How many of your would fire...

Question

Hi:...any of your personnel who handle the internals of your PCs (IO cards), electronic systems/circuits in the development phase, or equipment with covers removed/bare PCBs for integration into systems and who have absolutely no willingness whatsoever to learn about and take precautions against ESD damage?An interesting phenomenon happens with these folks:  They insist that they have never, ever, seen anything negatively impacted by ESD.  Yet whenever they need a new graphics card, or turn on a prototype system to work on it (such as a software developer turning on a proto hardware setup consisting of bare PCBs wired together on a cart to develop code for it) and something happens out of the ordinary such as a lockup that usually doesn't occur, they will never, ever suspect that it might have been caused by their failure to mitigate ESD.-- Good day!________________________________________Christopher R. CarlenPrincipal Laser&Electronics TechnologistSandia National Laboratories CA USANOTE, delete texts: "RemoveThis" and"BOGUS" from email address to reply.

Tim Wescott · Accepted Answer

I would make an unwillingness to learn and take precautions against nearly _anything_ one's employer is worried about to be grounds for severing the connection. Even if you're obsessed with meteor strikes, or ghosts and ghoulies. There's two possibilities:

You're right, and he's an idiot. You should get rid of him.

He's right, and you're an idiot. He should quit. You should help him.

Now, if he thinks you're wrong, and he tells you so nicely, but he works hard to comply with your wishes that's another kettle of fish -- he's being honest, forthright yet willing to do what he's told. As long as he doesn't bring it up in front of customers or harp on it to excess then he's probably a good guy. This doesn't match your description, so you're back to 1 or 2.

P.S. I heard from a fairly reliable source that they just don't worry about ESD in Japan -- my source says it's always humid, so it's never an issue.

John Larkin · Answer

I'd fire anyone who deliberately and repeatedly defies a direct order.John

John Larkin · Answer

Right. Once you let anybody get away with that, you're roadkill.John

Jim Thompson · Answer

Same here.  My standard rule.  Disagree?  OK.  Defy?  Kaboom!!                                        ...Jim Thompson-- |  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     ||  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      ||  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    ||  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             ||  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  ||                  |    1962     |             I love to cook with wine.      Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Jim Thompson · Answer

Don't you just love it when the doorknob knocks you down ?:-)                                        ...Jim Thompson-- |  James E.Thompson, P.E.                           |    mens     ||  Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      ||  Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    ||  Phoenix, Arizona            Voice:(480)460-2350  |             ||  E-mail Address at Website     Fax:(480)460-2142  |  Brass Rat  ||                  |    1962     |             I love to cook with wine.      Sometimes I even put it in the food.

DaveM · Answer

I'll betcha that the manufacturing facilities in Japan are very climate-controlled.  Maintaining the spaces at 50% RH does indeed require adequate ESD practices.  They would be even more stupid than the imaginary employee described above to ignore ESD in their plants.-- Dave MMasonDG44 at comcast dot net  (Just substitute the appropriate characters in the address)Never take a laxative and a sleeping pill at the same time!!

John Popelish · Answer

(snip)I'm self employed.  I am unlikely to fire myself, no matter how pig headed I become.By the way, I don't worry much about ESD damage till the heat comes on.  When the door to the lab no longer sticks, that is a warning. And then I am just careful in what order I touch things, to get rid of any stored charge before making contact with a sensitive device, and especially before I touch that onto something else.

John Fields · Answer

---Me too.  It's my way or the highway.-- John FieldsProfessional Circuit Designer

Le Chaud Lapin · Answer

Yes, but one must take into account that Japanese corporate culture isvery dry.-Le Chaud Lapin-

Mike · Answer

Your source doesn't match my experience: They do worry, it's not always humid, and ESD is an issue.-- Mike --

GregS · Answer

This is the procedure I follow. I see people doing it wrong all the time.greg

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