Article by: Greg Gaub
Dateline: March 4, 2001.

If you have not yet read the PalmV Static Shocker article, please do so.

Well, the dust has settled on the flame front. I still get a message of support every once in a while, but the flurry is definitely over. You might be curious as to what my conclusions are, and what lessons I might have learned. If so, please continue to read. If you were one of the flamers, and hope that I've conceded defeat, you might want to save yourself the frustration and stop reading. ;-)

Let it be known that not ALL of my flamers were entirely without good intentions. Some of them even tried their best to educate me on the intricacies of the physics of micro-electronics and static electricity. One gentleman even went as far as to warn me that my power outlets might be miswired, and that I should check them all. But, I cannot ignore all the people who contacted me with similar stories, some of which were almost EXACTLY like my own.

I've decided that of all the possible explanations for the problem given to me (other than me being an idiot ;-) I like the following the best. I beg for the forgiveness of every certified technician, as well as every wannabe technician for any errors in my description. This is paraphrased from the various replies I've gotten, so I will not attribute any of this to a single person (if only because I might get it wrong and incur their wrath).

Here's what may have happened.

1. By getting up from my couch and walking across the room, on a cold day with the forced air gas furnace cranking out the hot, dry air, I produced a significant static electric charge on my body. Since I was holding my PalmV, it also had this charge, ready to transfer it somewhere.
2. As I approached my desk and began placing my PalmV into its cradle, the large static electric charge dissipated into the computer via the serial connection of the PalmV cradle. This was clearly evident in the bright blue spark that jumped from my PalmV to the connector on the cradle.
3. The static discharge shorted the serial and charging circuits on the PalmV cradle connectors, allowing high voltage and current to pass directly from the charging circuit and into the serial circuit of the cradle's connection to the computer.
4. Not only did the actual static charge inflict damage to the serial port controller on the motherboard, but that damage, along with the high current from the charging circuit of the PalmV cradle, allowed even more damage to occur to the desktop computer's motherboard.
5. The indirect result of the static discharge is a fried motherboard.

Another suggestion, which is just as possible in my mind (though I like the above scenario better for some reason), is that the small amount of damage inflicted on the serial port controller from the static discharge facilitated a larger amount of damage to the motherboard and itself as a result of "overheating" because of the initial damage.

So, where does this all leave me? At the moment, I'm left with $160 less in my wallet, and the paranoia of damaging my computer from static. Now I'm just like the rest of the "I told you so" crowd, obsessively touching large metal objects just before putting my PalmV into its cradle, or taking it out. Luckily my chair has a fair bit of metal on it.

Have I given up? Pretty much. It's painfully obvious to me that technology manufacturers would rather allow their products to be lain waste to, than to integrate protection from one of the most common forms of damage from outside influence. They've also done a pretty good job of convincing thousands of gadget geeks that this is a fact of life to be accepted at face value, and that the only one responsible for any damage is the "idiot" who didn't ground him/herself before grabbing their favorite device.

Do I take the blame? Hell no. Just like millions of other normal people in the world, I don't have thoughts of my computer dying every time I come near it with an ungrounded hand. Most of us know full well that touching sensitive electronics with static laden fingers is a stupid thing to do. The problem is that the warnings about such damage are almost always associated with exposed electronics. I was unable to find any warning about static damage to my PalmV or my computer from normal usage, that of putting it in its cradle.

What about Palm, Inc? Well, Palm, Inc. has successfully dodged the blame for this problem. I do feel that they have some responsibility in this matter. If the scenario above is anywhere near true, then the cradle should be redesigned to prevent such an event from occuring. Even if it's not, I don't see any reason why protection from static discharge can't be integrated into the cradle design. No one has been able to provide a valid reason why not, and I don't expect anything but greed to be the actual reason.

What about HP? I finally got a call back from Joe West at HP. We spoke at length about the problem, possible causes and facilitating circumstances. His technicians got the same story from Palm, Inc. about the flawed cradles that never made it to market but still had a "fix" for it (the adapter they sent me). He agreed with the possibilities I wrote about above, and that from my information it seemed that there might be an issue with the cradle. Joe said, "If there is a device that can cause this problem, there should be something done about it." He was referring to the PalmV cradle and its propensity to allow static to discharge so readily into the computer. He echoed my sentiment that a device that was designed to be connected and disconnected to and from the computer on a regular and ongoing basis should take the necessary precautions to prevent such an occurrence.

Though he was unable to reimburse the purchase price of the new motherboard, since my computer was no longer under warranty, he was able to make a good faith gesture. Because of the trouble I have gone through, and my eagerness to help diagnose and solve the problem for future reference (and because I bought another motherboard directly from them ;-), he's having a check for $100 cut with my name on it. Though it's not 100%, it sure takes the sting off, and renews my faith in HP customer service and representation. Thanks, Joe.

What should you, the reader, take away from this? It's entirely up to you, of course, but my suggestions would include the following:

1. NEW! A kind user who had the same experience (one of many) as me has the following information to share:
   I've found a great product by APC that provides surge protection right on the serial port. It's call ProtectNet PS9-DTE.
   Here's a link to APC's website: http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=PS9%2DDTE&language=EN&country_code=US
   Here's a link to Buy.com where I purchased mine:http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10031247
2. Always touch a large metal, or grounded metal object before placing your PalmOS device into its cradle, removing it from the cradle, or even handing it to another person. Discharge through the device to another person can damage the device itself, and discharge through the device into your computer can result in damage to the device and/or your computer. Given the expense of replacing the hardware, not to mention the down time, it's a good idea to be cautious.
3. Install a humidifier with a humidity gauge. I'm not sure what the appropriate humidity level is, but keeping the proper level of humidity in your house or computer room will solve the problem before it happens.
4. If possible, ensure that the motherboard you buy, or the one that's in your next computer has proper protection from static discharge in serial and USB ports. If the static happens, you'll probably want to minimize the resulting damage.
5. If any of the above are ignored, prepare to kiss your money goodbye.

If you suspect that your computer, or a part of it, was damaged due to static discharge, at least contact the device manufacturer and let them know about it. You probably won't get free repairs or refunded expenses, but the more instances they have on record, the more likely they'll get a clue and try to prevent it from happening. Like I said earlier, it's all about money, and if spending a little extra on hardware design will save a lot on support and repair, they'll do it. But they won't do it if they don't know about it.

That's it. Can one person change anything? No. But maybe if enough people stop buying crap motherboards that don't bother to protect themselves from computer killer numero uno, or placidly accepting the damage to their computers through no fault of their own, things will slowly begin to change. At the very least, you and I both know that there's a lot more to buying a new computer than how cheap you can get a really good one for.

Flames can be withheld, any other mail can be sent to flux@snapbag.com. ;-)

Thanks!
-Greg