ESD bags: have you been shipping correctly?

[AMooMooCow]

If you ship lasers and such, even just occasionally, it's worth it to watch this video from EEVblog. I was shocked that I wasn't using the correct kind of bags. If you do not have ESD bags, please consider only shipping via ground mail and packing your sensitive items in cardboard and newspaper. I recently shipped a flashlight packed in foam padding in a bubble mailer via airmail, and it was DOA.

Edit: Bottom line is that pink bags are not your friend. They prevent the buildup of static charge on the surface of the bag, but an ESD can penetrate right through them. What you really need is the silvery half-opaque metallic baggies. They effectively create a Faraday cage around your devices, blocking them from ESD to the order of kilovolts.

Edit2: I'm an idiot. You can ship your lasers any way you want as long as they're made of metal. Never mind anything I said.

 

[Pi R Squared]

That's very good info that people here need to know, thanks for posting that. That makes me think of something that I would like to add to this regarding shipping: I have been buying parts for a new build, my first build in 2015 and will be my 6th and hopefully best yet, and am buying parts from 5 different sources. It can take me awile to buy all the parts, I don't have much extra money. Back in January I ordered one of the parts and when it arrived it came in a padded envelope and I was horrified to see a "FRAGILE" sticker on the envelope! Fortunately the part is OK. NEVER EVER EVER mark anything as FRAGILE if you ship it USPS/UPS/FedEx! I know what I am talking about. I worked at a storage facility for 9 years that also rented mailboxes and we got a huge amount of mail everyday and plenty of packages. The things damaged or broken were always marked FRAGILE, I talked frequently with delivery people from UPS, FedEx, and USPS and they all told me the same thing, if it's marked FRAGILE it will not be treated gently, their employees will even play basketball with your packages! And if it is genuinely fragile and you send it UPS you don't want it in the hands of UPS for more than 2 days. So everyone please remember this when shipping anything that can break. Just package it well and don't mark it "FRAGILE".

Alan

 

[10fenny]

right on good find!! Ive watched half of it so far!

 

[Cyparagon]

I recently shipped a flashlight packed in foam padding in a bubble mailer via airmail, and it was DOA.

I'm pretty sure that's because it was a chinese device. The whole case is at the same electrical point (google Faraday cage), and is not at risk of ESD damage for that reason. Just the same, you don't have a flashlight in an ESD bag when you use it, do you?

proper ESD practices apply to incomplete electronic devices like laser diodes, ICs, or sometimes bare circuit boards.

 

[rhd]

Since its EVBLOG, I'm guessing the video is 7 and a half hours long. OP may want to bottom line the advice in the text of the post (also useful for those reading on mobile)

 

[AMooMooCow]

I'm pretty sure that's because it was a chinese device. The whole case is at the same electrical point (google Faraday cage), and is not at risk of ESD damage for that reason. Just the same, you don't have a flashlight in an ESD bag when you use it, do you?

proper ESD practices apply to incomplete electronic devices like laser diodes, ICs, or sometimes bare circuit boards.

But it was working for a whole year under my care, and I exposed it to mechanical vibrations, moisture, and extreme Chicago temperatures in my car. I feel like I should investigate into the probable causes of death. But until then, my original post does not hold water.

 

[Cyparagon]

But it was working for a whole year under my care, and I exposed it to mechanical vibrations, moisture, and extreme Chicago temperatures in my car.

And you used it for a whole year without an ESD bag. So why is it you suddenly think the lack of ESD bag is what killed it?

my original post does not hold water.

No, I suppose it doesn't.

 

[AMooMooCow]

And you used it for a whole year without an ESD bag. So why is it you suddenly think the lack of ESD bag is what killed it?

No, I suppose it doesn't.

I'm not trying to argue against the points you've made. I'm just trying to approach this scientifically. I did not say that the lack of an ESD bag killed it. I stated the facts: that it died due to shipping and that it worked for about one year. I'm not trying to give a persuasive speech. Just sharing information that might be important. I'm sorry my posts annoyed you.