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Re: [KX3] Kits & ESD protection

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Alan Bloom-2

Re: [KX3] Kits & ESD protection

On 04/05/2014 05:22 PM, [hidden email] wrote:

> I usually work on a very good antistatic which is silicone rubber as
> well so hot solder won't affect it, but I do not wear a strap. I just
> put my hands, the boards, etc. on the mat when I work.

It is possible to be static-safe without a mat or strap, but you have to
be VERY careful about touching things in the right order. One mistake
is all it takes.

So I recommend that everyone use an anti-static mat and wrist strap when
working on electronic circuitry. However, it has to be a good-quality
mat. Some inexpensive so-called "anti-static" mats in fact do not work
correctly. I posted about this several years ago. See:

http://www.mail-archive.com/elecraft%40mailman.qth.net/msg94407.html

In that posting I give details of some testing I did and recommendations
for how to choose a suitable mat.

Alan N1AL
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Gary W. Hvizdak

Re: [KX3] Kits & ESD protection

On Sat Apr 5 21:54:01 EDT 2014 Alan Bloom (N1AL) wrote:

... it has to be a good-quality mat. Some inexpensive so-called
"anti-static" mats in fact do not work correctly. I posted about this
several years ago. See:

http://www.mail-archive.com/elecraft%40mailman.qth.net/msg94407.html

--

In addition to being a good quality mat, it also needs to be kept clean,
which mainly means being free of the naturally occurring oils in your skin.
In a pinch this can be done with mild soap and water, but ideally one should
use a solution that's specifically formulated to both clean the mat and
restore its surface conductivity.

I recommend Techspray Zero Charge Mat & Table Top Cleaner be used at least
every three weeks, more frequently if the mat's surface reflectivity seems
uneven, which is a sure sign of contamination. FYI, the reason for using
this product at least every three weeks is that the surface naturally tends
to dry out over time.

73,
Gary Kilo India Four Golf Golf X-ray

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W2RMS

Re: [KX3] Kits & ESD protection

These are the ESD-related items that i used few weeks ago while building my new K3:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004N96WQ0/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009ENYYGU/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AMCG21C/ref=oh_details_o04_s01_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Seems to have worked since i'm using the K3 and all the tests went fine...
Hope this helps.

Slava, W2RMS

On Apr 6, 2014, at 9:55 AM, Gary W. Hvizdak <[hidden email]> wrote:

> On Sat Apr 5 21:54:01 EDT 2014 Alan Bloom (N1AL) wrote:
>
> ... it has to be a good-quality mat. Some inexpensive so-called
> "anti-static" mats in fact do not work correctly. I posted about this
> several years ago. See:
>
> http://www.mail-archive.com/elecraft%40mailman.qth.net/msg94407.html
>
> --
>
> In addition to being a good quality mat, it also needs to be kept clean,
> which mainly means being free of the naturally occurring oils in your skin.
> In a pinch this can be done with mild soap and water, but ideally one should
> use a solution that's specifically formulated to both clean the mat and
> restore its surface conductivity.
>
> I recommend Techspray Zero Charge Mat & Table Top Cleaner be used at least
> every three weeks, more frequently if the mat's surface reflectivity seems
> uneven, which is a sure sign of contamination. FYI, the reason for using
> this product at least every three weeks is that the surface naturally tends
> to dry out over time.
>
> 73,
> Gary Kilo India Four Golf Golf X-ray
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

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Gary W. Hvizdak

Re: [KX3] Kits & ESD protection

Earlier today, Slava Baytalskiy (W2RMS) posted ...

These are the ESD-related items that I used few weeks ago while building my
new K3 ... Seems to have worked since I'm using the K3 and all the tests
went fine ...

--

Hi Slava,

Those products "look" like the real deal. However, only one of the four
symptoms of ESD damage is catastrophic failure. The other three being:
1) Shorten product life.
2) Degraded performance.
3) Occasional glitchy / unexplained behavior.

My point being that just because your K3 works today, isn't necessarily
sufficient evidence that all is well. However, in your case I do believe
that all is indeed well. (I've listed these other ESD symptoms for the guys
who post on the Reflector about how they never take any ESD precautions, and
never have any problems.)

73,
Gary Kilo India Four Golf Golf X-ray

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Fred Townsend-2

Re: [KX3] Kits & ESD protection

In reply to this post by Alan Bloom-2

Alan makes some good points. There is nothing wrong with that. They are not wrong but I offer another viewpoint. I think Elecraft is always going to error on the side of safety and assume the builder is going to do the wrong thing, therefore safety to the max.

Nevertheless there are good habits that should be learned and they will protect you when you forget to wear the wrist strap.

As a consultant I have done ESD audits of factories. If they know the audit is coming all the wrist straps are in place. Surprise audits are another thing. I find the straps and footwear to be rarely used. How can they get away with that? The answer is they have good work habits that avoid ESD problems rather than bleeding off static build up. Here are a few everyday hints the pros use.

1. Wear cotton! Avoid wearing wool, silk, or synthetics when dealing with electronics.
2. Upon entering your work area touch some heavy metal to bleed off any body charge. Always touch the chassis before touching PCBs within the chassis.
3. Always handle a PCB by the edges and never by the circuit or connector.
4. Keep the humidity above 30%. If necessary use a plant mister to spray your work area.
5. Plastic is OK for hardware storage but use metal, such as muffin tins, for electronic parts. If you must use those polystyrene parts bin for semiconductors, line the bins with aluminum foil.
6. Keep the parts in their original shipping containers until you are ready to install them. Think pink! Pink bags are one type antistatic material. The silvery looking bags are another. Both work great.
7. Do not pre-stage your parts by placing them in foam plastic of some kind.
8. Avoid polystyrene foam like the plague. Even a polystyrene cup with coffee in it can hold a 5000 volt charge on the outside. Picking that cup up can transfer that charge to your body without feeling a thing.
73
Fred, AE6QL

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

>From: Alan Bloom <[hidden email]>
>> I usually work on a very good antistatic which is silicone rubber as
>> well so hot solder won't affect it, but I do not wear a strap. I just
>> put my hands, the boards, etc. on the mat when I work.
>
>It is possible to be static-safe without a mat or strap, but you have to
>be VERY careful about touching things in the right order. One mistake
>is all it takes.
>
>So I recommend that everyone use an anti-static mat and wrist strap when
>working on electronic circuitry. However, it has to be a good-quality
>mat. Some inexpensive so-called "anti-static" mats in fact do not work
>correctly. I posted about this several years ago. See:
>