Re: [Elecraft] ESD mat measurements

2008-12-19 Thread WILLIS COOKE
Al, the explanation could be that the sauce pans are not machine flat, thus 
have a much smaller contact area than their measured diameter would indicate.  
A machined flat surface with the mat sitting on a very flat surface would 
probably yield much different results.  Trying to make laboratory accurate 
measurements with jury rigged apparatus sometimes yields poor results. 

Willis 'Cookie' Cooke 
K5EWJ


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Re: [Elecraft] ESD mat measurements

2008-12-19 Thread Lyle Johnson

Here's some more information for the latest swirling controversy :-)

If you try to measure the resistance of an anti-static mat, you'll need 
an ohmmeter good to at least 1,000 megohms.  Even my HP/Agilent 34401A 6 
digit benchtop DMM can't measure that high!


Why is the resistance so high if it is supposed to dissipate static?

The answer is here < 
URL:http://www.3m.com/us/office/meetings/rg/pdfs/w4%20choosing%20the%20right%20mat.pdf 
>


If you are convinced you need to measure yours, here is a place that 
sells test equipment for doing just that < 
URL:http://www.botron.com/ESD_product16 >



73,

Lyle kK7PO

PS _
I have no financial interest in any of the above companies.  This is 
informational only.  Use the information at your own risk.  The websites 
linked may have all sorts of malicious stuff embedded in them. Etc.

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RE: [Elecraft] ESD mat measurements

2008-12-19 Thread Nelson Moyer
OK, so what's the bottom line? Is the Radio Shack ESD mat any good or should
I spring for a 'quality' mat, and if it's the latter, how do I know which
mat(s) meet specs?

Nelson, KU0A

-Original Message-
From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net
[mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Alan Bloom
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2008 10:49 AM
To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] ESD mat measurements

On Fri, 2008-12-19 at 08:18, Rich Lentz (KE0X) wrote:
> You may get better - different - results if you use an oscilloscope to
> measure this voltage peak. The Simpson has ?dampening? qualities and
> will NOT show the true peak voltage/current.

It shouldn't matter.  I was not trying to measure the voltage, rather
the RATIO of the voltage before and after the capacitor discharge.  As
long as the dynamic response of the meter is independent of voltage
level, the measurement should be accurate.

> Also, have you taken into account any internal resistance of the
> Simpson? As I recall that was a 20,000 ohms per volt (a 50 uA
> movement) meter - Great at the time, but worthless today for anything
> other than house/auto wiring - which also implies that there is a
> shunt dropping the meter movement down from 50 to 60 ( which model
> has a range of 60??? I have seen ones with 50 and 100 uA but not 60)
> and thus there is resistance added to your "test" circuit. These small
> errors are acting like a furculum and greatly skewing your results.

As I said, I don't think it matters.  Besides, even if the measurement
were off by a factor of two it wouldn't affect the qualitative result. 
The measured resistance was several orders of magnitude too high.

> Rich,
> 
> KE0X

Al N1AL


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No virus found in this incoming message.
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Re: [Elecraft] ESD mat measurements

2008-12-19 Thread Alan Bloom
On Fri, 2008-12-19 at 08:18, Rich Lentz (KE0X) wrote:
> You may get better - different - results if you use an oscilloscope to
> measure this voltage peak. The Simpson has ?dampening? qualities and
> will NOT show the true peak voltage/current.

It shouldn't matter.  I was not trying to measure the voltage, rather
the RATIO of the voltage before and after the capacitor discharge.  As
long as the dynamic response of the meter is independent of voltage
level, the measurement should be accurate.

> Also, have you taken into account any internal resistance of the
> Simpson? As I recall that was a 20,000 ohms per volt (a 50 uA
> movement) meter - Great at the time, but worthless today for anything
> other than house/auto wiring - which also implies that there is a
> shunt dropping the meter movement down from 50 to 60 ( which model
> has a range of 60??? I have seen ones with 50 and 100 uA but not 60)
> and thus there is resistance added to your "test" circuit. These small
> errors are acting like a furculum and greatly skewing your results.

