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Can an ESD mat be tested without special tools?

baldengineer

There are inexpensive continuity testers that let you verify a loop between you, your wrist strap, and ground.

 

Without investing into special weights (probes), is there an effective way to measure an ESD mat’s resistance? Or more simply, verify areas of an ESD mat are still effective?

 

Can it be done with “just” a multimeter and a power supply?

Parents

  • Hi James,

     

    I just tested a couple of mats here, with a multimeter set to ohms, and the probes about 1 inch apart (near center of mat).

    The first mat was plastic-y, not rubbery. It measures around 12k ohm, although the resistance varies depending on the pressure I use. It's 12k with normal probe troubleshooting force.

    I don't actually use this mat for soldering or as a work-surface - I chopped it up and used it to line some drawers.

    The second mat is some 2-layer material, softer, and has a light-brown side and a black side (the light-brown side is the top surface). The black side has a resistance of about 10 Mohm and again that varies with probe force (more than order of magnitude reduction if pressed more firmly). However the light-brown side I cannot measure this way (I could apply an insulation tester to it, but have not done that yet), so it's at least 50M ohm, the limit of the multimeter, no matter how hard I press.

    Nether mat was expensive, the first one was maybe £25/$30 USD, the second is about $50, and both were larger than my desk (maybe 1500mm long, I have not measured).

Reply

  • Hi James,

     

    I just tested a couple of mats here, with a multimeter set to ohms, and the probes about 1 inch apart (near center of mat).

    The first mat was plastic-y, not rubbery. It measures around 12k ohm, although the resistance varies depending on the pressure I use. It's 12k with normal probe troubleshooting force.

    I don't actually use this mat for soldering or as a work-surface - I chopped it up and used it to line some drawers.

    The second mat is some 2-layer material, softer, and has a light-brown side and a black side (the light-brown side is the top surface). The black side has a resistance of about 10 Mohm and again that varies with probe force (more than order of magnitude reduction if pressed more firmly). However the light-brown side I cannot measure this way (I could apply an insulation tester to it, but have not done that yet), so it's at least 50M ohm, the limit of the multimeter, no matter how hard I press.

    Nether mat was expensive, the first one was maybe £25/$30 USD, the second is about $50, and both were larger than my desk (maybe 1500mm long, I have not measured).

Children