How to develop an ESD circuit protection

Question

I am trying to solve what seems to be a common issue of the MAX232 chip getting burned by electrostatic interference. To solve this issue alternative chips are available on the market such as the ST232EB or the MAX1488E which provide ESD protection up to 15kV.

Although assuming that I would like to protect one or more components present in my circuit, for example, an ADC converter or even better the whole circuit from electrostatic interference what would the best approach be?

Is it possible to protect the whole circuit or must be a specific case for each component to be protected?

Could be this done with the sole help of TVS diodes or are there alternative solutions?

Any examples or ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

You can buy ESD diodes. This is a type of transient voltage supressor (TVS) intended specifically for ESD protection. As a very general rule, put them on any pins of any connectors that conduct signals off board. The ADC would not need ESD protection unless it goes off board.

Also, if the ADC input has a capacitor on it with a resistor in series before it goes off board, the RC network will probably provide adequate protection for the ADC input. If the ADC input does not have a capacitor, it should.

ESD protection is a big topic. This is just a very quick overview that skips a lot of details.