Lab Safety

General Precautions

• Never work in the laboratory alone.
• Keep your work area neat and uncluttered.
• Keep all cables off the floor and away from foot traffic.
• Know where fire extinguishers and exits are located.
• Never place food or drinks on the lab benches with equipment. Spills can damage instruments and create electrical hazards.
• If you encounter a hazard you do not understand, stop and ask your instructor.

Electrical Safety

In this course you will work with bench DC power supplies (up to ~30 V), function generators, and oscilloscopes. These voltages are not life-threatening, but careless habits can damage equipment, destroy components, or cause minor shocks and burns.

• Turn off power before wiring. Always turn off the power supply before connecting or disconnecting your circuit. This prevents accidental short circuits and protects your components.
• Discharge capacitors. Before handling a circuit that contains capacitors, verify they are discharged. Even at low voltages, a charged capacitor can produce a surprising spark and damage components.
• Avoid short circuits. A short across a power supply can draw large currents, overheat wires, and damage the supply or your circuit. Double-check your wiring before turning on power, and use current limiting on your power supply when available.
• Wet hands. Even at low voltages, wet skin has much lower resistance. Dry your hands before handling equipment.
• Respect the equipment. Do not open instrument cases or probe inside equipment enclosures. If an instrument is malfunctioning, ask your instructor.

Soldering Safety

You will use soldering irons during several labs and for the final project. Soldering irons reach temperatures above 300 °C and can cause serious burns.

• Always return the iron to its stand when not actively soldering.
• Never touch the tip or the metal shaft of a hot iron.
• Work in a well-ventilated area. Solder flux produces fumes that can irritate your eyes and lungs. Use the fume extractors provided in the lab.
• Wear safety glasses when soldering and when clipping component leads—small wire fragments can fly unpredictably.
• Allow joints and components to cool before handling them.
• Wash your hands after soldering, as some solder contains lead.

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)

Some components, particularly MOSFETs and CMOS ICs, can be damaged by static electricity from your body. When handling ESD-sensitive components:

• Touch a grounded metal surface before handling the component.
• Avoid touching the pins directly—handle ICs by the package body.
• Use the ESD wrist straps available in the lab when working with sensitive parts.

If Something Goes Wrong

• If someone is injured, notify your instructor immediately. For serious injuries, call 911 using the lab phone.
• If a component overheats, smokes, or smells, turn off the power supply immediately and allow it to cool before investigating.
• If you receive a shock or burn, notify your instructor even if the injury seems minor.