Just by moving, a person makes static electricity. Under these circumstances, making contact with a conductive material will discharge static from the body very quickly. This is ESD = Electrostatic discharge. Static electricity has become a big problem for the electronics industry. Usually, this passes unnoticed because humans don’t feel discharges below 3000 volts. We may see ESD above 5000 volts as a spark. Sensitive electronic components can be damaged with a charge of only 30 volts, and a lot of standard electronics are sensitive to charges of 100 – 200 volts. When manufacturing electronic equipment, it is vital to measure your ESD control regularly and correctly.

Below are some essential tips for measuring all the parts of your ESD workstation.

• · When measuring your ESD control on your work surface, place your probes on the tabletop, spaced a minimum of 25 cm apart and at least 5 cm from the top.
• · For tables and shelves, put one probe on your work surface and one probe on the table or shelf. Point-to-point resistance should be < 1x10⁹ Ω
• · For flooring, place one probe on the work surface and the other probe on the ESD floor. The point-to-point resistance should be < 1x10⁹ Ω
• · Test the common point ground by placing the probe on your tabletop and measure the system’s total resistance between the tabletop and the common point ground using a measuring lead.
• · With chair ESD, place one probe on the seat of the chair and the other probe on a metal plate under one of the chair’s wheels. Your point-to-point resistance should be < 1x10⁹ Ω (with upcoming standard < 1x1010 Ω). For best results, make sure chair wheels have been cleaned with ESD detergent.