere near it.
>
>
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"Justin Thyme" <> wrote in message
news:410cccce$...
>
> "Daryl" <> wrote in message
> news:...
> > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3939333.stm
> >
> And to think I went to put a 128MB CF card into one of those fuji Digital
> Photo Centres, and a spark jumped about 1/4 inch from the card to the DPC
> just as I was about to insert it. From that point on, the card was dead -
> not even detected by camera or computer. Thankfully I had already backed
up
> my photos onto my computer. So be warned, before using a digital photo
> centre, earth yourself to discharge any static electricity before putting
> the card anywhere near it.
> >
Or put em on a CD and take that along instead.

On Sun, 01 Aug 2004 10:58:26 GMT, "Justin Thyme"
<> wrote:

>
>"Daryl" <> wrote in message
>news:...
>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3939333.stm
>>
>And to think I went to put a 128MB CF card into one of those fuji Digital
>Photo Centres, and a spark jumped about 1/4 inch from the card to the DPC
>just as I was about to insert it. From that point on, the card was dead -
>not even detected by camera or computer. Thankfully I had already backed up
>my photos onto my computer. So be warned, before using a digital photo
>centre, earth yourself to discharge any static electricity before putting
>the card anywhere near it.
[]

I had a high end video card zapped by an ignorant 'techy' who
installed it in my machine under warrantee replacement - I offered him
my own anti-static wrist strap but he declined saying it didn't
matter.... Zap! It was a hot summer day, he ran up the nylon carpeted
stairs & he was wearing rubber soled shoes... 50 kV+ discharging
through the chips on the card.....

On a warm/hot day with low humidity, the body static voltage can be
several 10s of thousands of volts. As Daryl suggests, discharging the
body voltage is important.




--
Donald Gray
Putting ODCOMBE on the Global Village Map!
www.odcombe.demon.co.uk
You do not have to email me, but if you wish to...
Please remove the SafetyPin from my email address first
Thanks

Donald Gray wrote:
> On Sun, 01 Aug 2004 10:58:26 GMT, "Justin Thyme"
> <> wrote:
>
>
>>"Daryl" <> wrote in message
>>news:...
>>
>>>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3939333.stm
>>>
>>
>>And to think I went to put a 128MB CF card into one of those fuji Digital
>>Photo Centres, and a spark jumped about 1/4 inch from the card to the DPC
>>just as I was about to insert it. From that point on, the card was dead -
>>not even detected by camera or computer. Thankfully I had already backed up
>>my photos onto my computer. So be warned, before using a digital photo
>>centre, earth yourself to discharge any static electricity before putting
>>the card anywhere near it.
>
> []
>
> I had a high end video card zapped by an ignorant 'techy' who
> installed it in my machine under warrantee replacement - I offered him
> my own anti-static wrist strap but he declined saying it didn't
> matter.... Zap! It was a hot summer day, he ran up the nylon carpeted
> stairs & he was wearing rubber soled shoes... 50 kV+ discharging
> through the chips on the card.....
>
> On a warm/hot day with low humidity, the body static voltage can be
> several 10s of thousands of volts. As Daryl suggests, discharging the
> body voltage is important.
>
>
>
>
Those with experience in the field automatically ground their body
charge before touching anything sensitive. It becomes a habit after a
while.

In article <>,
"Daryl" <> wrote:

> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3939333.stm
>
>

SM cards won't last long if you keep them in a wallet. The flexing
eventually breaks the connections between the plastic frame and the
ceramic chip.

Another problem that they didn't mention is getting sand into the socket
holes of a CF card. That will bend the camera's pins when it's inserted.

Kevin McMurtrie wrote:
> In article <>,
> "Daryl" <> wrote:
>
>
>>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3939333.stm
>>
>>
>
>
> SM cards won't last long if you keep them in a wallet. The flexing
> eventually breaks the connections between the plastic frame and the
> ceramic chip.
>
> Another problem that they didn't mention is getting sand into the socket
> holes of a CF card. That will bend the camera's pins when it's inserted.

And dropping an unexposed film cartridge (35 mm) into the sand would do
what? Under almost any circumstande, film is less robust than a flash
card, and it won't fit in your wallet!

In article <>,
Ron Hunter <> wrote:

> Kevin McMurtrie wrote:
> > In article <>,
> > "Daryl" <> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3939333.stm
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > SM cards won't last long if you keep them in a wallet. The flexing
> > eventually breaks the connections between the plastic frame and the
> > ceramic chip.
> >
> > Another problem that they didn't mention is getting sand into the socket
> > holes of a CF card. That will bend the camera's pins when it's inserted.
>
> And dropping an unexposed film cartridge (35 mm) into the sand would do
> what? Under almost any circumstande, film is less robust than a flash
> card, and it won't fit in your wallet!

Yes, I wouldn't argue against that. It's just that memory cards still
aren't worry free.

I saw a Canon 300D at a camera store that had a smashed CF pin from a
dirty or damaged memory card. What a shame. I think of all the times
that I've bent computer monitor pins. Those are easy to fix but it
would be a $$$$ loss on a high-end camera.