Electrostatic Discharge Control and the United States Military Standard - MIL-STD-1686

A question that frequently comes up is, “Should your electrostatic discharge program and procedures be based on MIL-STD-1686?”

The short answer is “no!”

The long answer is “noooooooooo!”

The initial 1686 was one of the first U.S. ESD standards and was released on May 2, 1980. At that time, it was called DOD-STD-1686. They also released a companion handbook called DOD-HDBK-263 on the same day. Eight years later, the next revision was now called MIL-STD-1686A and was released on August 8, 1988. Its companion handbook was called MIL-HDBK-263A and was released two and one-half years later, on February 22, 1991. Then on December 21, 1992, they released MIL-STD-1686B. On July 31, 1994, they released MIL-HDBK-263B. Lastly, they released MIL-STD-1686C on October 25, 1995. We are still waiting on the release of its handbook. I’m beginning to think; it may never be released.

MIL-STD-1686C is still listed as “Active,” and strangely enough, government contracts still sometimes list it as the electrostatic discharge standard that suppliers need to reference for their ESD programs. With that being said, you can have a really great ESD program, that meets the intent of MIL-STD-1686, but also is based on current, up to date, ESD control standards, such as ANSI/ESD S20.20-2014.

So, what is wrong with MIL-STD-1686? 

For starters, it is essentially “obsolete.”  The current revision C was released on October 25, 1995. Do the math. This was almost twenty-four years ago. It was a “fairly good” specification back in the 1980s and 1990s, but this 2019. It hasn’t been updated to keep-up with the evolution of technology and terminology. Secondly, it doesn’t have a companion handbook. You might say, “Why not use MIL-HDBK-263B?” If you refer to MIL-HDBK-263B section 6.1 (Intended Use), it states that this handbook is intended for use only with MIL-STD-1686B. Additionally, MIL-STD-1686C section 6.1 (Intended Use), specifically states that there is no military handbook yet for MIL-STD-1686C. Thirdly, many of the documents listed throughout MIL-STD-1686C have been superseded or replaced by other documents. Fourthly, the sensitivity classifications have changed significantly since 1995. Fifthly, it contains thirty-one “shalls,” but doesn’t even specify grounded operators or ESD workstations. Sixthly, it incorrectly overemphasizes the human body as the principal source of ESD damage. Current data shows that damage from human body discharges are around 1 to 2% of all ESD damage. I could go on further, but I’m getting tired.

ANSI/ESD S20.20

When ANSI/ESD S20.20 was created in the late 1990s, the intent was for it to replace MIL-STD-1686.   The group was even called “the 20.20 MIL-STD-1686 Conversion Committee.” Representatives from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and NASA all participated in its development. The first release was in 1999. It was adopted by the DoD on July 7, 2000. Subsequent releases occurred in 2007 and 2014.  The next revision is currently in the works. NASA also references ANSI/ESD S20.20 in many of their documents.

Recommendation

Base your ESD program and procedures on a more current ESD standard such as ANSI/ESD S20.20-2014 or JEDEC JESD625B. You can still state that your program and procedures meet the intent of MIL-STD-1686, providing you address the “shalls” and tailor you documents appropriately.