Yeah, I don't expect complete anti-static protection... I've toasted a=20
few things in the past with the only possibly explanation being ESD and=20
just looking for some reduction to improve my odds.  These are usually=20
simple boards and things I'm coding at my desk, or things I'm demoing to=20
someone.  Anything mission-critical does get handled better, or will be=20
worked on at a proper workstation with anti-static mats, etc.

Cheers,
-Neil.



On 12/11/2019 2:46 PM, RussellMc wrote:
> No vast experience with carpet mitigation, but I've been lead to believe
> over decades that
>
>   - You can greatly reduce carpet ESD levels but are unlikely to get them
> down to the level where no other protection is needed.
>
> - Anti-static sprays and surface treatments for carpet can remove the
> shocks that people feel but as above, are not reliable as a sole protecti=
on
> for electronics.
>
> - ESD hazards are both real AND overstated by protection supplies. How yo=
u
> determine where the line is is 'the trick'.
>
> It may be that copper wire grids at enough more protection - but the
> general argument has been that bulk grounding tends to work well enough
> where the surface proper is not an ESD generator.
>
> Body capacitance certainly affects discharge energy levels - connecting
> multiple bodies increases the felt shock markedly. A shuffling line of
> zombies, with the lead zombie (read engineering department staff member)
> pointing a finger at oncoming victims, produced fearsome results. The
> victim and lead zombie were about equally impacted but all participants
> felt a shock cross person to person gripped hands at discharge time. Fili=
ng
> cabinets do a nice job as (painful) person discharge points.
>
> _____________________
>
> Many decades ago we were losing a significant percentage of eproms in a
> development environment - using the then standard UV erasable ones.  Bett=
er
> attention to electrostatic handling after UV exposure reduced failures to
> about zero.
> I've never seen another so clear cut example.
>
> Butyl rubber sheet (carbon loaded) on development desks seems to work ver=
y
> well.
> These may mar the cosmesis if used on carpet :-).
>
>
>                 Russell
>
>
> On Thu, 12 Dec 2019 at 08:26, Neil <picdude3@narwani.org> wrote:
>
>> I'm remodeling an office and would like to make the ground (carpet)
>> anti-static if possible.  I'm using nylon carpet, not anything
>> ESD-specific, but I understand that if I place a grid of copper strips
>> (grounded) first and use conductive adhesive, it would make a noticeable
>> difference, even for non-ESD carpet  The carpet manufacturer (Interface)
>> says that there is a bit of ESD "protection" in that carpet anyway.
>>
>> I don't need this to meet any spec or be certified, etc... just looking
>> to help protect all my open PCB's from possible damage while I'm here.
>>
>> Any of you know if this is worth the effort/cost?  Or any other things I
>> can do to add a bit of ESD protection.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> -Neil.
>>
>>

--=20
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