Northern Micro Spirit X299-AS, User Manual

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Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
Short for electrostatic discharge: the rapid discharge of static electricity from one conductor
to another of a different potential.
Static Electricity: Creating Charge
Under certain conditions (low humidity, carpeted floors, etc. static electricity will build up.
Contact with these sensitive components may cause the build-up to discharge into the
integrated circuitry of the component; a powerful enough discharge may damage or destroy
the component.
Electrostatic discharge can change the electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device,
degrading or destroying it. Electrostatic discharge also may upset the normal operation of an
electronic system, causing premature equipment malfunction or failure.
Static Electricity Precautions
To protect components against damage from static electric discharge, you should follow
some basic precautions whenever you handle them:
Use a grounding wrist strap. The strap will have an ‘alligator’ clip at the end of a
shielded wire lead. Clip it to a grounded object. Any static electricity will then
harmlessly discharge through the strap. Put on and connect the strap before you
handle the components.
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Use an anti-static pad. Put any components on the pad whenever you work on them
outside the computer. If you don’t have a pad, put the components on the anti-static
bag they came in.
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Both the wrist strap and pad are inexpensive and are generally available from
computer supply companies.
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