RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Hi Lads.

This is a message for all newbies...or...excitedandcantwaittoopenit dopies like me....

After 30 years working for BT, attending many of their specialist courses (no longer of value) and assembling components for the space exploration industry, I should have a complete understanding of static electricity. Unfortunately like most of us, education fades into the background until brought to the fore again, generally with a jolt.

Every time I get out of my little Mazda MX5( Miatta) I get a reminder about static electricity.....I get a ruddy great belt off the door handle. I wonder if it it my Marks and Sparks pants (I did not say panties ok), or the fluffy cardboard that the Japs call carpet or maybee the whirring Itallian tyres that have charged me with static.

Just like when you rub an inflated baloon on your jumper then hold it above your head only to see your hair stand on end......walk across the office carpet then touch a filing cabinet and yelp with shock....or pull a wooly jumper over your head in a dark room and watch the mini lightning display ...static is always there. ( just like the missus eh?)

So think about it when you poke around inside your cheap old HL ok? ( did I say cheap????)

Anyway...to the point...I am about to install a small morgage payment in my Tiger...El-ruddy-expensive-Mod!

It will arive through the post in a plastic bag....look closely and you will see Static Warnings of a sort printed on the plastic bag. Remember that Thomas would not cut his proffits without good cause. So handle it with care...better still do not handle it at all until you have the correct kit.

You need to discharge your underpants....pullover...nylon shirt...whatever... before you touch any circuit boards.

Any decent electronics shop ( eg Maplins) will stock a kit of parts that will prevent you damaging your electronic investment. The kit comprises of a mains plug that utilises the earth pin only...a conductive wrist strap and a "curly cord"  that connects the strap to the plug. In effect this kit grounds you to earth so discharging any static electricity on you.

This is imperative practice when handling electronic kit. A static discharge is measured in thousands of volts and will "blow" or "zap" any chip on a circuit board you touch...unless you get rid of the static before you touch it.

You need to reduce the board or the environment to the same zero potential too. The board too can have a static charge and yet not cause itself damage unless it is allowed to discharge violently.....so don't open the bag and discharge or introduce static to the card until the environment is friendly. ( it's like opening your wallet when the wife is in close proximity.....DON'T...ok)

DO NOT sit on the carpet and open the tank or bag.......sit at the table....tell the kids NOT to touch...then connect yourself to the "ESP" wrist band, curly cord and plug, hold the static protection package the cards are packed in (this will discharge them too) then open the packages and begin work with your investment.

It is still advisable not to lovingly fondle, caress or drool over the electronic components in public, indeed the anorak police will decend upon you at great speed and loudly heap ridicule upon you..... ie. the missus will tip gravy or custard over you cos you have let your dinner go cold..... I've been there too....

There you go...fourty years education in the electronics field can be reduced to the following main points:

1. never buy a Mazda MX5
2. never wear underpants or strange thongy things....mmmm ....oooops sorry ::)
3. strictly observe anti static rules
4. do not fondle your toys inpublic ::)
5. eat your meal when instructed or you may end up wearing it
6. DO NOT OPEN YOUR WALLET WHEN THE WIFE IS ABOUT.

Seriously guys....static can kill your electronics....you may have got away with murder so far, but you won't one day.
Work on a wooden surface, touch a good earth point (a tap or water pipe) before you begin your work on electronic circuits in order to discharge yourself, handle boards around their edges only, make sure the earth is connected on the plug of your soldering iron if has is 3 core cable ...better still visit Maplin and spend £15 to buy the ESP grounding kit...

Enjoy your hoby.....

Mike

 

sound advice there Mike.

Good points,

1. My 6'3" mate has an MX5 which he tries to shoehorn himself into each day. Doesn't like it when I say he looks like a hairdresser with a midlife crisis.

2. "strange thongy things" is that linked to the MX5? it would explain my mate.

3. static? Thanks for scaring the living crap out of me!!! I won't go anywhere near a board again without a wetsuit and the wifes (ok, my) washing up gloves.

4. "do not fondle your toys in public" I'm pretty sure thats an offence.

5. Don't worry about wearing your meals, I'm told gravy is the new black.

6. too late.

Hi,

This is generally good advice, but I have serious issues with certain parts of it:

1. Whats wrong with MX5's? My wife has one. Its a good little car and the boot will (just) take my 1/8 Panther. Its fun to drive, but not as much fun as the other ragtop in the family - a 1970's Triumph with a rather bigger engine than the makers intended.
Yes, you can get some really good static shocks from the MX5 and it is a good idea to let your partner get out of it first. When you have heard a sharp crack followed by some very bad language you know it is safe to exit. This never happens with the Triumph.

2. I don't know much about thongy thingies, but when you get to my age thongs definately are not what they used to be

3. Static precautions? Yes, you can damage some chips by careless handling. If you don't want to wire yourself to the mains then put a rubber mat on top of your nice new nylon carpet and touch something metal and grounded such as a radiator first.

3a Never wear underpants made of synthetic materials. They can hurt. If you are worried by this then get somebody else to handle them.

4. No comment - unless you are that way inclined. If you must do this, a long mac is the required uniform.

5. Gravy could well be the new black, but what about custard?

6. Always make sure your wallet is empty. If you need to carry money, be certain you have it in a second wallet kept in your inside pocket close to your heart, so the money is warm and comfortable.

Peter

mike that is some really sound advice, and with humour mixed in makes it a good read, why dont the electrical manufacturers write their manuals like that, i would be more inclined to read them if they did , as for thongs, have you ever gave youre mrs a wedgie when she's wearing one its like a cheese cutter, though she wont find it as funny as you would, ask my mrs, she knows ::)

            Tony

Those static proof bags that Elmod now send their boards out in are only a recent innovation. My first ones came in plain clear plastic bag, no padding, and bouncing around inside a cardboard box? Thank goodness only one pin was bent on my Soundblaster.

So, Micky, you are saying that tying party balloons to my ariel, and wrapping my boards in sound deadening nylon Y-fronts was not an idea borne out of pure genius?

Cheers

Rob G

Hi guys.

I was unpacking the cards last night and thought that I would chat about static. I was always being told off at school for being frivolous....strange that I have never lost that daft streak over the years. It does make it more interesting when there is a bit of homour wraped up with the facts...in fact it makes a heavy subject easier to digest.

Modern materials cause all sorts of static problems with electronic equipment, especially cameras so it pays to be careful when handling expensive kit.

I would like to point out that while I have a Mazda MX5...I am not a hairdresser...or a blonde bimbo.
Rapidly on to the thong thingies....... I wish that I had never mentioned them now,,,if I ever get to go to a meeting I am going to be put through hell I bet.

Have a good evening.......Mike

Read that with interest and best put the wifes thongs back now LMAO