MuggsTech · Course 2: IT Support Technician · Day 1
Lab: Certify the Bench
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In this course you will troubleshoot and repair computers on the virtual bench, and the habits are the ones a shop expects on real machines. A technician who damages a customer's machine, or gets hurt, does not keep the job for long. Today you earn your Bench License. There are four stations, and your teacher signs each one when you show you can do it. You need all four before the bench labs that follow.
Station 1. Set up a safe bench
- Open The Bench on your rig and choose ticket 1. Before anyone clicks, write the safe order for opening a computer below.
- Shut the computer down, unplug the power cord, hold the power button for five seconds, and put on the wrist strap, in that order.
- Watch the safety count on the right of the screen. It has to stay at zero.
- Explain to your group, in your own words, why the strap matters even though you cannot feel static.
The safe order:
Teacher sign-off:
Station 2. The right tool for the job
- Match each job card to the tool you would use. Some jobs have more than one good answer, so be ready to explain yours.
| Job | Tool | Why this one? |
|---|---|---|
| Remove a side panel screw | ||
| Pry open a plastic laptop case without scratching it | ||
| Pick up a screw that fell into the case | ||
| Clear dust from a fan | ||
| See inside a dark case | ||
| Keep track of screws you have removed |
Teacher sign-off:
Station 3. Reseat the RAM
- On the same ticket, with the bench set up from Station 1, open the case and find the RAM slots next to the CPU.
- One stick is not seated. Reseat it. On a real machine, you push the clips at each end outward, lift the stick by its edges, line the notch up with the slot and press down evenly until both clips click.
- Close the case, plug in and power on. If it boots and the safety count is still zero, call your teacher over for the sign-off.
Teacher sign-off:
Station 4. Read the SDS
- Use the safety data sheet for isopropyl alcohol to answer these. Write the section number where you found each answer.
| Question | Answer | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Can it catch fire? | ||
| What should you wear when you use it? | ||
| What do you do if it gets in your eyes? | ||
| How do you get rid of it? |
Teacher sign-off:
Think about it
Why do you think a shop would ask for a "license" before letting a new technician work on customer machines? Answer in two or three sentences.
Words to know
- ESD
- Electrostatic discharge: a static spark. It can damage chips at levels far below what you can feel.
- Wrist strap
- Keeps you and the computer at the same electrical level, so no spark jumps.
- SDS
- Safety data sheet: the official handling, first aid and disposal instructions for a chemical.
- DIMM
- The stick that RAM comes on in a desktop. Laptops use a shorter one, the SODIMM.
- POST
- Power-on self-test: the checks a computer runs before it starts the operating system.