Prevent Damage Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)

Observe the following guidelines to minimize potential for damage from electrostatic discharge, which can cause intermittent or complete component failures:

• Always use an ESD wrist strap when you replace or handle components that are subject to ESD damage. Make sure the strap is in direct contact with your skin.

  Warning—For safety, check resistance value of ESD grounding strap periodically. Resistance measurement must be in the range, 1 through 10M ohms.

  • Device components shipped in antistatic bags are sensitive to damage from static electricity. Some components can be impaired by voltages as low as 30V. You can easily generate potentially damaging static voltages whenever you handle plastic or foam packing material, or if you move components across plastic or carpets.
  • If a grounding strap is not available, hold the component in its antistatic bag with one hand, and touch the exposed, bare metal of the device with the other hand immediately before you insert the component into the device

  

  Place electronic component in an antistatic bag.

• Attach equipment end of your ESD wrist strap to ESD point on the instrument's chassis whenever you handle an electronic component outside the device
  • If no grounding strap is available, touch the exposed, bare metal of the device to ground yourself before you handle the component.
• Avoid contact between the component subject to ESD damage and your clothing. ESD voltages emitted from clothing can damage components.
• When you remove or install a component subject to ESD damage, always place it component-side up on an antistatic surface, in an antistatic card rack, or in an antistatic bag. If you return a component, place it in an antistatic bag before packing it.
• Always place electronic components or devices in an antistatic bag or container during storage or transportation.
• Handle all electronic components by the component's body, not by the pins. Do not touch edge connectors, exposed circuitry, or printed circuits. Always handle printed circuit boards by their edges.
• Never place electronic components on a metal surface. Static charges on these surfaces can damage components. When possible, cover metal surfaces with antistatic, foam rubber mats.