{"id":22395,"date":"2020-09-20T00:07:27","date_gmt":"2020-09-19T22:07:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cornay.co.za\/wp\/?p=22395"},"modified":"2020-09-20T00:07:27","modified_gmt":"2020-09-19T22:07:27","slug":"rolex-becomes-worlds-most-expensive-esd-strap-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cornay.co.za\/wp\/2020\/09\/20\/rolex-becomes-worlds-most-expensive-esd-strap-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Rolex Becomes World\u2019s Most Expensive ESD Strap"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anti-static ESD straps are de rigueur in lab settings for those working with sensitive electronics. They’re a simple protective device, and one that generally doesn’t warrant a second thought. However, [Daniel Bogdanoff] figured they could stand to be a little more fashionable, and set to work on a fancier design.<\/a><\/p>\n

The first step was to take a look at a regular ESD strap. Typically, they consist of a band that fastens around the wearer’s wrist, with a metal stud for connecting to the earthing lead. The earthing lead contains a high resistance to limit the discharge current to avoid ugly high-energy shorts when wearing the strap.<\/p>\n

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The metal stud is attached to a replacement link on the ROLEX’s strap, making the modification neat, tidy, and reversible.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With a good understanding of the basics, [Daniel] set about modifying a CASIO calculator watch for practice. After soldering a metal stud to the watch case failed, a second attempt with conductive epoxy worked great. The watch could be connected to the earthing strap, and an ESD tester confirmed the device was doing its job.<\/p>\n

But unfortunately, permanently modifying the borrowed ROLEX wasn’t an option. Instead, [Daniel] limited his work to a single replacement link which could be inserted into the watch band. Hooked up to an earthing strap, the luxury watch also passed a basic ESD test successfully.<\/p>\n

[Daniel] notes that while this is a fun experiment, using properly rated safety equipment is best. Additionally, he points out that the ROLEX is likely to do worse than the CASIO for the simple fact that a metal-banded watch is more likely to cause shorts when working on electronics. Of course, if a watch isn’t your thing, consider a ring instead<\/a>. Video after the break.<\/p>\n

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