Re: [TowerTalk] Lighting

[Bill Aycock <baycock@direcway.com>]

Kelly and Jim-
I'm surprised at the counter-arguments, apparently without seeing the 
parallels.
If I work on the stuff without a strap, I can build a charge difference by 
my natural motion in the air or on a carpet. This can discharge through the 
component when the distance gets short enough. ( I have seen, heard, and 
felt hand-to-doorknob strikes may times in my 77 years)
I can counter this 'strike' by constantly 'bleeding' the charge through the 
strap. I see a clear relationship here.
Bill

At 06:53 AM 7/7/2004 -0700, you wrote:


> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bill Aycock" <baycock@direcway.com>
> To: <Towertalk@contesting.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 5:01 AM
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Lighting
>
>
> > Funny how some simple things are forgotten.  I have two "grounding straps"
> > that came with solid state components. The instructions told me to wrap
> the
> > velcro band around my wrist, with the metal plate in contact with my skin,
> > and clip the alligator clip to the chassis of the place where the
> component
> > was intended to go. The purpose was to bleed off static charge through the
> > wire, rather than by an arc to the component.
> >
> > How is this different from the effect of the ground provided by a tower
> > coupled to the earth by a wire or rod?
> >
> > Bill
>
> Because you, the strap, and the surface of the bench form a direct
> connection between you and the workpiece, so there can be no voltage
> differential between the two.
>
> Lightning and thunderstorms would be more analogous to you connecting
> yourself to one side of a HV power line, holding up an pointed rod, and
> drawing a continuous corona discharge arc from the other side.  There is
> always new charge being put into the cloud (relative to the earth under it).

Bill Aycock - W4BSG
Woodville, Alabama 


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