[omega0]

Has anyone ever experience a electrostatic discharge on their device? If so, anything strange that came out of it, if any? or was everything working perfectly fine for years to come?

It happened to me a couple of times on the BlackBerry Bold 9900 while it was plugged in charging. It has never happened when it is NOT connected to the charger. Anyways, I've restarted the BlackBerry 9900 by removing and reinserting battery just to be on the safe side for a full restart. So far no unusual behavior. But I'm not sure if anything would come out of it laterwards down the road (provided I don't even upgrade my phone by then).

I've read how the company does a durability test ( looks like the site doesn't allow me to post link, but PM me if you want the link or you can google it ); so hopefully the electrostatic discharge that came about when I touched the blackberry was harmless. This was with the blackberry intact (meaning not taken apart and working with any parts, etc).

[dc/dc]

Not I...

[tsac]

More detail on what your calling electro static discharge. The BB charges with DC voltage and unless something is seriously wrong with your power source this should not happen.
Are you getting a shock when you touch the case? Is it a leather case? Usually plastic can pick up static and not usually leather. Is this is just a sound your hearing? it may be the connections are loose and possibly arcing. If the BB was subject to moisture it could be the issue. Resetting the battery in the case may have corrected any connection issue if that was the cause.

[omega0]

tsac, This happened in a condo environment, typically it's dry up here in Canada, especially in apartment buildings. This was when the blackberry was connected to the wall charger. The static happened at the trackpad area when I picked up the handset. I'm just hoping everything is ok and shouldn't have to worry about the handset down the road.

[dc/dc]

You probably shocked off the metal bezel of the pad.

[bostonnerd]

An ESD will almost never cause problems in a device. While the voltage may be high, the current is very low. Think of a plane getting hit by lightening (a fairly common thing). The electronics are rarely affected.

IF ESD was an issue with consumer devices, people living in low humidity areas would be frying items on a regular basis.....

[tsac]

bostonnerd, You are wrong. ESD is one of the cause of electronics failure. Although the cell device is generally an extreemly low candidate for this it can happen. It may be that the phone had a buildup of static and as dc/dc suggested the metal on the phone was the culpret.


WWW.ESDA.ORG

[bostonnerd]

Originally Posted by tsac

bostonnerd, You are wrong. ESD is one of the cause of electronics failure. Although the cell device is generally an extreemly low candidate for this it can happen. It may be that the phone had a buildup of static and as dc/dc suggested the metal on the phone was the culpret.


WWW.ESDA.ORG

Tsac, I am well aware of the EMI/ESD requirements in IC and component packaging design.

What you neglected to state was that to meet agency certification, all mobile devices must be tested for ESD mitigation at all possible ESD entry points. For the EEs in the room the requirement details are called out in IEC 61000-4-2. While the requirement is a fairly low bar it is generally more than sufficient to protect a device in a low humidity environment that is prone to ESD. Otherwise, come February, landfills around the world would be filling up with devices brought to a coma by ESD issues. Waving a Blackberry around a golf course fairway during a thunderstorm would not be covered by above spec


BTW- the insertion of a battery into a device is considered an ESD event by definition and behavior, and must be designed for as well.

[tsac]

The spec your referencing is generaly for the electronic components in consumer devices. Yes it is a good standard but the OP indicated he just touched the BB and received a discharge. I think it is possible to get a static shock from the device but the phone should not be damaged.

Beyond getting struck with lightning or sticking your finger in an electric socket while texting and sitting in a pool his phone should be ok