A Method for Improving the Repeatability of Air Discharges at 8 kV and Higher

• This podcast was updated on September 14, 2006 to add more information about air discharge as well as troubleshooting techniques using filtered IEC 61000-4-2 contact discharge waveforms.
• Applying the IEC 61000-4-2 ESD test to devices presents a number of problems. The construction of an average air discharge current waveform by filtering the contact discharge waveform at 8 kV and higher can give repeatable results for an equivalent air discharge in many cases. Also, filtered contact discharges can be useful in troubleshooting system level ESD problems.
• Link in this podcast:
  • http://emcesd.com/tt2006/tt090106.htm - Technical Tidbit article on which this podcast is based. The article contains detailed descriptions and links to items referred to in this discussion.