ESD... everything? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: affe2626
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 15, 2020, 06:31:39 pm
content: Hi, I'm new to electronics and when shopping for stuff I see A LOT of things labeled with ESD, often at much higher cost than usual. Of course I know what it means and I know that static electricity can damage your components but is it necessary to have everything ESD safe?I have a mat, an arm-strap and brushes that are ESD safe.I'm now getting a dispenser for flux, I have a small spray bottle from Dollar Store that does the job well (getting a pen soon though). But I've seen ESD safe spraying bottles, are those just overpriced scam products for tricking noobs like me or can I actually kill my stuff by using a non-ESD safe spray bottle for my flux?EDIT:I only do small diy projects right now, I can see why you would want to be 100% safe for more expensive stuff but if I have a 0.1% chance of damaging a component it doesn't really matter.

author: ceoxrad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2020, 06:43:28 pm
content: Esd is a thing but at a hobby level and working with ordinary stuff I would not worry too much over a spray bottle.ESD starts to become a concern in a production environment and/or with delicate and specialized components (JFETs, old CMOS stuff ecc), If you have a grounded ESD mat already and work on it you are good to go.There are just so many things that can go wrong before esd at a hobby level (fake components form ebay is the first one, don't buy those!)

author: Vovk_Z
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2020, 08:51:42 pm
content: I can double that (from my experience too): there is no need to worry much about ESD at DIY.There are (and earlier was much more) sensitive devices but it is not easy to damage them (if you are not weared totally synthetic and so on).

author: Nerull
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2020, 09:09:29 pm
content: Logic level mosfets will blow up if you look at them funny, and aren't particularly rare.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2020, 09:26:58 pm
content: Putting on flux with a spray bottle seems counter-productive unless you have a need to cheaply coat whole bare copper PCBs after cleaning and before any soldering. A more targeted means of application is almost always more appropriate, and if you are concerned about ESD, a brush may be the best bet.If you don't need formal ESD safety approval, any tool or applicator that has a conductive path from where you normally hold it to the tip is negligible ESD risk. e.g. if you decide to use an accordion needle bottle (as commonly used for printer ink refills),which make very good and easy to control liquid flux bottles if you pack the needle with a few linen or cotton threads to reduce the flow rate, to make one reasonably ESD safe, cover the conical top of the bottle with metal foil tape, with a tab extending onto the needle and if it doesn't have conductive adhesive, apply a small blob of conductive paint or overwrap it with fine tinned copper wire to get good contact from the foil to the metal needle.

author: affe2626
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 16, 2020, 12:13:22 pm
content: Quote from: Ian.M on July 15, 2020, 09:26:58 pmOh, yes, I just had one laying around here and it works. I'll probably get something better once I go shopping somewhere. The ESD safe one was just an example, I won't be getting another spray bottle. Before I get something proper, would a glass pipette be any good? Yes, those you use in chemistry. I don't have one but I can probably pick one up today unlike a proper flux pen.

author: SmokedComponent
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2020, 02:05:21 pm
content: No need for annoying strap all the time, just wear cotton, avoid wool and synthetic.Just briefly touch something grounded when you sit down or are about to handle some sensitive device. Like touching a soldering iron (preferably while it's cold).

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2020, 02:27:25 pm
content: Glass isn't the best idea - there's no reasonable way to make it ESD safe. OTOH, unless you go rubbing it on silk or fur something similar, provided you and the bench mat are grounded via 1 Meg or higher resistors, the total charge you can build up on a small pippette is unlikely to damage all except the most sensitive parts.

author: ceoxrad
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2020, 04:02:39 pm
content: Your best bet is to work ON a grounded esd mat (the kind with the conductive backing and dissipative surface) and keeping all the equipment you intend to use on it.Many people (including myself) cover their entire workbench in with the stuff and works very well.Usually ICs and the like are shipped in tiny esd safe boxes (oldschool dips in tubes) and you are supposed to open those while on the esd mat.As said by Ian the thing is static buildup on surfaces, with the right precaution you can keep it to a minimum even on non esd safe devices.Of course when you are working with very sensitive parts you may want to ground yourself with an esd strap, this is done to provide a path to discharge your body.

author: Siwastaja
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2020, 06:37:31 pm
content: Don't stress about it too much. Having an ESD mat on your workbench, properly grounded, and storing components in the antistatic bags they come in, and handling them on that workbench, having touched a grounding post first, or resting your hands on the ESD mat, is more than enough. This brings the probability of an ESD failure down low enough that you are unlikely to ever see it on hobby level or professional prototyping or R&D.The rest, i.e. having ESD flooring and clothing and everything, is finetuning and about maximizing yield and minimizing returns in large-scale production environment, with the possibility of having to handle specially sensitive parts.Having no procedures at all, however, isn't recommendable, even for a hobbyist, because tracking down mystery failures is time-consuming and frustrating. But fairly simple and cheap ESD mitigations help you get over that.