Removal and Replacement Preliminaries 4-3
Preventing Damage to Drives
To prevent static damage to hard drives:
■ Handle drives gently, using static-guarding techniques.
■ Store drives in the original shipping containers.
■ Avoid dropping drives from any height onto any surface.
■ Handle drives on surfaces that have at least one inch of shockproof foam.
■ Always place drives with the PCB assembly-side down on the foam.
Grounding Methods
The method for grounding must include a wrist strap or a foot strap at
a grounded workstation. When seated, wear a wrist strap connected to a grounded
system. When standing, use footstraps and a grounded floor mat. Table 4-2 shows the
protection levels for each grounding method.
Table 4-2
Static-Shielding Protection Levels
Method Voltages
Antistatic plastic 1,500
Carbon-loaded plastic 7,500
Metallized laminate 15,000
Grounding Workstations
To prevent static damage at the workstation:
■ Cover the workstation with approved static-dissipative material. Provide a
wrist strap connected to the work surface and properly grounded tools and
equipment.
■ Use static-dissipative mats, heel straps, or air ionizers to give added protection.
■ Handle electrostatic sensitive components, parts, and assemblies by the case or PCB
laminate. Handle them only at static-free workstations.
■ Avoid contact with pins, leads, or circuitry.
■ Turn off power and input signals before inserting and removing connectors or test
equipment.
■ Use fixtures made of static-safe materials when fixtures must directly contact
dissipative surfaces.
■ Keep work area free of non-conductive materials such as ordinary plastic assembly
aids and Styrofoam.
■ Use field service tools, such as cutters, screwdrivers, and vacuums that are
conductive.
■ Use a portable field service kit with a static dissipative vinyl pouch that folds out of
a work mat. Also use a wrist strap and a ground cord for the work surface. Ground
the cord to the chassis of the equipment undergoing test or repair.