On Wed, 17 Apr 1996 [email protected] wrote:
> > Has anyone ever attributed a real Customer failure of a product to an > ESD discharge at an exposed i/o connector? Also, putting a cover over > a connector gives us a warm fuzzy feeling that we have protected the > product from the Customer and met the requirements of the standard. > What is there to prevent a Customer from removing the cover? You might put an warning about static electricity on a label attached to the cover. Then, when the user removes the cover he is reminded that he should discharge himself to the ground frame of the equipment before installing cables to the equipment, thus preventing unadvertent discharge/damage Rgds Rene > > Isn't this a case where the connector must either be tested directly or > protected somehow? > > For our products, we recommend that such connectors be tested & shipped with > some sort of protection. I've found that simple plastic dust covers are > usually sufficient. This is assuming, of course, that there is a real risk. > We have found, as has been noted by someone else, that typical 9, 15 & 25 > female pin D-shell connectors are safe without additional protection as we've > never been able to arc directly to a pin during tests (air discharge, of > course). > > But perhaps we're being unnecessarily conservative. I'd like to see more > opinions from others who've been through this. > > Jack Cook, > EMC Competency Center > Xerox Corporation > [email protected] >
