Electrostatic Discharge

STATIC DISCHARGE PRECAUTIONS
Discharge static by touching ground or maintaining a ground connection to a bare skin area like the wrist before handling electronic parts.

Never touch integrated circuit connector pins, or soldered components on circuit boards.

Static charges are gradually equalized by moisture in the air but are retained much longer when humidity is low. Use care when handling and testing electronic components.

WHY STATIC DISCHARGE IS A PROBLEM
Automotive computer systems are designed to operate at 3 - 5 Volts and are susceptible to damage by voltages as low as 12 volts.

It takes up to 4,000 volts of static discharge for a person to feel the "ZAP".

The most common ways to become statically charged are friction and induction.

CHARGING BY FRICTION
Friction between organic materials (such as cotton or leather) and synthetics (such as plastic, vinyl, or glass) can generate up to 25,000 volts. This could be caused by sliding across a car seat or by wearing a cotton shirt under a synthetic coat.

CHARGING BY INDUCTION
Charging by induction occurs when a person standing near a highly charged object (strong magnetic field such as a transformer) momentarily touches ground. Like charges are displaced to ground leaving the person highly charged with opposite polarity.