Continue to Site

Welcome to our site!

Electro Tech is an online community (with over 170,000 members) who enjoy talking about and building electronic circuits, projects and gadgets. To participate you need to register. Registration is free. Click here to register now.

  • Welcome to our site! Electro Tech is an online community (with over 170,000 members) who enjoy talking about and building electronic circuits, projects and gadgets. To participate you need to register. Registration is free. Click here to register now.

Antistatic wristpad for TV technicians.

Status
Not open for further replies.

Is it advisable for TV technicians while repairing to wear Antistatic wristpad ?

Thanks & Regards,
Prashant S Akerkar
download - 2020-11-18T124423.295.jpeg
 
No.
They are only beneficial if used in conjunction with a full antistatic workstation - a static dissipative bench top surface and floor mats etc.

Damage from static is due to potential differences at the instant something is touched to something else.
IF everything a person can touch is already equalised to the workstation, then the person also being equalised to that works to prevent harm.

In a normal situation where items could be at random potentials, a ground strap is no benefit at all and is more likely to make someone ignore good component handling procedures.

Handling procedures are critical; always pick up parts by the antistatic packaging or by initially touching metalwork, grounding screens, ground planes, power connections etc. so any voltage difference to your body is equalised via a path that is not sensitive to possible brief current spikes.

Likewise, when going to fit a component or board you are holding, touch the metalwork or ground of the item it will connect to, before fitting it, and try to maintain contact during the procedure - eg. if working on a PC, keep one arm resting on the case metalwork.

[It's an application of "relativity" - it makes no difference to anything if you an everything you are working with have a static charge to ground of eg. 2000V, as long as there is no voltage difference between you and the things you are working with; grounding yourself while other things still have that random charge = Zap! on contact].
 
It could help if the strap connection is made to the TV chassis which would prevent any voltage difference between you and the TV.
That's certainly better than nothing.
 
As long as you do not assume it also protects loose parts that are not also grounded to the TV chassis...

Personally, I believe it's safer to get in the habit of equalising with every item, as you touch it, rather than being selective and possibly forgetting one time when it matters.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

New Articles From Microcontroller Tips

Back
Top