ESD Systems - Questions And Answers

Your note about maximum resistance for shoe tester is interesting but I think it should be interesting to associate at resistance the BVG information. The BVG depends on contact resistance of soles and flooring system. Lower is contact resistance lower must be BVGThe BVG can be measured following STM-ESD 97-2 normalisation. Lower is the BVg safer is the components handling. - DUBAN MICHEL, ESD Conseils, VALENCE, CA, France, Metropolitan

I am going to assume that your acronym of BVG is not Breakdown Voltage of Gate or some other term, but rather something to the effect of Body Voltage to Ground.

The ESD Association's Standard Test Method, STM-ESD 97-2, as called out in ASNI/ESD S20.20 states that the upper range for the Flooring-Footwear system to be less than 100 volts. Decreasing resistance in the ground path will reduce the voltage generated on a person, but you should not compromise the safety of the individual in doing this. This implies having a minimum resistance range in the operators ground path. All UL approved wrist straps and foot grounders have at least a 1 megohm resistor put in series to the operators ground path for safety reasons.

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