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288 5A. Regulatory and Safety Information
Description of ESD
Static electricity is an electrical charge caused by the
buildup of excess electrons on the surface of a
material. To most people, static electricity and ESD are
nothing more than annoyances. For example, after
walking over a carpet while scuffing your feet, building
up electrons on your body, you may get a shock—the
discharge event—when you touch a metal doorknob.
This little shock discharges the built-up static electricity.
ESD-susceptible equipment
Even a small amount of ESD can harm circuitry, so
when working with electronic devices, take measures
to help protect your electronic devices, including your
Palm phone, from ESD harm. While Palm has built
protections against ESD into its products, ESD
unfortunately exists and, unless neutralized, could build
up to levels that could harm your equipment. Any
electronic device that contains an external entry point
for plugging in anything from cables to docking
stations is susceptible to entry of ESD. Devices that you
carry with you, such as your phone, build up ESD in a
unique way because the static electricity that may have
built up on your body is automatically passed to the
device. Then, when the device is connected to another
device such as a docking station, a discharge event
can occur.
Precautions against ESD
Make sure to discharge any built-up static electricity
from yourself and your electronic devices before
touching an electronic device or connecting one
device to another. The recommendation from Palm is
that you take this precaution before connecting your
phone to your computer, placing the phone in a
docking station, or connecting it to any other device.
You can do this in many ways, including the following:
ⅷ Ground yourself when you're holding your mobile
device by simultaneously touching a metal surface
that is at earth ground. For example, if your computer
has a metal case and is plugged into a standard
three-prong grounded outlet, touching the case
should discharge the ESD on your body.
ⅷ Increase the relative humidity of your environment.
ⅷ Install ESD-specific prevention items, such as
grounding mats.
Conditions that enhance ESD occurrences
Conditions that can contribute to the buildup of static
electricity in the environment include the following: