Introduction
Follow this guide to learn how to use a portable anti-static mat.
Anti-static mats help minimize electrostatic discharge (ESD) when repairing electronic devices. They work in tandem with anti-static wrist straps to equalize the charge between your hand and the device.
Note: the iFixit Portable Anti-Static Mat comes with an anti-static wrist strap.
For more information on ESD, click here.
What you need
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Unfold your anti-static mat and spread it out on your work area.
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Place the black grounding wire's connector over one of the mat's grounding nodes.
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Press down on the connector until you hear a click to secure it to the mat.
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Before you put on your anti-static wrist strap, remove any jewelry from your wrist and fingers.
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Disconnect the strap's metal clip from the rest of the blue grounding wire.
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For other general electronics skills guides, click here.
For other general electronics skills guides, click here.
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8 Comments
What else can the mat be grounded to, as I don't have a metal desk.
Hi there.
Technically, you can ground yourself to any large, metal object that is touching the ground. If you don't have any in your vicinity, then you can clip the wire to the middle screw in your outlet or plug the wire into the bottom-most ground slot in the outlet.
What can it be grounded to if I don't have a metal desk and am in Europe? There is no middle screw or ground slot, at least where I live.
Double check your outlets, it's possible that a ground adapter plug like the following one will work for you.
Europlug example:
https://eleshop.eu/esd-earthing-plug.htm...
UK example:
https://www.vodex.co.uk/product/esd-eart...
If you don't have any grounded outlets in your home, you might consider connecting your mat to a nearby radiator (assuming that your plumbing is metal).
