Safe storage for ICs

Using Arduino General Electronics
1

I've got quite the parts bin these days. I picked up some of those storage thingies at a hardware store -- you know, the ones with four transparent plastic slide-out trays that have removable section dividers and a snap-shut lid. This is great for my resistors, caps, diodes, switches, and other things that I'm not worried about damaging from a little errant static energy.

However, all my ICs are in mylar bags in a stack of Digi-Key boxes. Not quite as organized. I'm wondering if it might be safe to cut some large anti-static bags apart, glue them to the interior of the (not anti-static) plastic bins, and store the sensitive parts in there.

Thoughts?

2

I tend to accumulate the anti-static foam and rails that parts ship in. The foam will go in the bottom of the little plastic drawers, and the rails are all in a jumble in a larger workbench drawer, so not quite as organized there. I've also cut the rails to lengths that fit in the small plastic drawers.

3

That's a good idea. It would keep the pins from getting bent jostling around in freespace.

Anyone else have some handy tricks? Keep 'em coming.

4

Cover some expanded polystyrene in aluminium foil, stick the chips into that (always ground the foil to your body first though)

5

If you want something professional, Flambeau, Inc. makes conductive parts cabinets:

All-Spec carries their products and just about any other anti-static thing you could imagine, or not.
http://www.all-spec.com/

I would never have imagined that there was such a thing as anti-static hand lotion. :smiley:
http://www.all-spec.com/products/ICL-32.html