ESD GUN - PART 1

Ok Boys and Girls the high voltages involved in these experiments are none trivial and potentially very dangerous. You could be killed or worse end up making a complete Cockwomble of yourself. Be careful out there! ESD Guns, also known as ESD simulators, are handheld tools used to test the immunity of products or devices to electrostatic discharge. An ESD gun generally allows users to test with a discharge voltage of up to 16 kV or 30 kV and fulfills IEC 61000-4-2, a test standard for conducted susceptibility. ESD occurs when two electrically charged objects come into contact with each other, are involved in an electrical short, or suffer a dielectric breakdown, resulting in a sudden flow of electricity. This often creates a visible spark, or discharge. Electrostatic discharges damage sensitive electronic equipment, causing equipment to fail and networks to go down, and can potentially trigger explosions in gas, coal dust or fuel vapor. Test engineers perform ESD testing to guarantee that their products achieve immunity to these discharges.