Handling parts safely

[lightwonder]

How do you handle parts safely ie lenses and other delicaite parts

[acab]

I wear gloves when working/soldering on lights. After removing the lens or reflector I put them in a zip lock bag so all the dust and dirt won’t get onto them.

[Lightbringer]

Nothing special. Lenses, I’ll handle freely, but then use detergent to clean both sides, dry as lint-free as I can (maybe a blast of “canned air” for stragglers), and then reassemble. Last time I did that was to slap on some diffusion film.

Only things I handle “specially” would be reflectors, ’cause one oopsie and it’s pretty much ruined.

[TrueRMS]

One trick I learned from Matt (AS flashlights) is, in the worst case event you do get debris in a reflector always, ALWAYS blow canned air up from the LED opening, NEVER EVER down in from the top!

Also you need to make sure you’re handling TIR optics with the same precautions as reflectors, never touch the back of the cone or anywhere, I only handle them by the outside edge or the legs.

[BlueSwordM]

1. Wear gloves.

2. Vacuum the place before working.

3. Make a solution of sodium carbonate to remove fingerprints on glasses and reflectors.
DO NOT MAKE A LYE/SODIUM HYDROXIDE SOLUTION.

4. Wash your hands before.

5. Get a small fan to blow dust off of the work piece.

[lightwonder]

Thanks for the info and yes found that out about Tir optics didnt realise they are so delicate. They scratche so easy looks a mess but doesnt seem to effect beam to much.

[BlueSwordM]

Of course they can easily be scratched. They are made of plastic.

However, reflectors are even worse.

[lightwonder]

Yes a lot things are but they are super soft

[hank]

ElectroStatic Discharge | Practical Analog Semiconductor Circuits |...

The problem with ESD is even a small discharge that can go completely unnoticed can ruin semiconductors. A static charge of thousands of volts is common, however, the reason it is not a threat is there is no current of any substantial duration behind it. These extreme voltages do allow ionization of the air and allow other materials to break down, which is the root of where the damage comes from.

ESD is not a new problem. Black powder manufacturing and other pyrotechnic industries have always been dangerous if an ESD event occurs in the wrong circumstance. During the era of tubes (AKA valves) ESD was a nonexistent issue for electronics, but with the advent of semiconductors, and the increase in miniaturization, it has become much more serious.

I can only hope everyone in China who handles components is using a properly grounded antistatic mat.
But I wouldn’t bet on it.

Point is not to add to any existing damage by mishandling the driver components at home, since ESD isn’t one single lightning strike, rather it’s slow degradation over time taking components out of spec, damage that adds up to inconsistent behavior.

Competent parts providers ship drivers and components in pinkish antistatic plastic. Most of our commonly relied on sources in China ship in plain transparent plastic bags that add to static electricity risk.

Currents during these events become quite high but are in the nanosecond to microsecond time frame. Part of the component is left permanently damaged by this, which can cause two types of failure modes. Catastrophic is the easy one, leaving the part completely nonfunctional. The other can be much more serious. Latent damage may allow the problem component to work for hours, days or even months after the initial damage before catastrophic failure. Many times these parts are referred to as “walking wounded” since they are working but bad. Figure below is shown an example of latent (“walking wounded”) ESD damage. If these components end up in a life support role, such as medical or military use, then the consequences can be grim. For most hobbyists, it is an inconvenience, but it can be an expensive one.

Even components that are considered fairly rugged can be damaged by ESD….

[emphasis added]