Shock and Electrostatic Discharge

Boards and Cables | Electrostatic Discharge | Shock

Shock

Shock from primary power sources can cause serious injury or death. Avoid contact with components that are connected to a primary power source: power supplies, EMI filters, carriage stepper motor drives, isolation transformers, etc. Before servicing one of these components, follow these steps to prevent accidental reconnection of primary power:

• Turn off the main circuit breaker
• Disconnect the main power cord from the main branch circuit
• Place the main power cord plug where you can clearly see it

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage sensitive components. When an output device is disconnected from the main branch circuit (at the power outlet), the earth grounding is also disconnected and the output device is at floating potential. To eliminate ESD regardless of whether the device is grounded or floating:

• Do NOT make any connections or break any connections to the device under service until the proper grounding connection has been restored.
• Always wear a wrist strap that is properly connected to the output device, not to ground.

Boards and Cables

Some boards and cables in the output devices carry hazardous voltage signals. Make sure that you know whether or not a board or cable is carrying hazardous voltage before disconnecting the cable or servicing the board. See Shock.

Many of the electrical components are extremely sensitive to electrostatic discharges. You must be well grounded with an antistatic wrist strap connected to a ground point within the output device before accessing an electrical component. See Electrostatic Discharge.