[time-nuts] Conducting Bench Top Material

Max Robinson max at maxsmusicplace.com
Thu Jan 28 05:33:42 UTC 2010


Steve wrote.

Wasn't life so much easier with valves (tubes)...

Amen brother.

Regards.

Max.  K 4 O D S.

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Rooke" <sar10538 at gmail.com>
To: "Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement" 
<time-nuts at febo.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 8:23 PM
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Conducting Bench Top Material


Wasn't life so much easier with valves (tubes)...

:-)

Steve

2010/1/27 Bob Camp <lists at cq.nu>:
> Hi
>
> If you are manually loading up a wire bonder with conventional CMOS chips, 
> ESD damage is a very real thing. You can haul the chip over to a SEM and 
> actually take pictures of he craters you blast in it. Very cool pictures. 
> No cat's, carpets, or Windhurst machines needed. Just normal operators 
> with missing wrist straps will do the trick quite nicely.
>
> Bob
>
>
> On Jan 26, 2010, at 2:21 AM, d.seiter at comcast.net wrote:
>
>> Back about 1981, we had piles of 6502s, etc and decide to some 
>> "antistatic testing". We put a 40pin ZIF socket into a VIC-20, and then 
>> set about trying to fry the uP using carpet, a cat, car seats, etc. The 
>> DUT was then put back into the VIC and series of tests run to verify 
>> operation. I don't think we ever had a failure. Of course, there may have 
>> been some hiding that we missed, but all the static damage I've seen has 
>> been pretty severe.
>>
>> That said, I always use a wrist strap and mat if I'm working on something 
>> I don't want to break further.
>>
>> -Dave
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Charles P. Steinmetz" <charles_steinmetz at lavabit.com>
>> To: "Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement" 
>> <time-nuts at febo.com>
>> Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 11:27:11 AM GMT -07:00 US/Canada Mountain
>> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Conducting Bench Top Material
>>
>> Bruce wrote:
>>
>>> Although over the years the non-conductive top has been an asset in
>>> avoiding short circuits, etc., I am concerned about static discharges 
>>> when
>>> handling modern semiconductors. Would it make sense to spray the 
>>> Masonite
>>> with a weak copper sulphate or similar solution so as to make the 
>>> masonite
>>> slightly conductive, but not so conductive that 155 VAC connections
>>> could not
>>> safely rest upon it? Is there a better-suited material that could be 
>>> used
>>> to replace the Masonite?
>>
>> I notice that many folks who have contributed on this thread use
>> anti-static benchtops, but I have never found it necessary (and I try
>> to keep the RH in my house under 45% -- it is generally 20% or less
>> in the winter). I've been fooling with static-sensitive parts for 35
>> years and haven't lost one to static yet. With that perspective, my
>> preferred benchtop is white Formica with a very, very slightly
>> pebbled surface. Very durable, including to molten solder, and small
>> parts show up well. I use rubberized "gunsmith" mats for preventing
>> scratches to delicate workpieces (these happen to be anti-static, but
>> that is not why I have them).
>>
>> Other bench thoughts:
>>
>> Bench depth is very important. I sometimes work on equipment that is
>> more than 24" deep, so I want at least 30" of clear space in front of
>> any obstructions (power strips, Variac, test equipment,
>> whatever). In the past, I used a "flying bridge" over the rear 18"
>> of a 48"-deep bench to elevate the test equipment, which worked very
>> well. Now I use 24" deep adjustable wire-rack shelving units behind
>> a 30" benchtop (As others have pointed out, you can do the same with
>> equipment racks -- I'm not a fan of rack-mounting test equipment
>> unless the racks are anchored and everything is on slides, which I
>> was not prepared to do). I don't have enough shop real estate to
>> have a permanent access aisle behind the test equipment, so the bench
>> and racks have large (5") locking polyurethane wheels and can be
>> pulled out relatively easily for reconfiguration. This provides
>> plenty of stability for electronic projects, but you wouldn't want to
>> mount a big vise on the bench and try to bend 1" rebar. For that, I
>> have a separate metalworking shop.
>>
>> Bench height is also important. I prefer a tall bench, suited to
>> working standing or sitting on an ergonomic stool, so my bench top is
>> 44" above the floor -- a bit below my standing elbow height.
>>
>> Finally, one can never have too many power outlets, or too much
>> light, in a workshop. Lighting should be arranged so that it doesn't
>> cause specular reflections from the workpiece or the faces of test 
>> equipment.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Charles
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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-- 
Steve Rooke - ZL3TUV & G8KVD
A man with one clock knows what time it is;
A man with two clocks is never quite sure.

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