static shocks tokyo 60

[linch8]

My Tokyo 60 keeps giving me static shocks    This is my first keeb with alu case so im wondering if this is normal or there is some issue with my board.

[diazel]

Yikes.

Static shocks happen after a build up of static electricity due to friction gets discharged on a ground. If you're in a dry environment, you'll be more prone to static electricity build up and if it's shocking you to touch it, it suggests that it is grounded/better grounded than yourself.

Two things:
1. Are you getting static electricity shocks from anything else or is it just the keyboard? Doorknobs, lamps, metal items, etc? If yes, then I would recommend grounding yourself to get rid of the charge before you go around electronics as good practice because you've likely a drier environment.

2. Is it a repeatable event? If you touch the keyboard multiple times in rapid succession, do you continue to get shocked or is it just the once and then after you leave and come back it's another? If it's a repeatable event and keeps shocking you, this is not static electricity and you have a short somewhere causing the case to be electrified and then discharging to ground through you every time you touch it. If the answer to this is yes, then yep, you have a problem. I used to have a laptop that when it was plugged in, there was a short to the case such that every time I'd sit down and type on it, if I was barefoot, it would conduct through the metal casing into my palms. But if I wore shoes, I wouldn't feel anything because the potential difference was too low and it wouldn't conduct.

[tp4tissue]

Use a humidifier.

[diazel]

I responded to this thread before I saw the other Tokyo thread complaining about the same thing. In the other one he said after the discharge there were some keys that were no longer working so it sounds like it could be something more serious. I have a hard time believing a small static charge to the case would fry the PCB but it's certainly interesting.

[Leslieann]

Static electricity is tens or even hundreds of thousands of volts, of course it can fry something, it's miniature lightning.

This is a common issue on aluminum keyboards with companies not grounding the housing and since you have so many volts, it jumps from you to the housing then to the PCB. I've seen half inch arcs from my finger to the case, if it can jump that far it can easily jump to the pcb.

As for the fix, you can't really stop the shocks entirely, even a humidifier is a limited depending on the person, some people and their houses/carpet/chair just create static. The best solution is to ground the keyboard housing, at least this way the shock will go around the pcb and out through the ground or shield on the USB cable rather than through the pcb then into ground. This can be as simple as taping a wire to the housing and usb port housing (what I did on my Novelkeys), if you have a breakout board or daughter board in your case you can just splice in a wire from the ground or shield and and connect it to the case (this is what I did in my FIlco).

[diazel]

Static electricity is tens or even hundreds of thousands of volts, of course it can fry something, it's miniature lightning.

This is a common issue on aluminum keyboards with companies not grounding the housing and since you have so many volts, it jumps from you to the housing then to the PCB. I've seen half inch arcs from my finger to the case, if it can jump that far it can easily jump to the pcb.

As for the fix, you can't really stop the shocks entirely, even a humidifier is a limited depending on the person, some people and their houses/carpet/chair just create static. The best solution is to ground the keyboard housing, at least this way the shock will go around the pcb and out through the ground or shield on the USB cable rather than through the pcb then into ground. This can be as simple as taping a wire to the housing and usb port housing (what I did on my Novelkeys), if you have a breakout board or daughter board in your case you can just splice in a wire from the ground or shield and and connect it to the case (this is what I did in my FIlco).

A good point. Foolish me assumed these aluminum bodied keebs would be properly grounded given that aluminum is such a great conductor.

[linch8]

Thanks guys  I returned the board because I also saw other posts about this. I am not sure what the reason was for the static shock but I would rather just pick a different board.