Wrist strap ground...

[Steve Kallal]

I have been building the KPA100 100 watt option for the K2. I'm half through
page 16 right now. Very soon I'll be installing some of the solid state
devices. I have a ground strap but am hard pressed in deciding where to
ground it. I have an new Weller WTCPT soldering station, which is highly
recommended by Scott at Elecraft. It is supposed to have a grounded tip.
 
My work table is set up away from any outlets. Even the soldering station is
power through an oranged extension cable from the next room. My shack
outlets are all committed. I don't see a place on the soldering station to
connect the strap to. I could make up a long braid from my station ground,
which runs to a ground rod just outside the shack wall.
 
I didn't bother with a ground strap for the diodes, although a re-reading of
the manual recommends it.
 
Any anti-static grounding ideas out there?
 
 
73,
 
Steve N6VL
 
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[Don Wilhelm-3]

Steve,

The key element in ESD protection is to have everything at the same
potential - that does not necessarily mean Mother Earth Ground, but it
means that everything should connect to a common point in the vicinity
of the work bench.  The 3 wire cords are supposed to accomplish that for
'grounded' AC devices, including your grounded soldering iron.

You say you have an extension cord running to your work area.  Hopefully
that is a 3 wire cord with the safety ground having been tested for
continuity.  If so, connect everything to the safety ground conductor of
that cord (at the work area end).  If that is not so, then by all means
make it that way.  A good 3 wire  extension cord and one of the 6
position AC power strips is an acceptable setup.  If your power strip
has a metal case and uses screws to hold the receptacles in place, those
screws *should* be a good place to connect to - but do drag out your DMM
and do a continuity test from that screw back to the ground pin that
plugs into the wall socket.  Also use one of the inexpensive 'outlet
testers' to determine if the receptacle feeding all that stuff is really
connected properly.

As I started with, the 'magic' is to have everything (including your
body) at the same potential - that creates a local grounding system and
is sufficient even though it may not be at Mother Earth Ground potential.

As a side note - with a grounded soldering iron tip, do not even think
about soldering on a live circuit, that is what irons with an isolated
tip are used for (yes, those can be ESD safe too with a resistance to
ground).

73,
Don W3FPR

Steve Kallal wrote:

> I have been building the KPA100 100 watt option for the K2. I'm half through
> page 16 right now. Very soon I'll be installing some of the solid state
> devices. I have a ground strap but am hard pressed in deciding where to
> ground it. I have an new Weller WTCPT soldering station, which is highly
> recommended by Scott at Elecraft. It is supposed to have a grounded tip.
>  
> My work table is set up away from any outlets. Even the soldering station is
> power through an oranged extension cable from the next room. My shack
> outlets are all committed. I don't see a place on the soldering station to
> connect the strap to. I could make up a long braid from my station ground,
> which runs to a ground rod just outside the shack wall.
>  
> I didn't bother with a ground strap for the diodes, although a re-reading of
> the manual recommends it.
>  
> Any anti-static grounding ideas out there?
>  
>  
> 73,
>  
> Steve N6VL
>  
> _______________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Post to: [hidden email]
> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
>  http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft   
>
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
>
>

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