ESD protection

[patchell]

Rob wrote:

> Sometimes though, I want to just wring ppls necks when they reach for
> something without at LEAST touching first the surface upon which it lies,
> THEN touch the IC or populated board. That simple act alone can save most
> modern ICs.
>
> Rob
>

    Explaining that to people is easier said than done.  We are going through
the pains right now of installing ESD equipment (after years of me needling
them about it).  One of the boards I designed, when it gets out of
manufacturing, generally only 1 out of 4 works.  I can generally get two of
those working again (generally a simple assembly error), but about 25% of all
boards never work, and I can never find a cause (they are surface mount too,
makes them hard to rework).

    Rather trying to explain to people how and when to do what, we have had to
resort to having a Static Nazi that goes around to check to make sure that your
ionizer is on, your wrist stat is on your wrist and connected to you static
mat, and that everything is tied to earth, your parts are in their proper bags
and containers.....I hate this kind of BS, but what can you do.....

    I worked at another place where I got caught once not wearing my wrist stat
(It didn't matter that I wasn't handling anything that was static sensitive,
this was a NASA project, so everything was "static" sensitive, even bare
fiberglass boards).  About a week after that little incident, I caught the guy
who turned me in (who also happened to be the manager in charge of the focal
planes) handling a flight board without any static protection.  The NASA
inspector just happened to be walking by when I pointed this out.  Cost the
company big time, NASA wanted that board scrapped.  Two weeks later, I was
fired.

--
 -Jim
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