Page 78 - Robot Builder's Bonanza

FIRST AID 47

• Antistatic tube. Quantities of integrated circuits are most often shipped and stored in
convenient plastic tubes. They’re treated with a conductive coating to help reduce static.
G Remove the chip or transistor from its antistatic storage protection only when you are installing it
in your project. The less time the component is unprotected, the better.

PROPER CLOTHING FOR STATIC REDUCTION
Avoid wearing polyester and acetate clothing, as these can develop static. A cotton lab over-
coat can be worn to help reduce static electricity. Overcoats are available at many chemical
and industrial supply houses. If nothing else, they’ll make you look like an important scientist!
Only thing about the overcoat: Don’t wear it when using power tools to cut or drill things.
The long sleeves and dangling smock could get caught on spinning parts of the tool.

USE ONLY GROUNDED SOLDERING TOOLS
A common source of ESD damage when building electronic circuits is using an ungrounded
soldering iron or pencil. Ungrounded tools have only two prongs on their power cord, instead
of three. The third (round) prong is the ground connection.
A grounded tool not only helps prevent damage from electrostatic discharge, but lessens
the chance of a bad shock should you accidentally touch a live wire. Be sure to use only a
grounded wall socket; if you use an extension cord, be sure it, too, is grounded.

Working with House Current

None of the projects in this book directly use AC house current, but let’s cover the safety
precautions just the same. A live AC wire can, and does, kill. Exercise caution whenever work-
ing with AC circuits. You can greatly minimize the hazards of working with AC circuits by
following these basic guidelines:

• Always keep AC circuits fully covered. Always.
• Keep AC circuits physically separate from DC circuits. If necessary, construct a plastic
guard within your project to keep the wiring separate.
• All AC power supplies should have fuse protection. The fuse should be adequately rated
for the circuit but should allow a fail- safe in case of short circuit.
• Place your AC projects in a plastic box. Don’t use a metal project box.
• Double- and triple- check your work before applying power. If you can, have someone else
inspect your handiwork before you switch the circuit on for the first time.

First Aid

Despite your best efforts, accidents might happen. With luck, most will be minor, causing little
or no injury. If injury does occur, be sure to treat it promptly. If necessary, see a doctor to
prevent the condition from getting worse.
Consult a good book on medical first aid treatment for details on how to care for cuts,

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