Vent: Fried a $600 radar display panel with a static shock on the hangar floor

Last Tuesday in Phoenix, I was swapping out an old WX-1000 radar display and discharged static right into the connector. Whole thing went dark. Boss just shook his head and handed me the RMA form. Anyone else ever zapped something expensive by accident like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

zara_perez624d ago

Hold up, are you sure it was static and not a bad ground in the connector or a power spike? I've seen guys blame static for stuff that was already on its way out, especially in that dry Phoenix air. Those old WX-1000s are known for iffy pins that can short out on you. Might be worth double checking before you write off that $600.

oscarthompson3d ago

Nah I gotta disagree a bit here man. Those WX units are actually pretty solid if you keep up with the pin checks. I've swapped enough of em to know a bad ground usually shows up as intermittent cutouts long before it fries anything. If it went dead all at once after a dry day, static is the more likely culprit than a worn out connector.