As I said, I don't think it matters.  Besides, even if the measurement
were off by a factor of two it wouldn't affect the qualitative result. 
The measured resistance was several orders of magnitude too high.

> Rich,
> 
> KE0X

Al N1AL


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[Elecraft] ESD mat measurements

2008-12-19 Thread Rich Lentz (KE0X)
You may get better - different - results if you use an oscilloscope to
measure this voltage peak. The Simpson has ?dampening? qualities and will
NOT show the true peak voltage/current.

 

Also, have you taken into account any internal resistance of the Simpson? As
I recall that was a 20,000 ohms per volt (a 50 uA movement) meter - Great at
the time, but worthless today for anything other than house/auto wiring -
which also implies that there is a shunt dropping the meter movement down
from 50 to 60 ( which model has a range of 60??? I have seen ones with
50 and 100 uA but not 60) and thus there is resistance added to your "test"
circuit. These small errors are acting like a furculum and greatly skewing
your results.

 

Rich,

KE0X

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Re: [Elecraft] ESD mat measurements

2008-12-19 Thread Kurt Pawlikowski

Alan,

   Bloom's Law: I like it.

   Doug out my mat and, no, couldn't measure it with my DVM. It so 
happens that I do have a nice L/C meter (Almost All Digital Electronics 
model L/C Meter IIB) and I did discover I can measure capacitance: About 
1 pf. Now, while thats not telling me the resistance, at least it's 
telling me that *something* is happening! If I have time, the sauce pans 
will come out... Where can I find a nice juicy capacitor...


   Regards,

   kurtt

   Kurt Pawlikowski, AKA WB9FMC
   The Pinrod Corporation
   ku...@pinrod.com
   (773) 284-9500
   http://pinrod.com

Alan Bloom wrote:

A few months ago I reported here on some measurements I made on the
Radio Shack portable ESD mat (see below).  Basically I found that it
doesn't bleed off static charges as it is supposed to.  (i.e. It fails
the ESD Association resistance specification for ESD mats.)

So I recently bought another ESD mat from Jameco.  It's their
19.5x23.5-inch anti-static mat, P/N 10584, $16.45.  Tonight I measured
it using the same technique that I used with the Radio Shack mat.  It's
even worse!  After a half hour, the capacitor was still charged to 75%
or so versus 50% with the RS mat.

So what's going on here?  I can think of three explanations.

(1)  There's something wrong with my measurement technique.
(2)  Perhaps you're supposed to treat the mat with some kind of
conductive material before use.
(3)  Cheap anti-static mats are a fraud and are worthless for their
intended purpose.

I can't figure out how it could be (1).  As a sanity check I confirmed
that the sauce pans I was using as probes are conductive and the
capacitor is indeed 0.1 uF.  I doubt it is (2) - I can't believe that
the mats are supposed to be untreated as they come from the factory.

I suspect (3).  Years when when I was a components engineer at Hewlett
Packard, I was measuring some of those rubber heat sink insulators and
found they didn't even come close to meeting their thermal resistance
spec.  So I came up with Bloom's Law:  "The harder a specification is to
measure, the more likely it is to be a lie."  If you buy a 1k, 10%
resistor it will almost certainly be within spec since anyone with a DVM
can easily measure it.  Measuring surface resistivity by the ESD
Association method requires an uncommon, expensive piece of test
equipment that people who buy $16 ESD pads are unlikely to have.  So
it's easy for the manufacturer to cut corners without getting caught.

Al N1AL


On Wed, 2008-02-27 at 09:51, Alan Bloom wrote:
  

Well, I've convinced myself that the Radio Shack portable ESD mat, P/N
276-2370 doesn't work properly.

