How to prevent static electricity when storing components
Conductive foam is often used when shipping components with pins. This prevents high potential differences between component pins, and for components in dual in-line packages, static dissipative tubes are often used during bulk shipping.
For circuit board assemblies, when they are outside of an electrostatic discharge protection zone, they should be transported in static shielding bags or conductive tote boxes. Some bags are made of conductive material, which ensures that all components are at the same potential under stable conditions and dissipates static charges that accidentally run onto the bag. This method cannot be used for circuit boards with batteries. For this case, a bag with a lining of static dissipative material and an outer layer of conductive material should be used. This bag is more expensive, but provides excellent protection for powered and unpowered components. Similarly, conductive boxes with rails inside to hold the circuit board in place cannot be used with powered circuit boards with exposed connectors on the edges.