ESD is a major concern when you handle electronic
components, especially sensitive components such as expansion cards,
processors, memory DIMMs, and system boards. Very slight charges can
damage circuits in ways that may not be obvious, such as intermittent
problems or a shortened product life span. As the industry pushes
for lower power requirements and increased density, ESD protection
is an increasing concern.
Due to the
increased density of semiconductors used in recent Dell products,
the sensitivity to static damage is now higher than in previous Dell
products. For this reason, some previously approved methods of handling
parts are no longer applicable.
Two recognized types
of ESD damage are catastrophic and intermittent failures.
Catastrophic –
Catastrophic failures represent approximately 20 percent of ESD-related
failures. The damage causes an immediate and complete loss of device
functionality. An example of catastrophic failure is a memory DIMM
that has received a static shock and immediately generates a "No POST/No
Video" symptom with a beep code emitted for missing or nonfunctional
memory.
Intermittent
– Intermittent failures represent approximately 80 percent of ESD-related
failures. The high rate of intermittent failures means that most of
the time when damage occurs, it is not immediately recognizable. The
DIMM receives a static shock, but the tracing is merely weakened and
does not immediately produce outward symptoms related to the damage.
The weakened trace may take weeks or months to melt, and in the meantime
may cause degradation of memory integrity, intermittent memory errors,
etc.
The more difficult type of damage to recognize
and troubleshoot is the intermittent (also called latent or "walking
wounded") failure.
Perform the following
steps to prevent ESD damage:
Use a wired ESD wrist
strap that is properly grounded. The use of wireless anti-static straps
is no longer allowed; they do not provide adequate protection. Touching
the chassis before handling parts does not ensure adequate ESD protection
on parts with increased sensitivity to ESD damage.
Handle all static-sensitive
components in a static-safe area. If possible, use anti-static floor
pads and workbench pads.
When unpacking a static-sensitive
component from its shipping carton, do not remove the component from
the anti-static packing material until you are ready to install the
component. Before unwrapping the anti-static packaging, ensure
that you discharge static electricity from your body.
Before transporting a
static-sensitive component, place it in an anti-static container or
packaging.
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