The "ESD Association" http://www.esda.org has promulgated an
industry-standard test for ESD mats, ESD S4.1.  It is the standard
specified by most commercial mats.  I decided not to spring for the $70
to buy a copy of the standard, but other information I found on the web
describes the test in general terms.  It uses two circular electrodes,
each weighted with 5 pounds, spaced 10 inches apart on the mat.  The
"Point to Point Resistance" is specified to be:

At 40-60% RH: 10^6 - 10^7 ohms
At 20-40% RH: 10^7 - 10^8 ohms
At 10-20% RH: 10^8 - 10^9 ohms

I don't know what the RH here in Santa Rosa was yesterday when I did the
test, but I don't think it was very low since it has been raining
recently and the ground is still damp.  For sure the resistance
shouldn't be below 10^9 ohms (1 gigohm) and probably more like 10^8 or
10^7 (100 or 10 megohms).

I measured 2.5 x 10^10 ohms (25 gigohms), which puts the Radio Shack mat
way out of spec.

Test procedure:

I didn't find a specification on the electrode size, but in the photo of
a popular tester they look to be maybe 3 or 4 inches in diameter.  For
my test, the electrodes were two saucepans, each about 7 inches in
diameter and weighted with 5 pounds.  They were spaced 10 inches apart
on the mat (3 inches edge-to-edge).  I connected a 0.1 uF film capacitor
between the two pans and charged it to 15V with a power supply.  


I set my ancient Simpson analog volt-ohm meter to 60 uA full scale.  If
I touch the leads across the capacitor immediately after charging, the
needle momentarily jumps to about 6 uA (1/10 full scale) as the
capacitor discharges through the meter.  If I wait half an hour (1800
seconds) for the capacitor to partially discharge through the mat
resistance, the needle jumps to about 3 uA.

An R-C network discharges to 3/6 of original voltage in about 0.7 time
constant.  So the time constant must be 1800/0.7 = 2571 seconds.  That
implies the mat resistance is 2571 sec / 0.1 uF ~= 2.5 x 10^10 ohms.  


Al N1AL


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[Elecraft] ESD mat measurements

2008-12-18 Thread Alan Bloom
A few months ago I reported here on some measurements I made on the
Radio Shack portable ESD mat (see below).  Basically I found that it
doesn't bleed off static charges as it is supposed to.  (i.e. It fails
the ESD Association resistance specification for ESD mats.)

So I recently bought another ESD mat from Jameco.  It's their
19.5x23.5-inch anti-static mat, P/N 10584, $16.45.  Tonight I measured
it using the same technique that I used with the Radio Shack mat.  It's
even worse!  After a half hour, the capacitor was still charged to 75%
or so versus 50% with the RS mat.

So what's going on here?  I can think of three explanations.

(1)  There's something wrong with my measurement technique.
(2)  Perhaps you're supposed to treat the mat with some kind of
conductive material before use.
(3)  Cheap anti-static mats are a fraud and are worthless for their
intended purpose.

I can't figure out how it could be (1).  As a sanity check I confirmed
that the sauce pans I was using as probes are conductive and the
capacitor is indeed 0.1 uF.  I doubt it is (2) - I can't believe that
the mats are supposed to be untreated as they come from the factory.

I suspect (3).  Years when when I was a components engineer at Hewlett
Packard, I was measuring some of those rubber heat sink insulators and
found they didn't even come close to meeting their thermal resistance
spec.  So I came up with Bloom's Law:  "The harder a specification is to
measure, the more likely it is to be a lie."  If you buy a 1k, 10%
resistor it will almost certainly be within spec since anyone with a DVM
can easily measure it.  Measuring surface resistivity by the ESD
Association method requires an uncommon, expensive piece of test
equipment that people who buy $16 ESD pads are unlikely to have.  So
it's easy for the manufacturer to cut corners without getting caught.

