Palm GPS Kit User Manual

Page 16

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I M P O R T A N T S A F E T Y A N D L E G A L I N F O R M A T I O N

14

interférence reçue, même si ces interférences perturbent son

fonctionnement.

CE Compliance Statement

This product was tested by Palm, Inc. and found to comply with all

the requirements of the EMC Directive 89/336/EEC as amended.

Static Electricity, ESD, and Your Palm Device

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can cause damage to electronic devices

if discharged into the device, so you should take steps to avoid such

an occurrence.

Description of ESD Static electricity is an electrical charge caused by

the buildup of excess electrons on the surface of a material. To most

people, static electricity and ESD are nothing more than annoyances.

For example, after walking over a carpet while scuffing your feet,

building up electrons on your body, you may get a shock-the

discharge event-when you touch a metal doorknob. This little shock

discharges the built-up static electricity.

ESD-susceptible equipment Even a small amount of ESD can harm

circuitry, so when working with electronic devices, take measures to

help protect your electronic devices, including your Palm® device,

from ESD harm. While Palm has built protections against ESD into its

products, ESD unfortunately exists and, unless neutralized, could

build up to levels that could harm your equipment. Any electronic

device that contains an external entry point for plugging in anything

from cables to docking stations is susceptible to entry of ESD.

Devices that you carry with you, such as your Palm device, build up

ESD in a unique way because the static electricity that may have built

up on your body is automatically passed to the device. Then, when

the device is connected to another device such as a docking station, a

discharge event can occur.

Precautions against ESD Make sure to discharge any built-up static

electricity from yourself and your electronic devices before touching

an electronic device or connecting one device to another. The

recommendation from Palm is that you take this precaution before

connecting your Palm device to your computer, placing a device in a

cradle, or connecting it to any other device. You can do this in many

ways, including the following:

Ground yourself when you're holding your device by

simultaneously touching a metal surface that is at earth ground.

For example, if your computer has a metal case and is plugged

into a standard three-prong grounded outlet, touching the case

should discharge the ESD on your body.

Increase the relative humidity of your environment.

Install ESD-specific prevention items, such as grounding mats.

Conditions that enhance ESD occurrences Conditions that can

contribute to the buildup of static electricity in the environment

include the following:

Low relative humidity.

Material type. (The type of material gathering the charge. For

example, synthetics are more prone to static buildup than natural

fibers like cotton.

The rapidity with which you touch, connect, or disconnect

electronic devices.

While you should always take appropriate precautions to discharge

static electricity, if you are in an environment where you notice ESD

events, you may want to take extra precautions to protect your

electronic equipment against ESD.

For information on environmental programs, visit

www.palm.com/environment.

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