Anti-Static precautions

[rimist]

I'm curious what everyone uses in the way of anti-static precautions.

[jeffcoast]

I've always tried to just touch a ground and take my chances. I haven't killed anything yet, with static.

[jnealand]

I only worry about this kind of stuff when I am in an environment where I seem to get looks of little shocks just walking around and touching stuff.

[deanathpc]

Need another choice here..  Both...  I chose mat but I have a mat plus a wrist strap when I'm working on this stuff.

[bcstuff]

I don't like things on my arm, so I put a wrist strap around my bare foot when I am soldering.

[taybrynn]

I was very worried originally about this ... but the place where I was building all my kits really isn't zappy at all (concrete floor).  I usually don't wear socks into the room in the summer which could get all static ridden crossing the carpet, etc.  I also ground myself after coming into my work room (touching metal stuff).  And then after that don't do anything special ... and no zaps yet.

[dmaccole]

Humidity this close to the water (~2.5 miles as the seagull flies) means little to no likelihood of static.

\dmc

[rimist]

I'm even closer to Tampa Bay... half mile I'd guess. Most of the year there is little noticeable static, but when it is here it's with a vengeance. I went ahead and ordered a matt that came with a wristband from Amazon. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

[Christmas.joe]

I just touch the soldering iron like an iron (sissz) before I touch anything and that works... 

Seriously, though a wist ban connected to something grounded has works so far.

[rm357]

I have a little mat, but since it's not grounded, I really don't think it provides much protection. I tend to either be barefoot or sockfoot when I'm at home, which does not generate as much static as regular shoes with a hard rubber or leather bottom. I also usually adjust my little metal fan that pulls off some of the solder/flux fumes before I get started, which is grounded.

RM

[Greg]

I have a little mat, but since it's not grounded, I really don't think it provides much protection.

RM

Not true at all.  The mat even ungrounded gets you at least 90% there by providing a place where the various potentials can equalize between you and the devices if you touch the mat before working on the stuff sitting on the mat.

If you have a soldering iron that is ESD safe, you can take additional precaution by clipping a binder clip to the mat and touching the hot iron to the clip before you solder.  If you have a non-ESD safe iron, then clip a leg of a 1 to 10 meg ohm resistor to the mat with the binder clip and touch the iron tip to the loose leg of the resistor before you solder.

I was once stuck in a grass hut in the amazon, my antistatic mat was a Wrigley's gum wrapper taped to a piece of cardboard.  But that is a story for another time...

Greg

[meman]

I'm in the Tampa area too and have built several boards over the past couple of years without issue; never gave static much thought with our humidity. Might touch my lamp base before handling a chip just for good measure though.

Mike E.

[rrawlings]

The company I work for as an engineer has all static safe workstations, but I don't bother with the wrist strap, I know I should, but never have had a problem with the conductive mat tops.

[Steve Gase]

I realize that creating a habit that you use all of the time is probably the BEST safeguard, but are there some parts that are more sensitive to ESD?  for example, are LEDs, RJ45 connectors, capacitors, fuses and resistors safe from ESD?  Are triacs, PICs, and ?? sensitive to ESD?

[rm357]

Give it enough juice and nothing is safe. Where I work they have electron microscope pictures of electrostatic damage hanging on the walls and it looks about like a lightning strike...

Having said that, things like microprocessors and RF modules are more sensitive to damage. Non-silicon based components are less sensitive as are high power components.

RM