+49 (0) 451 / 30 40 718 info@akoriot.com

ESD Testing Your Antenna

For designs that withstand real world shocks

Static - the enemy of all electronics

Testing for ESD

Using an ESD pistol

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) testing is an essential part of product design.  Static electricity if familiar to all of us, from the shock we get when walking on a carpet, to the trick we use to amuse children by rubbing a balloon on our clothing and sticking it to the side of our head.

We all know that static electricity is bad for sensitive electronics, in any lab we attach an earthing strap to our wrist when we work with components.  In the real world, however people don’t wear ESD wrist straps, so our designs must be able to withstand real-world shocks.  In addition, we must make sure that our device doesn’t generate and cause static shocks.  We don’t know where our devices might be used, at the extreme end it might be in a dusty environment where a stray spark could cause a catastrophic explosion, if we make a large number of faulty IoT devices and deploy them remotely, they will fail and cause us high unbudgeted costs in unplanned maintenance visits.

Testing effectively to the right standard

certification question

Which tests?

ESD testing can be performed in two ways:  in the contact method the test instrument is in contact with the target device; in the air method there is a free air gap.  The latter case is more realistic, however it needs to take into account the real world effects of heat, humidity and distance and any movement relative to the charge, making the test more complex.

There are many different ESD test specifications, so understanding the correct ones to use in testing your device is important to make sure it is fit for purpose in your chosen application area.

Trust the experts.  How akorIoT can help

The akorIoT team is highly experienced in ESD testing and understanding of sound design principles to eliminate it.  We can either help you during the design phase of your project or guide you through the testing and any troubleshooting and remediation required with an existing design.  Working with akorIoT will minimise the risks of faulty design and the costs of rework or failures in the field due to poor ESD performance.

The team offer a range of services to help you get the best possible performance from an antenna, contact us today find out how we can help.