dual wire

Resistance Monitoring
Resistance based monitoring is the most complete wrist strap monitoring system available. Workstations using resistance monitors are almost never at risk. Basic systems use impedance technology and single wire wrist straps which can be easily fooled. If a wrist strap is worn incorrectly, the monitor can still register a “pass” condition or if the wire of the wrist strap is severed the workstation could be put at risk for ESD damage. Dual conductor wrist bands offer fail safe protection because the monitor will alarm if the operator looses contact with one ground wire. It is very rare to loose both ground wires at the same time, so the workstation is still protected even during a alarm condition. The CM2800 series from Transforming Technologies is a high quality resistance monitor and provides continuous monitoring of two operators, two mats, or two grounded workstation tools.

CM2800 Dual Wire Constant Monitor

A New Cost Effective Source
For many years, resistance monitoring and dual conductor products were limited to mainly 3M.  But  Transforming Technologies now offers a value alternative for these premium 3M* dual conductor products. We incorporate the best design elements of expired patent # 5,018,044 with our own experience making premium quality ESD products to produce the WB5000, WB7000 to be used with the resistance monitor CM2800 series. Transforming Technologies and 3M’s dual conductor products are functionally equivalent*. The wrist bands, coil cords and resistance monitors can be used together in any combination!

Both 3M and Transforming Technologies’ Speidel metal band feature two 180 de-gree conductive paths around the wrist, providing maximum skin contact. The expandable band is constructed with two stainless steel back plates and is available in small, medium and large sizes.

Transforming Technologies and 3M’s fabric wrist strap features a band made of a silver plated, monofilament, continuous thread woven together with elastic nylon to maintain full conductivity, comfort and reliability, while providing rapid and con-tinuous drain of static charge.

Coil Cords
Used in conjunction with dual conductor constant workstation monitors, Transforming Technologies’ CC3000 series dual conductor coil cords provide unmatched reliability and value. A double insulated jacket provides incredible durability and a wide diameter straight plug makes it easy to insert and remove the cord from a remote input jack. The coil cord come standard in 5’, 10’ or 12’ lengths and are functionally equivalent to the 3M coil cords.

*Compatibility with particular resistance monitors should be verified.

For information on resistance monitoring, dual conductor grounding products or any general questions, please contact Transforming Technologies at 419-841-9552 or email at info@transforming-technologies.com.

Over the past year, Transforming Technologies has worked diligently to create a line of dual conductor grounding products that is competitive in design and value to 3M’s dual line.   Recently our CC3000 Series Dual Conductor Coil Cords were put through an independent test by Affinity Static Control Consulting. Below is an excerpt from their test results.

Introduction:
Tom Watkins of Transforming Technologies, LLC., contacted David E. Swenson of Affinity Static Control Consulting, LLC (Affinity) regarding testing of dual conductor wrist strap cords according to ANSI/ESD S1.1 – Wrist Straps, for flex life. The aforementioned Standard requires a minimum of 16,000 cycles through 120 degrees of rotational Arc while under tension of 1 pound on the cord under test.
Specifications:
Standard 1.1 requires that the minimum life of all samples tested have a flex life of at least 8,000 cycles and that the average of all samples exceed 16,000 cycles. Flex life failure includes an increase in electrical resistance exceeding 25% of the rated resistance value or any evidence of strain relief or cord jacket failure. In the case of the dual conductor cords tested, there is a 1 megohm resistor in each of the conductors installed in the wires at the wrist strap plug end of the cord. The cord continuity is from barrel to barrel and from tip to tip of the modified phono-jack type connectors with an expected resistance of 0.9 kohms to 1.1 megohms. The test apparatus has a capability of testing two cords at one time at a rate of 2220 cycles per hour.

Test Results:
Samples were selected at random from the set of 10 received cords for testing and placed on the tester 2 at a time, starting with the wrist strap plug end first. All the samples tested survived well past the 16,000 cycles required by Standard S1.1. No evidence of strain relief cracking or electrical change was noted on either end of the dual conductor cords until much higher cycle times. The cords, as tested, meet the requirements of S1.1 with regards to strain relief integrity.

Summary:
The dual conductor cords provided by Transforming Technologies, LLC for qualification testing meet and exceed the requirements for flex life established in ANSI/ESD S1.1 – Wrist Straps.  The full report from Affinity can be found here.

Constant Monitors are excellent tools for static control and should be considered for any grounded workstation.  ESD Constant monitors reduce production costs by eliminating the time spent on testing wrist straps before each shift. Further savings may be realized by reduced ESD damage from malfunctioning wrist straps. But a quick web search results in a dizzying amount of options.  The following article outlines the important considerations when choosing an ESD Constant Monitor.   For more information, please read “Survey of Constant (Continuous) Monitors for Wrist Straps” in the ANSI/ESD S20.20.

Type of Constant Monitors:

There are several types of constant monitors available. Understanding the different technologies used for constant monitoring will make your decision easier.  For the purpose of this article, we will be reviewing the two most common types:  Impedance and Resistance Monitors.

Impedance (or single wire) constant monitors
Impedance monitors use a very low AC voltage to detect a person though a single wrist strap. When a person is attached and the wrist strap is functioning, the monitor is in an unalarmed state. The impedance monitor uses the phase difference between current and voltage to detect changes in impedance of the cord, band and person. A detection circuit is used to reduce false alarms and eliminate adjustments. These types of monitors list anywhere from $30-$100 and any standard wristband and coil cord can be used. The CM400 series from Transforming Technologies are single wire impedance monitors.

Single Wire Constant Monitor CM420

Resistance (or Dual Wire) constant monitors
This type of monitor is used with a two wire (dual conductor) wrist strap. When a person is wearing a wrist strap, the monitor observes the resistance of the ground loop, consisting of a wire, a person, a wrist-band, and a second wire. If any part of the loop should open (become disconnected or have out of limit resistance), the circuit will go into the alarm state. An important feature of the dual wire wrist strap is that even if one conductor is severed, the operator has reliable path-to-ground with other wire.  These types of monitors range from $80-$200 and must use dual wire wrist straps. The CM2800 series from Transforming Technologies area full line a Resistance Monitors and can be used with most commercially available dual wire wrist straps.

CM2800 Constant Monitor

Monitoring Features:

Constant monitors can be very simple, or can be loaded with bells and whistles depending on the application. The following are some common features:

Work surface Monitoring: An option available with some constant monitors is the ability to monitor work surface ground connections.
Tool Monitoring: Constant monitors may also monitor grounded equipment  in a manner similar to work surfaces.
Data logging: Some monitoring systems have data recording capabilities.
Adjustable Alarms: Some monitors allow users to set the alarm parameters in order to satisfy higher ESD standards.
Alarm Accessories: Display modules, external relays and sirens are available for specific applications.

Conclusion:

Constant monitors are reliable, money saving devices used ensure elements of a workstation are grounded. Single wire monitors, such as the CM400 series from Transforming Technologies use single wire wrist straps and impedance technology to ensure grounding.  The CM400 is the most cost effective and monitors one wrist strap.  The CM410 monitors one wrist strap and the work surface. The CM420 is the fully loaded model that monitors two wrist straps and the work surface.  The CM2800 dual wire constant monitor from Transforming Technologies is the top of the line and monitors two wrist straps, two work surfaces, two grounded tools and has user programmable alarm parameters.  The entry level CM2815 monitor uses the same great design of CM2800 and monitors two wrist straps, and two work surfaces.  Use the following graph to help choose your constant monitor:

Constant Monitor Selection Guide from Transforming Technologies