"Static dissipating" is the one go get. It'll have a high resistance but does allow static charges to leak off. It's a great investment if for no other reason than to avoid placing the radio or boards on a static charged surface by accident.
You are the one that collects charges quickly, as you move around. Depending upon conditions, just moving your arms (causing fabric to rub against itself) can quickly produce a charge. The grounded "wrist strap" has a 1 megohm resistor to keep those rapidly-accumulating charges safely drained away. The resistor holds the current down and avoids the danger of grounding yourself directly in case you put a finger where it doesn't belong and touch a hot terminal. Alternatively, touching a grounded bare metal point regularly while you work will keep you safely discharged. The issue there is remembering to do it whenever you move about or at regular intervals while working. Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- Well, the assembly manual leads me to think otherwise. It stresses conductivity, getting all components to the same potential, etc. When I look up these mats on websites, I find two kinds - conducting and nonconducting. The wording in the manual says to me to get the conducting type. Ken K5WK Yuma, AZ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
