[Elecraft] K3 ESD

[David Gilbert]

Yes ... I just said the same thing in response to another message.  If 
you or the parts are moving around the room, being connected to a common 
reference point as you or they do so makes a lot of sense, and "ground", 
while sometimes not as perfect as we'd like to believe, is better than 
just about anything else.  It greatly minimizes the equalizations that 
have to be protected against.

Any common reference point would do just as well, though ... I could 
have a copper floor that floated 1,000 volts above "ground" and as long 
as I did everything within the confines of that floor I'd be in good 
shape.  I could be in the gondola of a hot air balloon 1,000 feet above 
"ground" and if everything in that gondola was at the same potential I'd 
be in good shape.  If I have a conductive mat laid out in front of me, 
and all my parts are lying on it, and I am connected to that mat while 
I'm working, and the first thing I do when I return to the mat after 
going somewhere else is to connect myself back to the mat (standard ESD 
protocol), there is no additional advantage of any of it being connected 
to "ground".

Having everything connected to a common reference point is the important 
part of all of this, and the reason I keep yapping about it is that some 
folks (like the guy who earned my initial response) seem to think that 
being connected to ground is the important part.  It isn't.

Dave   AB7E



On 12/18/2010 5:49 PM, david m wrote:
> No, it is not false.  The problem is that when you get up, and move
> around, your potential will change from that of the equipment.   Touch
> it again, and you can have an ESD event.  Ground the equipment and
> yourself (through a high value resistor) and it will ensure that
> everything will remain at the same potential no matter
>
> There are different ways that ESD events can occur: the human body model
> is where a charged person discharged into a device at a lower potential,
> which is the most common,  The charged device model, which is not as
> common but still equally valid, is where a device is charged through
> either contact with another charged object, or through tribocharging of
> itself.  When this device contacts a surface of lower or ground
> potential, a discharge can occur and damage it.
>
> I've been working with ESD protection for more than 25 years, so, I'll
> keep doing what has been proven to work, has been scientifically
> accepted by the EOS/ESD Association, the electronics industry and the
> military.  You're free to do what you want, of course.
>
> AJ4TF
>
>
>
> On Sat, 2010-12-18 at 14:04 -0700, David Gilbert wrote:
>> Wrong.
>>
>> First off, the guy never said anything about connecting the item to
>> ground ... he stated that as long as you were connected to ground you
>> were OK.  That's false.
>>
>> It is also false that both of you need to be connected to ground for
>> ESD, although that may be good practice for other reasons.  All that
>> is necessary is that you and the stuff you're working on be connected
>> to the same potential.  It's basic Ohm's Law 101.
>>
>> Dave   AB7E
>>
>>
>>
>> On 12/18/2010 12:49 PM, david m wrote:
>>> YES YES YES.  Ground both yourself and the item you're working on.  It's
>>> basic ESD prevention 101.
>>>
>>>
>>>> Message: 2
>>>> Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:16:07 -0700
>>>> From: David Gilbert<xdavid at cis-broadband.com>
>>>> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 ESD
>>>> To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>>>> Message-ID:<4D0B9AD7.9070908 at cis-broadband.com>
>>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> NO no no ... you don't want to connect yourself to ground.  You want to
>>>> connect yourself to whatever semi-conducting surface you are working on
>>>> (the one that the K3 and it's components are resting on).  Connecting
>>>> yourself to ground merely increases the chance that there will be a
>>>> potential between you and the rig.
>>>>
>>> ______________________________________________________________
>>> Elecraft mailing list
>>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>>> Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>>>
>>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>>>
>