Soldering Iron Barrel Grounding Spring Clamps, ESD Bonding Clips
- 4 photos
Never used. The original pack has been opened, or the quantity was split off a full reel or tube. Leads are original and unclipped.
New old stock, open stock on the grading scaleSend the quantity you need. You get a quote back with shipping before anything is charged.
Videos
Filmed on the bench. Sound is stripped from product clips.
- 0:01
All six clamps in one frame, laid out loose on the bench.
- 0:04
A final pass over the group confirming the count and that all six match.
Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Identification | |
| Part number | 9V4K4JX7 |
| Manufacturer | Not recorded |
| Condition | New old stock, open stock |
| Date code | Not recorded |
| Package | Spring clamp |
| Country of origin | Not recorded |
| Family | Not recorded |
| Stock number | 9V4K4JX7 |
| General | |
| Item type | Spring clamp with a ground lead attachment point |
| Application | Bonds the metal barrel of a soldering iron to workstation earth ground |
| Mounting | Closes around the barrel of the iron |
| Use context | ESD controlled workbench and rework station |
| Electrical role | Bonding conductor only, it carries no operating current |
| Fit | Sized to the barrel, measure your iron before ordering |
| This lot | |
| Quantity visible in the photographs | 6 |
| Construction | Rolled split metal band with a sprung lever arm, two internal rivets, and a serrated terminal at the seam |
| Markings | None. No brand or stamp is visible on any surface. |
About this part
Spring clamps used to bond the metal barrel of a soldering iron to earth ground. The clamp closes around the barrel and carries a ground lead, usually ending in a crimp lug or a screw eye, that runs back to the workstation ground point.
The purpose is electrostatic discharge control. A tip that floats can sit at a potential relative to the board, and a temperature controlled iron can couple mains or switching noise onto the tip through the heater. Bonding the barrel gives that potential a defined low resistance path away from the work, which is what an ESD controlled bench is built to guarantee. Shop standards call for a low tip to ground resistance, with commonly quoted limits in the low single digit ohms, though the exact figure depends on which standard and which revision your program follows, so check the number your own shop works to rather than assuming.
These clamps are the retrofit answer for an older iron on a two wire cord, or for a bench built around irons that were never ESD rated. Before buying, measure the barrel diameter of your iron and check that the clamp closes on it without covering vents or fouling the tip nut, and confirm that the ground lead terminates in a fitting your bench ground point will accept.
Questions about this part
What does a barrel grounding clamp actually do?
It bonds the metal body of the iron to earth ground so that the tip cannot sit at a potential relative to the assembly you are soldering. That removes one of the common paths by which a bench damages static sensitive parts.
Do I need one if I already have an ESD safe soldering station?
Usually not. Purpose built ESD safe stations from the major makers ground the tip through the station itself. These clamps exist for irons that do not, typically older or budget irons on a two wire cord.
How do I check that it is working?
Measure resistance from the soldering tip to your bench ground point with a low range ohmmeter, with the iron at working temperature since resistance can change when hot. Compare against the limit your ESD program specifies.
What resistance should I be aiming for?
Published limits vary by standard and revision, and figures in the low single digit ohms are commonly quoted. No single number is stated here because the sources disagree. Use whichever standard your shop is audited against.
Will this fit my iron?
Measure the barrel diameter first. These are a mechanical fit, and a clamp that is too large will not grip while one that is too small will not close. Also check that it does not sit over ventilation slots or interfere with the tip retaining nut.
Where does the ground lead connect?
To the same common point your bench mat and wrist strap use, so everything on the bench sits at one potential. Do not run a separate ground of your own to a different point, since that can create a difference between the two.
Is grounding the barrel the same as grounding the tip?
Not necessarily. The clamp grounds the barrel, and whether that reaches the tip at a low enough resistance depends on how the iron is built internally. That is why the tip to ground measurement matters rather than assuming the bond is complete.