Contents
What causes PCB to fail?
Environmental Factors: Exposure to heat, dust and moisture, accidental impact (drops and falls), and power overloads/surges can be causes of circuit board failure. However, the most damaging cause of premature circuit board failure is electrostatic discharge (ESD) at the assembly stage.
What can damage a PCB?
Common causes of damage to the traces in a PCB include lightning strikes, metallic dust contamination, and power surges. Circuit board traces are made of copper and silver and can cause other problems with the circuit board if damaged.
What are the symptoms of a bad circuit board?
Visually inspect the logic board for obvious signs of failure – burn marks, cracked capacitors, scratches or damage, solder problems. Check connectors for signs of corrosion which is common especially with edge connectors. They can be gently cleaned with an eraser and soft, lint-free/static-free cloth.
How do you diagnose a bad PCB?
How to Diagnose Problems With a PCB
- Identify the problem with the use of a VI instrument. The alternating voltage is used to test the unidentified pin count.
- The next step is to identify the location of the problem. This requires examinations at a microscopic level to find the troubled elements.
How do you fix PCB components?
- Fix PCB to your work surface then remove the damaged parts.
- Clean the track and remove solder.
- Place your copper tape over the track.
- Solder the joints.
- Restore the circuit board through-hole.
- Place and solder your component.
- Trim excess tape from the repaired area.
How do you clean a burnt PCB board?
Your best bet is immersion in an ultrasonic cleaner with water & detergent, or the kitchen sink and a stiff brush – make sure there’s no corrosion debris bridging pins, or any pins eaten through. Then dry it thoroughly. You can get various spray on conformal coatings that should prevent any further corrosion.
How can you tell if a circuit board is fried?
Look for blackened components or melted or broken parts of the printed circuit traces, the little metal lines that connect components together on both sides of the board. Components can burn out and when they do they can smoke. Also look for swollen or discolored components.