Al N1AL


On Wed, 2008-02-27 at 09:51, Alan Bloom wrote:
> Well, I've convinced myself that the Radio Shack portable ESD mat, P/N
> 276-2370 doesn't work properly.
> 
> The "ESD Association" http://www.esda.org has promulgated an
> industry-standard test for ESD mats, ESD S4.1.  It is the standard
> specified by most commercial mats.  I decided not to spring for the $70
> to buy a copy of the standard, but other information I found on the web
> describes the test in general terms.  It uses two circular electrodes,
> each weighted with 5 pounds, spaced 10 inches apart on the mat.  The
> "Point to Point Resistance" is specified to be:
> 
> At 40-60% RH: 10^6 - 10^7 ohms
> At 20-40% RH: 10^7 - 10^8 ohms
> At 10-20% RH: 10^8 - 10^9 ohms
> 
> I don't know what the RH here in Santa Rosa was yesterday when I did the
> test, but I don't think it was very low since it has been raining
> recently and the ground is still damp.  For sure the resistance
> shouldn't be below 10^9 ohms (1 gigohm) and probably more like 10^8 or
> 10^7 (100 or 10 megohms).
> 
> I measured 2.5 x 10^10 ohms (25 gigohms), which puts the Radio Shack mat
> way out of spec.
> 
> Test procedure:
> 
> I didn't find a specification on the electrode size, but in the photo of
> a popular tester they look to be maybe 3 or 4 inches in diameter.  For
> my test, the electrodes were two saucepans, each about 7 inches in
> diameter and weighted with 5 pounds.  They were spaced 10 inches apart
> on the mat (3 inches edge-to-edge).  I connected a 0.1 uF film capacitor
> between the two pans and charged it to 15V with a power supply.  
> 
> I set my ancient Simpson analog volt-ohm meter to 60 uA full scale.  If
> I touch the leads across the capacitor immediately after charging, the
> needle momentarily jumps to about 6 uA (1/10 full scale) as the
> capacitor discharges through the meter.  If I wait half an hour (1800
> seconds) for the capacitor to partially discharge through the mat
> resistance, the needle jumps to about 3 uA.
> 
> An R-C network discharges to 3/6 of original voltage in about 0.7 time
> constant.  So the time constant must be 1800/0.7 = 2571 seconds.  That
> implies the mat resistance is 2571 sec / 0.1 uF ~= 2.5 x 10^10 ohms.  
> 
> Al N1AL
> 
> 
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Re: [Elecraft] ESD mat

2008-05-22 Thread Ian J Maude

Jerry Flanders wrote:
I simply clip a little alligator clip lead to my metal watch 
wristband. The lead is connected to my shack ground through a 1 meg 
resistor. A few feet of wire allows me mobility. I have been doing 
this for several years and it apparently works well for zero cost.
A potential problem (no pun intended) is that the equipment you are 
working on may have a potential difference to you.  The idea of ESD is 
to ensure that you, the equipment you are working on and your tools all 
end up at the same potential, hence the mat.  Your free ESD wrist strap 
will give you some protection but is not the ideal solution.


73 Ian

--

Ian J Maude, G0VGS
SysOp GB7MBC DX Cluster
Member RSGB, GQRP
K2 #4044 |K3 #455

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Re: [Elecraft] ESD mat

2008-05-21 Thread Jerry Flanders
I simply clip a little alligator clip lead to my 
metal watch wristband. The lead is connected to 
my shack ground through a 1 meg resistor. A few 
feet of wire allows me mobility. I have been 
doing this for several years and it apparently works well for zero cost.


Jerry W4UK

At 11:11 PM 5/21/2008, Robert Klein wrote:

My K3  kit will arrive in a month or so (I hope).   I have been monitoring
this reflector for a few weeks, but I haven¹t seen this addressed.

I would appreciate it if I could get some recommendations on purchasing an
ESD mat with a wrist band so I can be ready when my kit arrives‹brands,
models, sources.  My searches on the web come up with wildly variable
products and prices with no reviews or ratings to be found.

Thank you,
73,
Robert
KI4ZHF
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Re: [Elecraft] ESD mat

2008-05-21 Thread KM5Q

Robert,

There was lots of discussion of this on the list a month or two ago,  
but suffice to say there are many sources and it seems a lot of them  
cost about $25. Nobody had any significant reasons to recommend one  
kind over another.


Here's a cheaper source, and while you're at it, a fine company for  
good tools and other great ham stuff.


http://www.mtechnologies.com/tools/#strap

Get their larger mat, only $9.95

I used their strap and mat and My K3 survived assembly 100% even in  
dry static-prone wx.


In all the previous discussions, nobody mentioned to be careful what  
you wear! No wool or fleece, for example. Maybe that's just obvious.


