Hi..
 > Thanks for all that info. I've saved it all for future reference. As
 > for touching the power supply to discharge static, I read a long time
 > back not to do that in I think Rainbow Magazine (Tandy CoCo magazine).
AFAIK the coco uses a double-insulated power supply - ie NO GROUND WIRE. In 
this case, of course touching the PSU is useless, since it isn't discharging 
the static to ground, rather it discharges it into the computer's 0v rail..
just what you don't want!!
 > I do still like using anti-static pads for placing things like
 > memory modules and cards on while I'm working. That way I don't run
 > the risk of damage while I set the module or card aside for a moment.
I like to use them too.. not so much for their anti-static properties, more 
for the fact that they're the only type of foam (except for polystyrene which 
is _real bad_ for static) you can stick a chip's pins into and have it stay 
stuck in.. regular foam doesn't allow the pins to penetrate so the stuff 
falls out too easily.
 > I still think if the PSU had a ground
 > problem a person could still get zapped...
No.. the mains fuse would be blown if there was a ground fault in the unit. A 
ground fault in the house, however, is another issue. Over here in Oz, all 
new houses have to be built with an earth leakage detector which makes it 
even more interesting in that faulty devices are far better protected 
against, but also your big burst of static discharge can set them off!
 > But then again, these days,the PSUs are built better.
Don't count on it!! That sort of silly assumption has gooten plenty of people 
killed. There is _no_ basis what so ever for believing a ground is ever 
reliable until you have tested it. Period.
 > In the Tandy CoCos, they were encased in
 > a mesh metal enclosure and some had wondered if that was safe to tell
 > people to use that to discharge static.
See the above re: grounding in CoCo's.
    Craig
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