DIY - Anti Static Wrist Band

This wrist band can be used whenever one is handling sensitive electronic components that could be damaged by static discharge from our fingertips. This Instructable will go through a few different options depending on your needs.

For this example, we will show you a version utilizing an old computer power cord and an elastic hair tie as well as a "Life Hack" version if you don't need a lot of slack wire.

• Soldering Iron
• Rosin Core Electronic Solder
• Copper Wire
• Alligator Clips
• Resistors
• Ribbon/rubber-band/hair-tie/old watch straps
• 5 pc Alligator Test Leads (for life hack version)

Optional:

• Computer Cord (old/not in use) **Recommended**
• Cardboard/Surface to work over
• Electrical Tape/Heat Shrink Tubing to cover solder/exposed wire

Items like rubber bands, elastic hair ties, ribbons, or old watch straps will work fine. Make sure whatever you choose fits all the way around your wrist and can hold the metal of the wire against your skin.

Choose your band, and carefully poke or cut a small hole in material for the bare wire to go through. If the material you are using for the band cannot be cut, simply wrap the wire around the material or use an alligator clip that is attached to the wire. It is important to wrap the wire all the way around whatever material you are using so the metal touches your skin.

Alternatively, you may clip an alligator clip to the elastic and attach the wire through to the clip.

Measure to desired length and strip about 1/2 inch of the coating from each end to expose the wire.

TIP: Be sure the wire is long enough to go from your non-dominant wrist, to the other grounding location.

Using an old computer power cord:

1. Cut off the end that goes into the computer
2. remove 1/2 -1 inch of the coating to expose the internal wires
3. Remove all but the green wire and strip green coating to expose wire. (The green wire is for grounding, the other two go to the power prongs and are no longer necessary for this purpose)
4. Bend/Loosen the two power prongs on the end of the computer cord that goes into the wall
5. Remove the two prongs

Your wires are now prepped for soldering.

Using the old computer cord; Attach the resistor to one end of each wire. One end of the resistor on the green wire you just stripped from the computer cord, and the other end attached to the exposed part of the yellow wire. Carefully solder the two ends together.

You may want to cover the solder with electrical tape or heat shrink tubing for a more streamlined look.

To attach to the band: poke one end of the exposed wire through the hold you cut in the band, and subsequently wrap the wire around it.

For our example, we used an alligator clip soldered to the yellow wire, that will clip on to a hair elastic.

The grounding prong remains on the old computer cord which can be plugged into a grounded outlet. The elastic hair tie will go around your wrist, with the alligator clip touching the metal, so you are now grounded.

ProTechTrader's 30W Soldering Iron was the perfect tool for this project.
Please exercise caution when using.

If you don't need a lot of wire between you and the grounding location, consider attaching a pre-formed alligator clip test lead to a rubber band and then the other alligator clip to a metal table or metal computer case.

The most important thing is that the metal is touching your skin and the grounding location.

Happy tinkering from ProTechTrader!