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Thread Electrostatic charges cause problems with Scarlett 18i8??

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1 Electrostatic charges cause problems with Scarlett 18i8??
Hi everyone, I have two 1st gen. 18i8 interfaces, both of them work perfectly in my home. But if I use any one of them in my office, it just stopped working every now and then. It would disconnect from the laptop, and would not work as a standalone mixer. I would then have to turn it off, and turn it on for it to work again. On some days it fails once or twice a day, but two days ago, there was a thunderstorm and it stops working every few minutes...

I always thought that it's the power supply that's causing the problem, I tried removing the ground connection in the power bar, I tried using surge protectors, I tried changing the power adaptor..... none of these worked.

Last Sunday, there was a thunderstorm. Apart from failing every few minutes, I got shocked by the USB connector of the interface, also got shocked by the chassis of the interface. Once I even got shocked through the earphone, at the exact moment that the interface disconnects...

It got me thinking, are these problems caused by electrostatics???
How do I remove static charges from the interface constantly??? How do I keep it grounded???

Any help/opinion will be appreciated!!

Notes:
1. My office is on the 18th floor of an old commercial building (22 storeys)
2. I put my interface on the concrete "windowsill" (with a plastic mat underneath), because the situation was worse when I put it on a metal shelf.
3. There is a power substation right next to my building.
4. My office has a carpet floor.
5. There are not many tall buildings around... the building that I'm in is like a lightning rod...