User Manual
PRV-813
CONDUCTIVE RUBBER ELECTRODE VERIFIER
PROSTAT® PRVͳ813 CONDUCTIVE RUBBER ELECTRODE VERIFIER
SecƟ on Topic Page
I. Introduc on 4
II. Using the PRV-813 Fixture for measuring Electrode Flatness 5
III. Using the PRV-813 Fixture for measuring Electrode Total Resistance 8
General Specifi ca ons 10
Table of Contents
© 6 by Prostat® Corpora on. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this manual may be
used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without wri en permission. For informa on contact
Prostat Corpora on, 1072 Tower Lane, Bensenville, IL 60106 USA
Prostat is the registered trademark of Prostat® Corpora on
4Rev. A / May 2016
PRV-813 Conduc ve Rubber Electrode Verifi er
I. IntroducƟ on
The PRV-813 is a two-sided fi xture designed to assess the fl atness of
conduc ve rubber electrodes, and their total resistance to surfaces
under test. While virtually all 5 pound, 2.5 inch electrodes in industry
are perfect when delivered to their end users, over me they may
change considerably. Varia on in electrodes may be due to extreme
use, contamina on, poor storage or ambient condi ons, general
wear, rough handling, and degrada on over me.
This is not a cri cism of electrodes or their manufacturers. Rather,
electrode degrada on is a reality. Over 70% of all audit and periodic
verifi ca on measurements made in support of ANSI/ESD S20.20 and
IEC ESD Program Standards are conducted using 5 pound, 2.5 inch
electrodes. Consequently, a set of electrodes may be required to
make several thousand measurements each year. Rarely are these
important fi xtures assessed for resis ve performance or fl atness.
The PRV-813 is intended for use by ESD Prac oners and material
suppliers for the Qualifi ca on of products, surfaces and materials to
current industry standards.
Fixture Design Concept for Flatness Indica on
The upper test surface is a blue masked, extra thick printed circuit
board (PCB) assembly consis ng of 20 test pads each connected to 10
megohm (1.0x107) ±1% resistors. See Figure 1, above. The 20 resis-
tors are a ached to each other in parallel.
• If all 20 pads are connected together, comple ng the parallel
circuit, the total resistance of the fi xture will range from 4.95x105
to 5.05x105 ohms.
• When a fl at conduc ve electrode is placed on the fi xture, it com-
pletes the parallel circuit by contac ng all 20 test pads on the PCB.
• With the electrode connected to an ohmmeter, if the total resis-
tance of the electrode and fi xture measures within the range of
the fi xture, i.e., from 4.95x105 to 5.05x105 ohms, the electrode’s
contact surface is rela vely fl at as compared to the fi xture para
meters, i.e. 5.0 x 105 ±1%
• If the electrode’s total resistance is greater than 5.05x105, but less than 5.25x105 ohms, the elec-
trode is within 5% of the fi xture’s parameters for indicated fl atness.
• Higher resistance indicates that the electrode’s contact surface is not making posi ve contact with
one or more fi xture pads and may require dressing before using the electrode for material qualifi -
ca on purposes.
The Flatness por on of the fi xture has its own dedicated instrument connec on in the fi xture’s center
black ring next to the serial number label
Figure 1: PRV-813 with Blue Flatness
Test Surface and 20 test pads shown.
Note the fi xture connecƟ on in the
center spacer next to the fi xture’s
label.
Figure 2: Standard 5 lb., 2.5”
Electrode used for Qualifying
and Verifying Resistance of ESD
Controlled surfaces and mobile
equipment.
5
Rev. A / May 2016
PRV-813 Conduc ve Rubber Electrode Verifi er
B. Fixture Design for Measuring Electrode resistance
The fi xture’s second side is a heavy, polished, nickel plated brass test bed. This test surface is used
to measure the total resistance of the electrode. Industry stan-
dards require that the total resistance of 2 electrodes on a metal
plate shall be less than 1,000 ohms. [Ref: ANSI/ESD S4.1 Worksur-
faces] Thus, one electrode on a metal test bed shall be less than
500 ohms. When evaluated on the PRV-813 most new, good quality
electrodes measure far less than 100 ohms.
Note that the PRV-813’s metal test bed will indicate a much lower
resistance than general metal plates found in the industry. Stan-
dard test beds supplied with many resistance instruments are
made of brushed stainless steel, o en shipped with a protec ve
fi lm on the test surface. The brushed surface considerably in-
creases contact resistance, and the adhesive from the protec ve
fi lm o en leaves insula ve contamina on on the test surface.
