re: "ESD testing directly on the pins of a bare connector." It seems reasonable to exclude testing into a bare connector which will normally be populated with a cable. In that case, testing should be conducted with the cable in place.
I think where confusion exists is where there are optional connectors, one or more of which may not be populated in a customer's installation. As an example, many of our laser printers normally have both standard serial (RS-32) & parallel I/O connectors. The customer will choose one and leave the other vacant. That unused connector is now vulnerable to ESD. 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]
