Corrosion; Electrostatic Discharge; Electromagnetic And Radio Frequency Interference - Cisco Wide Area Application Engine 612 Hardware Installation Manual

Maintaining Your Site Environment

Corrosion

Electrostatic Discharge

Electromagnetic and Radio Frequency Interference

Cisco Wide Area Application Engine 512 and 612 Hardware Installation Guide
C-4
The oil from a person's fingers or prolonged exposure to high temperature or
humidity can corrode the gold-plated edge connectors and pin connectors on
various devices in the system. This corrosion on system connectors is a gradual
process that can eventually lead to intermittent failures of electrical circuits.
To prevent corrosion, you should avoid touching contacts on boards and cards.
Protecting the system from corrosive elements is especially important in moist
and salty environments, which tend to promote corrosion. Also, as a further
deterrent to corrosion, the system should not be used in extreme temperatures, as
explained in the "Temperature" section on page
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) results from the buildup of static electricity on the
human body and certain other objects. This static electricity is often produced by
simple movements such as walking across a carpet. ESD is a discharge of a static
electrical charge that occurs when a person whose body contains such a charge
touches a component in the system. This static discharge can cause components,
especially chips, to fail. ESD is a problem particularly in dry environments where
the relative humidity is below 50 percent.
To reduce the effects of ESD, you should observe the following guidelines:
Wear a grounding wrist strap. If a grounding wrist strap is unavailable, touch
•
an unpainted metal surface on the chassis periodically to neutralize any static
charge.
Keep components in their antistatic packaging until they are installed.
•
Avoid wearing clothing made of wool or synthetic materials.
•
Electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI) from
a system can adversely affect devices such as radio and television (TV) receivers
operating near the system. Radio frequencies emanating from a system can also
Appendix C Maintaining the Cisco Wide Area Application Engine
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