Hi,
I remember some electrical principles from school, but I'm fairly new
to practical (hobby) electronics. Some of the components I'm using
need to be protected from ESD, and I just want to make sure I'm
properly grounded so as not to damage the components. I've read a fair
bit about grounding, but I'm still not confident about how what I've
read applies to my situation. For example, I read I should get a steel
desk and touch it before touching a component (grounding myself by
touching the desk). I assume that any static charge buildup on me is
transfered to the desk. But does that depend on what the desk itself
is resting on (i.e., what the floor is)? For example, what if I`m
working on carpet on the second floor of my house versus a concrete
basement? Would both cases equally constitute "grounding"? I guess my
basic question is, what qualifies as "ground"? Is it "anything you are
standing on", regardless of what the floor material is, what level of
a building you are on, etc. I haven't been able to find any
information on this.
Thank you,
Jack
Look up "ESD work station"
Essentially if you have a place where you will be working on
electronics you should have a static mat on the floor, a chair with
conductive wheels or legs, a static mat on the work surface and a
wrist strap ... all bonded together.
The bare minimum is a wrist strap and a static mat on the work
surface.
This gets somewhat mitigated if you are in a high humidity environment
but it is not eliminated.
"Equipotential" grounding is what you are trying to accomplish.
It doesn't matter what potential you are connected to (grounded) as long as
you and the circuits or chips you are making contact to are at the same
voltage potential.
I never bother with wrist strap grounding. It is inconvenient andd can be
dangerous. Touch the chassis of the computer you want to work on and then
lean against it to mainatain good static discharge. This may need to be
modified for other types of equipment. Avoid static type material shirts and
clothing.
I have never had a problem with an IC breaking down from static in 40 years
of electronics repair design and building just observing basic slow moving
techniques. I have worked in high voltage distribution so I had to learn to
think, before each move. also.
Another item I was taught was that chips may not show any potential stress
after zapping them until some time later. The faults may rear their ugly
heads a few months later.
Hi,
I remember some electrical principles from school, but I'm fairly new
to practical (hobby) electronics. Some of the components I'm using
need to be protected from ESD, and I just want to make sure I'm
properly grounded so as not to damage the components. I've read a fair
bit about grounding, but I'm still not confident about how what I've
read applies to my situation. For example, I read I should get a steel
desk and touch it before touching a component (grounding myself by
touching the desk). I assume that any static charge buildup on me is
transfered to the desk. But does that depend on what the desk itself
is resting on (i.e., what the floor is)? For example, what if I`m
working on carpet on the second floor of my house versus a concrete
basement? Would both cases equally constitute "grounding"? I guess my
basic question is, what qualifies as "ground"? Is it "anything you are
standing on", regardless of what the floor material is, what level of
a building you are on, etc. I haven't been able to find any
information on this.
Thank you,
Jack
Bullshit. There is a 1 megohm resistor in the wrist strap to provide
a path to ground, while not putting the user at risk.
Sigh. Not all ESD damage is immediately visible.
Yet you claim 'no problem' above.
You obviously lack some experiences with commercial electronics.
Josepi wrote:
Bullshit. There is a 1 megohm resistor in the wrist strap to provide
a path to ground, while not putting the user at risk.
Sigh. Not all ESD damage is immediately visible.
Yet you claim 'no problem' above.
You aren't fooling anybody with your Sybil personalities.
You need to try to stay on topic and take your medications.
You're not fooling anyone, top-posting troll.
Moron. I had to run the monthly test of all anti-static mats and
soldering irons a few times at Microdyne.
You obviously lack enough neurons to have a clear thought.
Hi Jack, You can buy the wrist straps for not much money. The good
thing is as others have said they have a built in 1 meg ohm resistor
so you can't be zapped by them, but they still discharge you. I use a
banana jack and plug mine into the third pin ground on my power
strip. Others might object to this... we can both wait and see the
responses.
George H.
This stuff has been argued for decades and I have heard all the crap either
way.
Why not hook yourself to the chassis of the product you want to equalize
too? It's typically safer and safer for the circuit under test. Hooking to
the grid system neutral could zap the circuit also, if it holds any charge.
Perhaps the anode of a large monitor...LOL
Hi Jack, You can buy the wrist straps for not much money. The good
thing is as others have said they have a built in 1 meg ohm resistor
so you can't be zapped by them, but they still discharge you. I use a
banana jack and plug mine into the third pin ground on my power
strip. Others might object to this... we can both wait and see the
responses.
George H.
A real banana jack is better, but it's better than nothing.
I mounted the bare metal banana jacks on pieces of aluminum angle. A
piece of solid bare copper AWG 8 was run under rows ow workbenches.
Those ran to the steel girders of the metal building, and were grounded
by every steel support post. We also resistance tested the antistatic
mats every 90 days, and replaced any that showe any change from the
logbooks.
Mouser has the jacks we used:
Mouser Part #: 530-108-0740-1
Manufacturer Part #: 108-0740-001
Manufacturer: Emerson / Johnson
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