| General > General Technical Chat |
| Electronics workbench coating, what would you recommend? |
| << < (3/5) > >> |
| tooki:
--- Quote from: EPAIII on May 08, 2023, 11:24:32 pm ---I have had ESD mats at several of the companies where I have worked. When I was setting up shops I did not worry about ESD and things worked just as well. Frankly, I don't think it is really needed if you have a small, grounded surface you can touch before handling static sensitive parts. And a conductive surface on the bench top, that is grounded can be problematic when working with breadboards or circuits tacked together in mid air. It can also provide a ground path if you come in contact with an energized circuit so it can be a shock hazard. I don't really like using ESD mats on any workbenches. --- End quote --- That is bad advice. Most ESD damage goes undetected at the time, so your claim that it’s “not really needed” is impossible to prove. An ESD mat has enough resistance to pose no shock hazard. (That high resistance also slows down ESD events so as to reduce the current.) 1 megohm is common. Also, ESD mats are multilayer, with the surface layer having much higher resistance than the bottom layer. And what problems do you think it causes for breadboards? |
| jwet:
I'm ++1 for Formica. Its an amazing material and makes a great bench. The only thing you can't do on it to solder directly on it- but why? I've built several benches with it over the years and its a great surface. It will easily adhere to anything like MDF, Plywood, etc. with contact cement and make a very flat working surface. Its extremely tough. I use small silicone mats or just a plywood blocks to solder on but everything else the Formica can take with ease- great stuff. I've had a few things blow up on my bench over the years I'm proud to say but they don't leave any lasting marks. I routinely get all the little bits of wire and solder off with a credit card or similar and scrape them into a trash can. I then clean it with 409 or Windex and once in while I'll use a kitchen cleanser on it- I don't grind it in, it will get rid of more embedded crud. I like flat white but I've used almond before because it was free. |
| Berni:
No coating will make wood into a temperature resistant or flame proof surface! Then again not like you need it to be that resistant. Giving it a bump with a soldering iron won't really cause that much significant damage. You should not really use hot air directly on it in in the first place (I recommend using PCBite kits, they are made out of metal and come with a stainless steel plate). Wood is not prone to ESD either. A workbench surface gets a scuff here or there eventually, just use sacrificial protective mats when doing more violent things on it (like cutting, heating, abrasion, hammering..etc) If you do want a longer lasting surface on your wood desk, i would recommend using an epoxy coating. They are resistant to a lot of things, especially solvents (things used to clean PCBs can eat some coatings) and it makes for a smooth sealed surface that is easily cleaned with simply a damp cloth. Another easy way out is to just buy a kitchen counter and use that as the desk surface. That stuff is resistant to a lot of things. |
| rdl:
The best bench top I had I ever had was stainless steel with wood backing. The second best was some kind of epoxy composite stuff. Two inches thick and very heavy. I worked in chemistry labs though. |
| thm_w:
--- Quote from: rdl on May 09, 2023, 06:56:23 pm ---The best bench top I had I ever had was stainless steel with wood backing. The second best was some kind of epoxy composite stuff. Two inches thick and very heavy. I worked in chemistry labs though. --- End quote --- Stainless would be great for chemistry, but its terrible for electronics. You'd constantly be shorting stuff out and having to put a sheet of insulation on top of it. Stainless with a big rubber ESD mat on top would probably be good though. Earth the bench and 99% of your ESD concerns are gone. |
| Navigation |
| Message Index |
| Next page |
| Previous page |