I think this question belongs here. Apologies in advance if I’ve posted in the wrong place.
I’m building a computer and have severe OCD. My hands have been washed to hell and back and back again, so they’re bleeding a bit and my fingertips can’t really grip onto anything (like a processor) without some slippage happening.
Bonus question: I bought a bunch of Velcro loops for cable management, so I plan to wrap them around various cables behind the motherboard tray in my case’s cable management area. Is that going to be a problem as far as ESD is concerned?
While I have no idea of what the glove material is made of, wear a wrist strap next to your skin, not over the glove. A wrist strap is meant to ground a person and has a specific resistance in series. Putting a wrist strap over a glove will increase the resistance and could increase the body voltage of the person.
Not really, I tried to find information on how they determine the “ESD” characteristics but did not find any. Testing should be done to ANSI/ESD STM 15.1 - Gloves standard.
This is not to say they don’t work, I could not find any information.
When choosing ESD gloves, I would focus on whether the gloves have been properly tested for ESD performance rather than relying only on an “anti static” or “ESD” label. The EOS/ESD Association discussion also highlights the importance of testing gloves to the relevant glove standard, such as ANSI/ESD STM15.1.
It is also worth considering the complete grounding setup. ESD gloves should be used as part of an overall ESD control programme, alongside appropriate wrist straps, footwear, work surfaces and grounding methods, rather than treated as a standalone solution.
Bondline is a UK ESD specialist supplying ESD protective gloves and garments, as well as wrist straps, footwear, matting, testing equipment and other static control products. They have been supplying the ESD industry since 1986 and can also provide technical advice for businesses setting up or improving an ESD protected area.
For anyone purchasing ESD gloves, checking the manufacturer’s technical specifications and test information is a good starting point, particularly if the gloves are being used around sensitive electronic components.