Windy KM5Q
Santa Fe, NM
K3 #764
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Re: [Elecraft] ESD mat

2008-05-21 Thread Don Wilhelm

Robert,

There are lots of choices. Google on antistatic mat to find several.
I can't say that one is better than the other, just pick one and use it 
- it will be better than nothing at all.


73,
Don W3FPR

Robert Klein wrote:

My K3  kit will arrive in a month or so (I hope).   I have been monitoring
this reflector for a few weeks, but I haven¹t seen this addressed.

I would appreciate it if I could get some recommendations on purchasing an
ESD mat with a wrist band so I can be ready when my kit arrives‹brands,
models, sources.  My searches on the web come up with wildly variable
products and prices with no reviews or ratings to be found.

Thank you,
73,
Robert
KI4ZHF
  


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[Elecraft] ESD mat

2008-05-21 Thread Robert Klein
My K3  kit will arrive in a month or so (I hope).   I have been monitoring
this reflector for a few weeks, but I haven¹t seen this addressed.

I would appreciate it if I could get some recommendations on purchasing an
ESD mat with a wrist band so I can be ready when my kit arrives‹brands,
models, sources.  My searches on the web come up with wildly variable
products and prices with no reviews or ratings to be found.

Thank you,
73,
Robert
KI4ZHF
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RE: [Elecraft] ESD Mat - Helpful Hint

2008-02-23 Thread Robert Brigham

I ran into the same problem, then discovered the mat
lead reaches to the floor, so I put the strap around
my ankle. No more knocking the parts trays across the
workspace. I DO have to remember it's attached when I
get up :-o
Rob
KC6ROC
K2/100 #5924

--- WA6OCP <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> 
> I am sure others may have discovered this, but I
> will mention it anyway.
> 
> It takes about one second to find out that a wrist
> strap, and its lead, are
> frequently in the way.  I solved that problem by
> sliding the wrist band
> halfway up my forearm.
> 
> Unfortunately, it doesn't remond you to take it off
> when you get up from the
> table or put it back on when you sit down.  ;-)
> 
> 72, Neal WA6OCP
> K3/10/305
> 
> 
> 
> Dave Agsten wrote:
> > 
> > Paul,
> > 
> > I picked up an ESD mat at Radio Shack. I was a
> nice
> > size, had pockets for tools to stay in, the wrist
> > strap on a coiled cable and a 6 foot or so
> connection
> > to ground either via and alligator clip or banana
> > plug. The biggest problem was remembering to
> > disconnect the wrist strap ( via a banana plug )
> when
> > I got up from the table. :-)
> > 
> > 
> > It was $24.95. The first employee in the store
> didn't
> > have a clue as to what I was asking for.no
> > surprise there.
> > 
> > 73,
> > Dave
> > N8AG
> > k3/100 #414
> > 
> > 
> >  
> >
>

> > Be a better friend, newshound, and 
> > know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now. 
> >
>
http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ
> 
> > 
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RE: [Elecraft] ESD Mat - Helpful Hint

2008-02-23 Thread WA6OCP

I am sure others may have discovered this, but I will mention it anyway.

It takes about one second to find out that a wrist strap, and its lead, are
frequently in the way.  I solved that problem by sliding the wrist band
halfway up my forearm.

Unfortunately, it doesn't remond you to take it off when you get up from the
table or put it back on when you sit down.  ;-)

72, Neal WA6OCP
K3/10/305



Dave Agsten wrote:
> 
> Paul,
> 
> I picked up an ESD mat at Radio Shack. I was a nice
> size, had pockets for tools to stay in, the wrist
> strap on a coiled cable and a 6 foot or so connection
> to ground either via and alligator clip or banana
> plug. The biggest problem was remembering to
> disconnect the wrist strap ( via a banana plug ) when
> I got up from the table. :-)
> 
> 
> It was $24.95. The first employee in the store didn't
> have a clue as to what I was asking for.no
> surprise there.
> 
> 73,
> Dave
> N8AG
> k3/100 #414
> 
> 
>  
> 
> Be a better friend, newshound, and 
> know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now. 
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