CompTIA A_ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition - Michael Meyers [25]
Protective Packaging
Computer gear manufacturers package their product in a variety of ways to shield against accidental damage, whether that’s physical damage, ESD, EMI, or RFI. The typical pink translucent computer bag is coated with a film that prevents the bag from producing static electricity and mildly protects the contents against physical contact (and thus damage). The two types of metal bags offer shielding against EMI and RFI as well as ESD. These are the silvery bags (such as Figure 2-8) you’ll see hard drives packed in, for example, and the black and silver woven bags you’ll sometimes see.
A word of caution is in order here. The metal bags provide proper protection only when sealed, so fold the open end over and slap a piece of tape on it when storing a component.
Physical Safety
IT techs live in a dangerous world. We’re in constant danger of tripping, hurting our backs, and getting burned by hot components. Let’s take a moment to discuss these three physical safety issues and what to do about them.
If you don’t keep organized, hardware technology will take over your life. Figure 2-9 shows a corner of Mike’s office, a painful example of a cable “kludge.”
Cable messes such as these are dangerous tripping hazards. While I may allow a mess like this in my home office, all cables in a business environment are carefully tucked away behind computer cases, run into walls, or placed under cable runners. If you see a cable that is an obvious tripping hazard, contact the person in charge of the building (CompTIA calls these folks “building services”) to take care of it immediately. The results of ignoring such hazards can be catastrophic (Figure 2-10).
Figure 2-9 Mike’s cable kludge
Figure 2-10 What a strange, bad trip it’s been.
Another physical safety issue is heavy boxes. Computers, printers, monitors—everything we use—all seem to come to us in heavy boxes. Remember never to lift with your back; lift with your legs, and always use a hand truck if available. You are never paid enough to risk your own health.
The last physical safety issue to discuss is burns. The computing world is filled with hot components. It’s hard to burn yourself unless you actually open up a computer, printer, or monitor. First, watch for anything with a cooling fin like the one shown in Figure 2-11. If you see a cooling fin, odds are good that something is hot enough to burn you. Also look for labels/stickers warning about hot components. Last, when in doubt, move your hand over components as if you were checking the heat on a stove.
Figure 2-11 Checking for hot cooling fins
Tools of the Trade
The basic tech toolkit consists of a Phillips-head screwdriver and not much else—seriously—but a half-dozen tools round out a fully functional toolkit. Most kits have a star-headed Torx wrench, a nut driver or two, a pair of plastic tweezers, a little grabber tool (the technical term is parts retriever), and a hemostat to go along with Phillips-head and flat-head screwdrivers (Figure 2-12).
Figure 2-12 Typical technician toolkit
A lot of techs throw in an extension magnet to grab hard-to-reach bits that drop into cases. Many also add a magnifying glass and a flashlight for those hard-to-read numbers and text on the printed circuit boards (PCBs) that make up a large percentage of devices inside the system unit. Contrary to what you might think, techs rarely need a hammer.
Chapter Review
Questions
1. Which of the following would be most appropriate for the workplace? (Select two.)
A. Clean, pressed khaki trousers
B. Clean, wrinkle-free T-shirt
C. Clean, wrinkle-free polo shirt
D. Clean, pressed jeans
2. While manning the help desk, you get a call from a distraught