[Elecraft] Anti-static Pads

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Hello Ed:

I don't have any experience with mat cleaners. Perhaps some of the other list members do.

If your old mat did not come with a resistance value specified, I suggest replacing it.  The Elecraft engineer testing a variety of mats found that the resistance of a mat without a spec was always far too high to be of practical value. 

I checked to see if the products suggested are still available. These all have resistances in the Gigaohm (1X10^9 ohm) range. 

The U-Line mat can be purchased here:

https://www.uline.com/BL_7403/Anti-Static-Table-Mats

The Desco 66164 is available here:

http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/desco/floor-worksurface-mats/worksurface-mats/vinyl/66164.htm

The 3M mats seem to have been replaced by this one:

http://www.isconline.com/product/8214/3M-Blue-2%27x4%27-Table-Mat.html?cid=14

Note that the K2 manual does not make much of an issue about an anti-static mat. It's on the bottom of the anti-static priority list Wayne compiled. In the interest of full disclosure, I built my K2 while most of my stuff was in storage, working solely on a small wooden drawing board using my ESD-Safe iron. I simply did the recommended "touch a ground" before each time I reached for a transistor, i.c. or pc board and experienced no problems whatsoever. Sixteen years later the K2 is still going strong.

73, Ron AC7AC



-----Original Message-----
From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Dauer, Edward
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2016 12:10 PM
To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Elecraft] Anti-static Pads

Ron –

Your post (below) came at the right moment.  I am about to begin building another K2 and wondered whether my anti-static pad, now more than five years and ten Elecraft kits old, needs some sort of cleaning to maintain its properties; and, if so, what to clean it with – or maybe to replace it.

I have looked and found no brand name on it anywhere, though maybe there was one that disappeared when I cut the mat to fit my workspace.  I believe it was one of those recommended by Elecraft, but I have no record of it.

Is there a generic cleaner, or would it be safer to begin with a new one?

Forgive my asking this on the reflector rather than by private e-mail; but I suspect there may be some other old mats like me out there . . . 

Thanks,

Ted, KN1CBR