Grounding (archive)

You'll only need to ground yourself when working on the bench, no need to do so when removing the ECU's from the car. First, work on a clean surface that's not staticky (is that a word?) e.g. a wooden table. Don't sit on the carpet!! You can ground out by touching a water faucet or the metal shell of any grounded appliance (in the US this means one with a three prong electrical plug). Afterward touch the ECU case.

If you're really (and unnecessarily) paranoid, you can buy grounding straps at a local electronics store (e.g. Radio Shack) - usually a wrist strap with a wire to an alligator clip. Clip to the ECU case while working. You can also purchase tools that will pull the chip, but I just use a small jeweler's screwdriver to GENTLY pry up the old chip. Be absolutely sure that you insert the new chip carefully, checking that all pins are going into their sockets. The pins are easy to bend, and if broken.... well, then you'll need to open mr. wallet again.

And note to Kurt - every post that I've seen indicates that there is even a noticable difference when switching from Dinan to Conforti chips, hence my desire to do so.

Always happy to help (or hinder as the case may be :-)

Stan C.

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