I have a B+K Precision 1651 DC Power Supply.
On the front panel, there's a banana jack marked "Ground" . The manual describes it only as "Earth and Chassis ground".
What I'm wondering is whether this is a connector that provides access to ground, or if it's a connector that I'm supposed to connect to ground.
My cheapo Radio Shack soldering station has a ground banana connector on the back, and it has a two-conductor power cord, so I know it's not access to ground but rather something that should be connected to ground. (And to the ground of whatever I'm soldering on, but that's another issue.)
But the Power Supply has a three-conductor power cord. It's chassis and case should be grounded through that. Could I then use that banana connector to ground my soldering iron, wrist strap, etc.?
I guess I'm just not sure what sort of protections people use when they're working on static-sensitive devices. I've done little of it, and I've had pretty good luck.
My understanding is I want to common-ground everything - work, soldering iron, power supply, worktop anti-static mat, wrist strap, etc. - and to connect that common ground to ground. Connect it all together and connect it to the ground of the household mains. (And make sure that the mains are actually grounded - wired to a cold water pipe.)
Is that the case?
And if so, would the Power Supply ground connector be an effective way of connecting everything on the desktop to the mains ground? Given my desktop layout, it'd certainly be the most convenient way. But would it work?