[HCRA] Fw: KB6NU's December 2013 Column: Protect your gear from ESD

[Michael Taniwha]

Hi HCRA members,

Adding to what Dan KB6NU states about ESD protection we also need to be careful of electronic gear that has not been adequately protected. I experienced this with a portable SW radio damaged by ESD and just completed the radio repair which I documented in the attached .pdf file.


73,
Mike - NZ1MT  

> From: WB1DBY at comcast.net
> To: hcra at mailman.qth.net
> Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2014 08:58:26 -0500
> Subject: [HCRA] Fw: KB6NU's December 2013 Column: Protect your gear from ESD
> 
> ______________________________________________
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> 
> 
> Hi, all--
> 
> Here's my December 2013 column.
> 
> 73!
> 
> Dan KB6NU
> 
> 
> <--  start column  -->
> 
> Protect your gear from ESD
> 
> Electrostatic discharge, or ESD for short, has been a concern for anyone 
> involved in electronics ever since we made the transition from vacuum tubes 
> to transistors. I was schooled about ESD when I worked as a test engineer 
> for a company called Doric Scientific shortly after I got out of engineering 
> school, and I wrote about it when I was an editor for Test&Measurment World 
> magazine back in the 1990s. If anything, it's even more of a concern today 
> as electronic components get ever smaller.
> 
> In 1991, Bryan P. Bergeron, NU1N, published a two-part series on ESD (part 
> 1: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/tis/info/pdf/9104019.pdf, part 
> 2: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/tis/info/pdf/9105028.pdf) in 
> QST. His suggestions about how to prevent ESD damage are as good now as they 
> were 20 years ago:
> 
>   - Consider using a room humidifier to increase the relative humidity in 
> your shack, or wherever you work on electronic equipment to 65% RH or 
> higher.
>   - Use grounded wrist straps when handling ESD-sensitive devices.
>   - Use grounded, anti-ESD work mats when working on electronic equipment.
>   - Use a grounded soldering iron and anti-static tools.
>   - Use anti-static bags and containers for storing and transporting 
> electronic equipment.
>   - Connect the chassis of all your gear to a good earth ground.
>   - Consider purchasing a desktop ionizer to neutralize static buildup on 
> your workbench.
> 
> I might also add consider grounding the chairs that you use in your shack or 
> discharging yourself after getting up from the chair in your shack. I know 
> that the worst electrostatic discharges that I experience  are after I get 
> up from my chair. You can even buy ESD-safe chairs 
> (http://www.all-spec.com/products/Benches_and_Chairs%7CChairs_and_Accessories%7CCHR-00/), 
> but they are kind of expensive.
> 
> Personally, I use an anti-static mat that I originally purchased for use 
> with a computer keyboard and a wrist strap that was given to me by an ESD 
> consultant when I worked for the magazine. I use these religiously when 
> building kits or working on any solid-state gear.
> 
> It's not hard to find anti-static products. RadioShack sells a wrist strap 
> for only $1.23 
> (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103245)! You can 
> find a whole range of anti-static products on Amazon, too. Wherever you get 
> them, they're a good investment.
> 
> ===================================================
> 
> When he's not worrying about ESD, Dan, KB6NU enjoys teaching amateur radio 
> classes and working CW on the HF bands. For more information about his 
> operating activities and his "No-Nonsense" series of amateur radio license 
> study guides, go to KB6NU.Com or e-mail cwgeek at kb6nu.com.
> 
>