Antistatic storage AFTER delivery?

[luxfx]

Ok so antistatic bags/tubes for shipping I get. ESD protection while you work I get. But how important is keeping components in antistatic bags when you are storing it?

I'm working on organizing my workspace and now have a nice component cabinet with 64 small plastic drawers, very handy. I'd love to just dump all of my components out of their tubes and bags into drawers but I don't know if static would be a huge problem in a static environment like that.

Parts include PIC microchips, EEPROMs, shift registers, optoisolators, linear regulators, MOSFETs, and Schmidtt triggers. Currently all through hole but I will be adding matching smd chips when my project graduates from TH school....

[uncle_bob]

Ok so antistatic bags/tubes for shipping I get. ESD protection while you work I get. But how important is keeping components in antistatic bags when you are storing it?

I'm working on organizing my workspace and now have a nice component cabinet with 64 small plastic drawers, very handy. I'd love to just dump all of my components out of their tubes and bags into drawers but I don't know if static would be a huge problem in a static environment like that.

Parts include PIC microchips, EEPROMs, shift registers, optoisolators, linear regulators, MOSFETs, and Schmidtt triggers. Currently all through hole but I will be adding matching smd chips when my project graduates from TH school....

Hi

The parts are always ESD sensitive. Normal plastic "stuff" (like drawers) can and does generate charge. Getting devices in and out of a non-esd safe area is essentially impossible without the potential for damage. Simply put - yes, they need to be stored in ESD safe "stuff". Black plastic drawer cabinets are made for exactly this reason. They aren't terribly expensive. Figuring out *when* ESD damage has happened is not at all easy. You can have the results manifest a long time after the event.

Bob

[Brumby]

Antistatic precautions aren't really necessary for shipping, as such - they are necessary when devices are being handled.  Putting them into and taking them out of one place or another is where the risk is greatest.

I would certainly be making sure that ESD sensitive devices are protected in my component drawers.  Pulling out a drawer, poking around and pulling out a component could be just the right sort of action to kill an unprotected device, especially in plastic drawers.

I will be honest and say that my handling practice isn't always perfect, but my attitude to all such devices is that they are at risk until they are fitted.  I have yet to lose a single device to ESD (touch wood).

[luxfx]

Thanks you two. Very helpful. Glad to learn about those black plastic boxes, I'll look into those. In the meantime though, I've got to figure out a good way to store these long tubes of chips! hehe...

[KL27x]

FETs and laser diodes are ESD sensitive.

Everything else you listed will be fine. But I'd leave them in the tubes, because you are eventually going to end up not using 90% of them, lol. Save your little organizer drawer boxes for screws and bolts and washers.

[luxfx]

you are eventually going to end up not using 90% of them

Maybe, maybe!

[tautech]

Link to a recent thread:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/1-000-opinions-on-esd!!!!/msg944454/#msg944454

[luxfx]

nice! I was curious if adding foam would work. I'm looking around on ebay and I'm seeing a lot of high density antistatic foam but no low density like you'd linked in the other thread. Would it make a big difference?

[tautech]

nice! I was curious if adding foam would work. I'm looking around on ebay and I'm seeing a lot of high density antistatic foam but no low density like you'd linked in the other thread. Would it make a big difference?

Not at all for most SMD components that would just rest on top. For DIP packages the low density foam is better for "planting"them in. Like if you had a good # of 74 whatever or 4000 series logic chips you'd want them in numerical order, wouldn't you? I would and that's now I keep my 4000 series.

[jitter]

Ok so antistatic bags/tubes for shipping I get. ESD protection while you work I get. But how important is keeping components in antistatic bags when you are storing it?

Very. It's all about not having discharges occur, and that can only be the case when all your stuff (and yourself along with it) is at the same potential. The best way to make sure of that is by making everything  ESD safe. That way you don't need to constantly stay on you toes.
Having said that, if you can be consequent in your behaviour, then you don't actually need to have everything safe, as long as you make sure to equilibrate charges first every time you handle components.

So, I would consider putting the black conductive foam inside your plastic drawers an acceptable alternative to full on ESD safe drawer cabinets. But now you must make sure that you take out the foam with the components in them (without touching them), place the foam on your ESD safe mat where your workpiece is, and then you're good to go. Of course you will be using a wrist strap that interconnects you to the mat.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The black foam stuff creates a whole other set of issues. Some of it degrades with time (and looses it's ESD protection) other batches degrade and muck up the IC leads. There is the ever popular "black colored foam" that has no ESD properties at all.  I stopped using the stuff a long time ago....

Bob

[tautech]

Hi

The black foam stuff creates a whole other set of issues. Some of it degrades with time (and looses it's ESD protection) other batches degrade and muck up the IC leads. There is the ever popular "black colored foam" that has no ESD properties at all.  I stopped using the stuff a long time ago....

Bob

Yes some are shite.
This RS stuff that can be found in links above for a few bucks/sq ft seems to last fine, mine is getting close to 10 yrs old now and still feels great.