Abstract: A power supply apparatus suitable for a hand-held terminal or the like. In response to a power supply switch turning on, a voltage of a battery is supplied to a boosting voltage circuit and maintained through a diode at a charge capacitor and then applied to a memory, thereby allowing the hand-held terminal to operate normally. While the power supply switch is turned off, the supply voltage stored in the capacitor and applied to the memory is compared with a reference voltage in a comparator. When the supply voltage is lower than the reference voltage, the comparator outputs a signal to a control circuit couple the battery to the boosting circuit for a predetermined time so as to re-charge the capacitor and therefore guarantee back-up of the memory. This arrangement allows the use of the hand-held terminal for a longer time than is normally achieved concurrently with a normal operation of the hand-held device.

Abstract: An electrostatic discharge system (100) worn on an individual's wrist includes an array of field emitters (102) to discharge built up electrostatic charge on the individual into ambient air.