Handling static-sensitive devices

Electronic boards, adapters, media drives, and disk drives are sensitive to static electricity discharge. These devices are wrapped in antistatic bags to prevent this damage. Take the following precautions to prevent damage to these devices from static electricity discharge.

• Attach a wrist strap to an unpainted metal surface of your hardware to prevent electrostatic discharge from damaging your hardware.
• When using a wrist strap, follow all electrical safety procedures. A wrist strap is for static control. It does not increase or decrease your risk of receiving electric shock when using or working on electrical equipment.
• If you do not have a wrist strap, just prior to removing the product from ESD packaging and installing or replacing hardware, touch an unpainted metal surface of the system for a minimum of 5 seconds.
• Do not remove the device from the antistatic bag until you are ready to install the device in the system.
• With the device still in its antistatic bag, touch it to the metal frame of the system.
• Grasp cards and boards by the edges. Avoid touching the components and gold connectors on the adapter.
• If you need to lay the device down while it is out of the antistatic bag, lay it on the antistatic bag. Before picking it up again, touch the antistatic bag and the metal frame of the system at the same time.
• Handle the devices carefully to prevent permanent damage.