Wireless Anti-Static Straps... do they actually work?

[don.r]

I have seen these wireless straps advertised....

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Cables-Unlimited-Wireless-Anti-Static-ESD-Wrist-Strap-/180485748052?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a05c9f554#ht_3449wt_939

Has anyone used them and found that they work?

[IanB]

They work fine as long as you don't touch any static sensitive parts or equipment.

[hacklordsniper]

They work fine as long as you don't touch any static sensitive parts or equipment.

I guess they are used only as fashion item 

[sonicj]

 

[Joker94]

Would love to see what is under the screw hatch. Probably a "Sucker" sticker            

[sonicj]

lol!

maybe its a communication barrier thing....  wireless = user provides wire
-sj

[Short Circuit]

I guess they are used only as fashion item 

Yes! A supernerd bracelet 
Would go perfect with Dave's neg feedback shirt.

[SoftwareSamurai]

Would love to see what is under the screw hatch. Probably a "Sucker" sticker          

You can find out...for just $0.99 USD!

[BravoV]

Maybe it has the ultra secret ingredient in there that capable of sucking the charge without dumping it like a sponge. Of course once the sponge reached its full capacity, it will discharge without warning and you will get electrocuted by your own nice looking and trendy strap.  LOL

[FreeThinker]

As featured on the AmpHour 'Shonky product of the week'

[don.r]

Would love to see what is under the screw hatch. Probably a "Sucker" sticker          

You can find out...for just $0.99 USD!

I shall be letting you know... 

[RCMR]

It's all down to morphic resonance and the use of a syncopated inverse reciprocating grottle flange to diversificate the quantum neutrino flux.

Gosh, I thought everyone knew that!

[NiHaoMike]

They use corona to discharge static. They reduce annoying shocks, but do not work well enough for real ESD control.

[robrenz]

They use corona to discharge static. They reduce annoying shocks, but do not work well enough for real ESD control.

How does Mexican Beer discharge static?

[olsenn]

I wonder if a wrist strap could be made that senses high voltage and lights up when it does, that way you may not need to be grounded because you'll know by the colour of your bracelet whether or not you have a static build up

[Lightages]

Perhaps we will see a positive review on this soon on eeweb.com 

[IanB]

I wonder if a wrist strap could be made that senses high voltage and lights up when it does, that way you may not need to be grounded because you'll know by the colour of your bracelet whether or not you have a static build up

It possibly could be done. Mike made a voltage detector light up here just by brushing it with his fingers:

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpftN-q2SKs#t=2m14s>

(Sorry, you'll have to copy and paste the link. SMF keeps buggering it up* if I post it as a real link.)

In the same vein, my Klein voltage detector last night was flashing and beeping like crazy when I held it next to my iPhone charger cable that should only be at 5 V. So false alarms could be a problem with such detectors.

* "Bugger: to make a right cockup of things"

[tesla500]

I've read of super fine carbon nano-tubes that can cause corona discharge at as little as 5V above ground potential. A wireless anti-static strap using this technology may work, but somehow I doubt those eBay items use such technology!

[don.r]

I've read of super fine carbon nano-tubes that can cause corona discharge at as little as 5V above ground potential. A wireless anti-static strap using this technology may work, but somehow I doubt those eBay items use such technology!

I'm betting it will be the "sucka" sticker when I open it up. We'll see....

[JuKu]

I wonder if a wrist strap could be made that senses high voltage and lights up when it does, that way you may not need to be grounded because you'll know by the colour of your bracelet whether or not you have a static build up

Easy enough: A battery, a resistor and a LED.

[Seriously: If you don't have the strap, you do have static. the question is if you have enough to kill circuits. My "sweet spot" (trade-off between convenience and possible ESD troubles) is having grounded mats on desktops, a conductive chair and a grounded mat under the chair. I don't have too many failures even though I have loose papers etc around. But I don't ship to customers from my desk, I know I've compromised reliability by not having  proper ESD environment.]

[WattSekunde]

I've read of super fine carbon nano-tubes that can cause corona discharge at as little as 5V above ground potential. A wireless anti-static strap using this technology may work, but somehow I doubt those eBay items use such technology!

I'm betting it will be the "sucka" sticker when I open it up. We'll see....

Me too! 

[don.r]

Well... its not a "sucka" sticker but inside is a 1Mohm resistor which has one leg joined to the strap and one leg wrapped around what looks like conductive foam. I'll post pictures later.

[WattSekunde]

  For me it looks it like a "sucka" sticker. 

Let's think about a typical situation:
The test person wearing insulating shoes. On the workbench waits a perfect grounded PCB. Maybe the ground comes from an oscilloscope. The person goes around the lab and come back with screw driver and a huge amount of electrons on his body... Why should all these  electrons concentrate in the blue foam? Why should they go over the 1M resistor? When did they come back? 

You need a diode to prevent the electrons to come back 

Here you can see what happens...



Sorry! But thank you for the inside view of this interesting product! Could you try to test it?

[don.r]

Oh yeah... its a "sucka" sticker in another form. 

The strap itself seems to work fine so I may use it as a spare. When I get a dry day around here, I'll build up a charge and see if I can get a "ping" on the scope.