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Question

Difficulty: MediumSafety Procedures and Environmental Controls

An IT support technician is upgrading system components across several desktop computers in an office environment. While waiting for chassis covers to be removed, the technician needs to temporarily set aside several unshielded PCIe network interface cards. Which of the following is the safest procedure to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage to the components?

  1. Place the components onto a grounded anti-static mat while handling them by their metal mounting brackets.Answer
  2. B
    Rest the components on top of the outer surface of anti-static shielding bags laid flat on a wooden workbench.
  3. C
    Set the components on a clean, dry rubber insulation mat while holding them by their gold pin contacts.
  4. D
    Lay the components onto a synthetic microfiber cloth to protect their trace circuits from ambient dust.

Answer

Place the components onto a grounded anti-static mat while handling them by their non-conductive edges or metal mounting brackets.
Grounded anti-static mats continuously drain electrostatic charges to ground, ensuring zero potential difference between the workspace and hardware. Handling circuit boards by their metal brackets or structural edges prevents direct discharge into sensitive integrated circuits.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify potential ESD risks when handling unshielded expansion cards.
Recognize that sensitive semiconductor chips can be damaged by low-voltage electrostatic discharges.
Preventing ESD requires maintaining equipotential grounding between the technician, workspace, and components.
2
Select a safe temporary resting surface.
Choose a grounded anti-static workbench mat.
Antistatic mats safely bleed off static charges to ground, whereas non-grounded surfaces, rubber insulators, synthetic cloths, or the conductive exteriors of static bags can hold or transfer static electrical charges.
3
Determine proper physical handling points for circuit boards.
Grasp expansion cards strictly by non-conductive PCB edges or metal expansion slot brackets.
Avoid touching gold contact pins or exposed trace circuits to prevent static discharge into sensitive controllers.

Key Concept

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Safety Precautions
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Safety Procedures and Environmental Controls

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