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Static discharge damage to iBooks
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Yokohama, Japan
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I just static shocked the hell out of my iBook G4. I had gotten up to get something, and when I came back I was all static-y; I tried to discharge it on my metal chair, but that didn't do anything. I figured that meant I didn't have much charge on me; I was wrong. When I touched the iBook I got a big shock, and the machine froze instantly. It wasn't a kernel panick; it was just a full freeze (the cursor didn't respond either).
It took several three-finger salutes to get it going again. I ran the hardware test CD and everything came out fine, so I guess I'm worried about nothing, but... Has anyone here ever fried an iBook with static discharge? I shocked my previous iBook (800MHz G3) many times without freezes; is the G4 more susceptible for some reason?
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: the nasty nati
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that happened to me twice in one day, the big static shock, but my iBook happened to be sleeping for both of them, and so it didn't freeze.
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Dec 2003
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I think I remember reading somewhere that the new iBook G4s have a metal backplate for the keyboard, whereas the G3 iBooks have plastic backplates (I don't know this for sure.) If this were the case, it could explain the static.
I have an iBook G4/800, and one of the first things I bought for it was an iSkin Keyboard Protector. However, I noticed that the iSkin would build up fairly substantial amounts of static electricity, and if I, for some reason, needed to remove it or even accidentally shifted it on the keyboard, I would hear the crackle of static, and occasionally would get the full system freeze that wataru described.
I contacted the company that made the iSkin and they said that they had never heard of this sort of thing before (which would also make sense if the metal backplate is new and unique to the iBook G4s.) Either way. I returned my iSkin, and haven't had too much of problem since. I still get a nervous when there's a shag carpet around, tho...
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Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Nov 2001
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wow... thats nuts.
In the winter months my office seems to be static capital of Texas. I haven't had the 'Static-freeze' yet, but I'm gonna be crazy-careful now.
Thanks for the heads up guys! 
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Jan 2004
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all iBook keyboards have metal backing plates...I am looking at one right now off my 16VRAM and that is the same KB as the Late 2001...the only one I would have a question about would be the Dual USB but if I remember right it still is the same design but a different tab configuration to fit the unit
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