You should already know that electrostatic discharge (ESD), more commonly referred to as a static shock, will damage sensitive electronic components. The parts most sensitive to ESD are those that contain memory chips. In the computer industry, ESD is a major concern because nearly every part contains some kind of extremely ESD-sensitive component. The way computer parts are made, shipped, installed, and handled may change with the introduction of an interesting new anti-ESD technology announced this week.

The anti-ESD solution in question is called eESD, and was designed by Sanmina-SCI, a California-based PCB company that specializes in PCB manufacturing technology and services. Theoretically eESD could be integrated with just about any electronic component, and is already being implemented in cellular phones and one particular brand of DDR2 memory modules.

eESD's tested limitation is 6000 volts, which is a fairly mild static shock. Those of you who live in cold climates know the pain of getting up off of a fabric couch, walking across a rug, and getting whacked by a painful shock from the television when you press the power button. The voltage of a shock big enough to hurt could easily reach twice the eESD tested limit, so this is not going to stop all damage from all kinds of shocks. As many electronics technicians already know, though, the shocks you need to worry about most are the little ones that you can barely feel.

Usual ESD precautions involve storing components and parts in Mylar bags or other static-safe or uniformly conductive packaging, wearing wrist or ankle straps that keep you grounded (so that you don't carry a static charge), anti-static handling gloves, grounding mats, and metal blocks that you can touch to ground yourself on before touching components or circuit boards. The "poor man's" solution is to simply touch something that is grounded, like a refrigerator, metal desk, or metal shelf, before you handle computer parts. These precautions will probably exist long into the future, even if eESD becomes ubiquitous. Still, it's nice to have that extra degree of safety built in.

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Copyright 2007 JEM Electronic Media, Inc. No reprints without written permission.