I was wondering if an ESD mat and/or wristband was recommended for working with Arduino breadboard circuits to avoid damaging electronics, and if so what level is satisfactory. I have an ESD mat meant for cell phone work, that is a little larger than a sheet of paper. It has a wristband that attaches to the mat. Do you think this is enough to protect my components from damage? Do I also need a grounding cable running from the mat to the metal leg of the table?
The boards are meant for entry level and up so ESD is not too much of a concern but I applaud your forward thinking.
A portion of care with electronics is always a good thing but most seem to get by without ESD measures.
Bob.
The most sensitive components are the MOSFETs. When they are not plugged into a circuit then minor electrostatic voltages can destroy them.
I've never actually seen one destroyed this way and I have handled a lot of them with no special precautions.
The ground cable should go to the earth pin on your wall socket. Any metal-cased equipment on your desk can be used as earth if it is normally plugged in to the wall while you are worming.
ESD damage is cumulative. You may not notice damage the first few times, but eventually...
Paul
An Arduino board is not considered ESD capable. If you walk across a rug and touch an input pin of the arduino you are likely to damage it. I've heard that some folks have damage a digital I/O and used the remaining Arduino (but that another discussion)
That being said, in practice such a severe discharge is not likely and the arduino is pretty robust for what it is.
While a grounded ESD mat is always safer, I use a piece of thin cardboard (kind of like the back of a pad, I get them at Costco for no cost just look in the paper products isle). My bench however is metal and grounded. Simply touching part of the bench when I sit down has been successful.
I have found the worst source of ESD to be either a rug or the fabric on the chair. We had some commercial chairs with a synthetic blue fabric on the seat. Nearly anything rubbing on this chair would generate enough ESD to see a noticeable discharge after seating.