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TELEDYNE INSTRUMENTS
460L Instruction Manual A Primer on Electro-Static Discharge
05228 Rev B 71
DCN 5164 PRINTED DOCUMENTS ARE UNCONTROLLED
Any time a charged surface (including the human body) discharges to a device. Even
simple contact of a finger to the leads of a sensitive device or assembly can allow enough
discharge to cause damage. A similar discharge can occur from a charged conductive
object, such as a metallic tool or fixture.
When static charges accumulated on a sensitive device discharges from the device to
another surface such as packaging materials, work surfaces, machine surfaces or other
device. In some cases, charged device discharges can be the most destructive.
A typical example of this is the simple act of installing an electronic assembly into the
connector or wiring harness of the equipment in which it is to function. If the assembly is
carrying a static charge, as it is connected to ground a discharge will occur.
Whenever a sensitive device is moved into the field of an existing electro-static field, a
charge may be induced on the device in effect discharging the field onto the device. If the
device is then momentarily grounded while within the electrostatic field or removed from
the region of the electrostatic field and grounded somewhere else, a second discharge will
occur as the charge is transferred from the device to ground.
12.3. Common Myths About ESD Damage
I didn’t feel a shock so there was no electro-static discharge: The human nervous
system isn’t able to feel a static discharge of less than 3500 volts. Most devices are
damaged by discharge levels much lower than that.
I didn’t touch it so there was no electro-static discharge: Electro Static charges are
fields whose lines of force can extend several inches or sometimes even feet away from the
surface bearing the charge.
It still works so there was no damage: Sometimes the damaged caused by electro-static
discharge can completely sever a circuit trace causing the device to fail immediately. More
likely, the trace will be only partially occluded by the damage causing degraded
performance of the device or worse, weakening the trace. This weakened circuit may seem
to function fine for a short time, but even the very low voltage and current levels of the
device’s normal operating levels will eat away at the defect over time causing the device to
fail well before its designed lifetime is reached.
These latent failures are often the most costly since the failure of the equipment in which
the damaged device is installed causes down time, lost data, lost productivity, as well as
possible failure and damage to other pieces of equipment or property.
Static Charges can’t build up on a conductive surface: There are two errors in this
statement.
Conductive devices can build static charges if they are not grounded. The charge will be
equalized across the entire device, but without access to earth ground, they are still
trapped and can still build to high enough levels to cause damage when they are
discharged.
A charge can be induced onto the conductive surface and/or discharge triggered in the
presence of a charged field such as a large static charge clinging to the surface of a nylon
jacket of someone walking up to a workbench.
As long as my analyzer is properly installed, it is safe from damage caused by static
discharges: It is true that when properly installed the chassis ground of your analyzer is
tied to earth ground and its electronic components are prevented from building static
electric charges themselves. This does not prevent discharges from static fields built up on