[Elecraft] Assembly mat

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

"Static dissipating" is the one go get. It'll have a high resistance but
does allow static charges to leak off. It's a great investment if for no
other reason than to avoid placing the radio or boards on a static charged
surface by accident. 

You are the one that collects charges quickly, as you move around. Depending
upon conditions, just moving your arms (causing fabric to rub against
itself) can quickly produce a charge. 

The grounded "wrist strap" has a 1 megohm resistor to keep those
rapidly-accumulating charges safely drained away. The resistor holds the
current down and avoids the danger of grounding yourself directly in case
you put a finger where it doesn't belong and touch a hot terminal.
Alternatively, touching a grounded bare metal point regularly while you work
will keep you safely discharged. The issue there is remembering to do it
whenever you move about or at regular intervals while working. 

Ron AC7AC



-----Original Message-----

Well, the assembly manual leads me to think otherwise.

It stresses conductivity, getting all components to the same potential, etc.
When I look up these mats on websites, I find two kinds - conducting and
nonconducting.  The wording in the manual says to me to get the conducting
type.

Ken K5WK
Yuma, AZ
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