Consequently, an electrode measured for resistance on a standard
brushed stainless test bed may measure 200 ohms, while its resis-
tance measurement on the PRV-813’s polished test bed may be less
than 30 ohms. The polished resistance test bed has its own dedi-
cated instrument connec on in the edge of the test bed, opposite
of the fl atness instrument connec on
II. Using the PRV-813 Fixture for measuring Electrode Flatness
The PRV-813 is used in conjunc on with a precision resistance instrument and test leads, which are
not supplied. For the best accuracy, the instrument should be a digital unit with a nominal accuracy
of <±5%, and capable of displaying resistance to two decimal places. The instrument should have a
minimum measurement range of equal to or less than 1.00 ohms to greater than 1.00x109 ohms. For
Flatness measurements, typical measurements are between 4.95x105 and 1.0x108 ohms.
Measuring electrode fl atness consists of three steps:
• Prepara on of the fi xture and electrode to be measured
• Electrode Posi oning on Flatness fi xture
• The resistance measurement
A. Electrode & Fixture Prepara on
Both the electrode being measured and the fi xture must be clean
and free of even the smallest par cles of debris. Clean both sur-
faces with a solu on of 70% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and water. Small
IPA wipes used by nurses and doctors are available in drug stores
and are typically 70/30% IPA and water.
A er cleaning, allow surfaces to dry thoroughly, typically 15 min-
utes or more. Inspect electrode and fi xture surfaces for small
par cles. Use canned air to blow par cles off the test surfaces if
necessary.
Place the PRV-813 on a fl at, stable surface with the blue fl atness PCB facing up. Posi on the fi xture
so that there is access to the fi xture instrument connec on.
Figure 3: PRV-813 Shown with its
Polished Test Bed ready for an elec-
trode resistance measurement. Note
the test bed instrument connecƟ on
in the edge of the plate.
Figure 4: PRV-813 Instrument Con-
necƟ on for Flatness measurement
6Rev. A / May 2016
PRV-813 Conduc ve Rubber Electrode Verifi er
Note: Install protec ve cover on metal test bed to avoid damage to its polished surface.
B. Electrode Posi oning on Flatness Fixture
The electrode must be centered on the fl atness circuit board so that the electrode conduc ve
surface makes posi ve contact with each of the 20 measurement pads. Although the specifi ed
diameter of the conduc ve rubber measurement pad is 2.5 inches, outer cases of electrodes made
by diff erent suppliers may have various diameters. A spacer ring is provided to assist in posi oning
a variety of electrodes with diff erent outer case diameters.
Figure 5: Split Ring for Flatness Fixture aids
in aligning and posiƟ oning Electrode
Figure 6: PRV-813 with Split Ring
Installed in Flatness Fixture
Typically, there are three sizes of electrode cases in the industry: Small, Medium and Large:
Figure 7: Small Elec-
trode Case with Split
Ring Installed & elec-
trode manually cen-
tered in Fixture
Figure 8: Medium Elec-
trode Case centered
in Fixture by the Split
Ring
Figure 9: Large Electrode Case,
Split Ring removed; Case Cen-
tered by Fixture’s Outer Ring
7
Rev. A / May 2016
PRV-813 Conduc ve Rubber Electrode Verifi er
Once the electrode to be tested is properly posi oned in the center of the fl atness fi xture the resis-
tance instrument should be connected for measurement
C. Measuring Electrode Resistance
Connect the Posi ve (+) test voltage lead from the instrument directly to the electrode under
test. Connect the Nega ve (-) current sensing lead to the fl atness electrode as shown in the below
photo.
Figure 10: Measuring Flatness Resistance of a 5 lb., 2.5 inch ConducƟ ve Rubber Electrode
IMPORTANT NOTE
Install protec ve cover on metal test bed to avoid damage to its
polished surface.
Once the instrument is connected to the electrode, measure its resistance to the fi xture.
• Seat the electrode in the fi xture: Apply some pressure to the electrode and rotate it slightly to
insure contact with the fi xture’s 20 test pads.
• Make the fi rst resistance measurement. It should be within the fi xture’s range of 4.95x105 to
5.05x105 ohms. Test voltage is typically 10 V.
