Introduction: Static Shock (absorber) Discharger to Never Get Shocked by Static Again.

About: I'm a social-worker, working with 12 - 23 year-olds. I used to be a printer. In 2018 I opened a small makerspace (www.imdib.nl) in my house, where I have lasercutters, 3d-printers, Arduino's, Mindstorms and ot…

Lately I get static shocks a lot. I'm not sure if it is the dry weather, my shoes or my car. Or it might be all of the above.

Every time when I get out of the car and touch something metal I get a terrible static shock. Most of the time it is my car door handle.

Something has to be done!

I couldn't find a solution on Instructables so I had to find my own solution. I thought it might be an idea to discharge myself through a resistor. I tried a 1.5M resistor and it worked perfectly. (other resistors might also work)

I could just bind a 1.5M resistor on my keychain, but I wanted to make something nicer, so that's what I did.

Step 1: You Will Need

materials

  • metal tube
  • plastic tube
  • resistor 1.5M
  • non conductive O-ring

tools

  • metal saw
  • sander
  • solder stuff
  • pliers
  • snips
  • multimeter (optional)

Step 2: The Tubes

  • Find a metal tube that fits the resistor inside. (I used brass)
  • Find a plastic tube that just fits the metal tube. (I have no idea what my plastic tube was in his previous live)
  • Sand (or file) a nice chamfer on one site of the metal tube.
  • Cut it as short as possible while it still is long enough to stay in the plastic tube. (1 cm worked for me)
  • Cut an other piece longer for the back. (2 cm or something like that)

Step 3: Put It Together

  • Cut the plastic tube long enough that it mostly covers the chamfered tube and just the straight tube.
  • Put the O-ring around the resistor.
  • Put the resistor with the long lead towards the chamfered side. (most resistors have leads that are the same side, so than it doesn't matter how you put it)
  • The O-ring should divide the two metal tubes.
  • Snip the wire that sticks out on the chamfered side, flush with the tube.

Step 4: Solder the Resistor

  • Solder the snipped wire to the metal tube. I soldered it with a nice dome for looks.
  • Bent the wire on the other side back into the tube, so you get a ring on the back.
  • Solder the bend wire on the back to the straight tube.
  • (optional) measure if the resistance between the two tubes. It should be 1.5 M

Step 5: Finish It

  • Push the plastic tube over the metal tubes to connect them. You might need glue to keep it stuck.

Now the thingy is finished.

Use it:

  • To use it you hold one side in your hand. (the straight side)
  • You need to touch the metal, but NOT the metal on the chamfered side.
  • Touch something metal with the chamfered side to discharge yourself.
  • Never get shocked again!