18
Using Your Palm Wi-Fi Card
FCC
ESD-susceptible equipment
Even a small amount of ESD can
harm circuitry, so when working with electronic devices,
take
measures
to help protect your electronic devices, including your
Palm Wi-Fi card, from ESD harm. Although Palm has built
protections against ESD into
its products, ESD unfortunately
exists and, unless neutralized, could build up to levels that could
harm your equipment. Any electronic device that contains an
external entry point for plugging in anything from cables to
docking stations is susceptible to entry of ESD. Devices that
you carry with you, such as your smartphone,
build up ESD in a
unique way because the
static electricity that may have
built up
on your
body is automatically passed to the device. Then,
when
the device is connected to another device such as a docking
station, a discharge event can occur.
Precautions against ESD
Make sure to discharge
any built-up
static electricity from
yourself and your electronic
devices
before
touching an electronic device
or
connecting one device
to
another. The recommendation from
Palm is that you take this
precaution before connecting your smartphone to your
computer, placing the smartphone in a cradle, or connecting it
to any other device. You can do this in many ways, including the
following:
• Ground yourself when you’re holding your mobile device by
simultaneously touching a metal surface that is at earth ground.
For example, if your computer has a metal case and is plugged
into a standard three-prong grounded outlet, touching the case
should discharge the ESD on your body.
• Increase the relative humidity of your environment.
• Install ESD-specific prevention items, such as grounding mats.
Conditions that enhance ESD occurrences
Conditions that
can contribute to the buildup of static electricity in the
environment include the following:
Low relative humidity.
Material type. (The type of material
gathering the charge. For example, synthetics are more prone
to static buildup than natural fibers like cotton.)
• The rapidity with which you touch, connect, or disconnect
electronic devices.
While you should always take appropriate precautions to
discharge static electricity, if you are in an environment where
you notice ESD events, you may want to take extra precautions
to protect your electronic equipment against ESD.
For information on environmental programs, visit
www.palm.com/environment
.