8Rev. A / May 2016
PRV-813 Conduc ve Rubber Electrode Verifi er
◦If not within the fi xture range, or 5% of the fi xture range, clean or slightly sand the elec-
trode contact surface and repeat the measurement.
◦If within the fi xture’s range, or 5% of the fi xture’s range, proceed to the next step.
• Rotate the electrode 180o. Repeat Sea ng the Electrode and making another resistance mea-
surement.
◦Depending on user requirements, some prefer to rotate the electrode in 90o steps and
repeat the measurement a er each rota on.
If the same or similar resistance measurements were obtained for each measurement posi on and
all were within the user’s guidelines, the electrode is ready for use.
III. Using the PRV-813 Fixture for measuring Electrode Total Resistance
The PRV-813 is used in conjunc on with a precision resistance instrument and test leads, which are
not supplied. For the best accuracy, the instrument should be a digital unit with a nominal accuracy
of <±5%, and capable of displaying resistance to two decimal places. The instrument should have a
minimum measurement range of equal to or less than 1.00 ohms to greater than 1.00x109 ohms. For
electrode resistance measurements, typical measurements of new electrodes are far less than 500
ohms.
Measuring electrode resistance consists of three steps:
• Prepara on of the fi xture and electrode to be measured
• Electrode Posi oning on polished plate
• The resistance measurement
IMPORTANT NOTE
Install protec ve cover on fl atness fi xture to prevent damage.
A. Electrode & Polished Test Bed Prepara on
Both the electrode being measured and the Test Bed must be clean and
free of even the smallest par cles of debris. Clean both surfaces with a
solu on of 70% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and water. A er cleaning, allow
surfaces to dry thoroughly. Inspect electrode and fi xture surfaces for
small par cles. Use canned air to blow par cles off the test surfaces if
necessary.
B. Electrode Posi oning on Resistance Test Bed
The electrode must be centered on the metal test bed so that the electrode conduc ve surface
makes posi ve contact with the polished plate. All por ons of the electrode’s rubber conduc ve
pad must make in mate contact with the test bed.
C. Measuring Electrode Resistance
Connect the Posi ve (+) test voltage lead from the instrument directly to the electrode under test.
Figure 11: PRV-813 Polished Nickel
Plated Brass Test Bed for Electrode
Resistance measurements. Note
Instrument ConnecƟ on in edge of
plate.
9
Rev. A / May 2016
PRV-813 Conduc ve Rubber Electrode Verifi er
Connect the Nega ve (-) current sensing lead to the metal test bed as shown in the photo.
• Apply slight pressure to seat the electrode to the plate.
• Apply <10V to the electrode to make a low resistance measurement
• Electrode resistance must be less than 500 ohms for acceptance. Typical new electrodes are
less than 100 ohms
Figure 12: PRV-813 Shown with its Polished Test Bed ready for an electrode resistance measurement.
Note the test bed instrument connecƟ on in the edge of the plate.
10 Rev. A / May 2016
PRV-813 Conduc ve Rubber Electrode Verifi er
PRV-813 ConducƟ ve Rubber Electrode Verifi er Specifi caƟ ons
Flatness Test Surface
Surface Resistance
Confi gura on: Based on 20 each 1.0x107 (±1%) Ω Resistors in Parallel
Calculated Fixture
Resistance Range: 4.95x105 to 5.05x105 ohms
Average Range: 4.98x105 to 5.02x105 Ohms
Metal Test Bed
Descrip on: Nickel plated, polished brass
Plate Size: Diameter 4 in. (101.6 mm)
Thickness 0.387 in. (9.8 mm)
Plate Resistance: Resistance Point to Point (Rpp) on Surface <0.03 Ω
Resistance Surface to Plate Connec on <0.02 Ω
Height: 1.4 inches (35.6 mm)
Diameter: 4 inches (101.6 mm)
Weight: 1 lb. 12.8 oz. (0.9 kg)
11
Rev. A / May 2016
PRV-813 Conduc ve Rubber Electrode Verifi er
12 Rev. A / May 2016
PRV-813 Conduc ve Rubber Electrode Verifi er
NOTES
13
Rev. A / May 2016
PRV-813 Conduc ve Rubber Electrode Verifi er
NOTES
NOTES
14 Rev. A / May 2016
PRV-813 Conduc ve Rubber Electrode Verifi er
Specifi ca ons are subject to change without no ce.
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All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respec ve companies.
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