ESD Systems - Questions And Answers

What are the current pass/fail resistance characteristics for foot straps; I have a foot strap checker with adjustable pass-fail settings and am not sure where to set them? - Anonymous, Middletown, CT

There currently is no accepted standard that defines the resistance range for foot straps (foot grounders). Various manufacturers have been suggesting ranges in their manufactured equipment. We currently manufacture our foot strap tester (combo tester) with the following pass/fail ratings: fail low - less than 750 kilohms (+/- 10%), pass - between 750 kilohms to 100 megohm, or fail high - greater than 100 megohms (+/- 20%). In Europe the suggested fail high range is over 35 megohms and some companies in the States go as low as 10 megohms for the start of the fail high range. The latest ESD Association draft standard (DS20.20-1998) that is replacing the MIL-STD-1686 suggests that the upper range ceiling for a flooring/footwear systems be less than 35 megohms.

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