ESD Simulator
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An ESD simulator, also known as an ESD gun, is a handheld unit used to test the immunity of devices to
electrostatic discharge Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a sudden and momentary flow of electric current between two differently-charged objects when brought close together or when the dielectric between them breaks down, often creating a visible electric spark, spark as ...
(ESD). These simulators are used in special electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) laboratories. ESD pulses are fast, high-voltage pulses created when two objects with different electrical charges come into close proximity or contact. Recreating them in a test environment helps to verify that the
device under test A device under test (DUT), also known as equipment under test (EUT) and unit under test (UUT), is a manufactured product undergoing testing, either at first manufacture or later during its life cycle as part of ongoing functional testing and calibr ...
is immune to
static electricity Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. The charge remains until it can move away by an electric current or electrical discharge. The word "static" is used to differentiate it from electric ...
discharges. ESD testing is necessary to receive a
CE mark The presence of the logo on Product (business), commercial products indicates that the Manufacturing, manufacturer or importer affirms the goods' conformity with European Environment, health and safety, health, safety, and environmental prote ...
, and for most suppliers of components for motor vehicles as part of required electromagnetic compatibility testing. It is often useful to automate these tests to eliminate the human factor. There are three distinct test models for electrostatic discharge: human-body, machine, and charged-devices models. The human-body model emulates the action of a human body discharging static electricity, the machine model simulates static discharge from a machine, and the charged-device model simulates the charging and discharging events that occur in production processes and equipment. Many ESD guns have interchangeable modules containing different discharge Networks or RC Modules (Specific resistance and
capacitance Capacitance is the ability of an object to store electric charge. It is measured by the change in charge in response to a difference in electric potential, expressed as the ratio of those quantities. Commonly recognized are two closely related ...
values) to simulate different discharges. These modules typically slide into the handle of the pistol portion of the ESD simulator, much like loading some handguns. They change the characteristics of the waveshape discharged from the pistol and are called out in general standards like
IEC 61000-4-2 IEC 61000-4-2 is the International Electrotechnical Commission's immunity standard on electrostatic discharge (ESD). The publication is one of the basic EMC standards of the IEC 61000–4 series. The European equivalent of the standard is called ...
, SAE J113 and industry specific standards like ISO 10605. Resistance is referred to in ohms (Ω), capacitance is referred to in
picofarad The farad (symbol: F) is the unit of electrical capacitance, the ability of a body to store an electrical charge, in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to 1 coulomb per volt (C/V). It is named after the English physicist Michae ...
(pF or "puff"). The most commonly used discharge network is for IEC 61000-4-2 and ISO 10605, expressed as 150pF/330Ω. There are over 50 combinations of resistance and capacitance depending on the standards and the applicable electronics.


Test standards

Standards that require ESD testing include: * ISO 10605 * Ford EMC * ISO/EN 61000-4-2 needed for the CE mark *IEC 61000-4-2 *ISO TR10605 *MIL-STD-883 *MIL-STD-1512 *GR-78-CORE *RTCA/DO 160


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esd Simulator Hardware testing Electronic engineering Electromagnetic compatibility de:ESD-Simulationsmodelle