Blogs

Isolating a Plated Hole From Ground Covers steps to rework a plated through hole pad to isolate it from the surface ground plane. Solder Mask Rework at a BGA Site Covers issues involving solder mask coverage damage at BGA sites resulting from rework. The Essential Guide for High-Reliability BGA Component Re-balling BGA devices may need conversion from a lead-free to a tin-lead finish for various high-reliability applications Case of the Missing SMT Pads Covers steps to add surface mount pads that were missing from the original circuit board design. Solder Joint Opens - What To Do? What to do when you discover a solder component has an open? Reworking an Internal Connection at a Via Hole Procedure to modify circuit board with a signal error at a via hole location. Preventing BGA Component Warp During Rework Covers how to prevent BGA component warp during BGA component rework. Backplane X-ray Analysis Covers analysis of a circuit board backplane failure using x-ray images Questions to Ask When Salvaging Components Covers variety of techniques to salvage components from assembled circuit boards. Scrapes and Breaks Repaired Covers a variety of techniques to repair scrapes and other damage to circuit board assemblies. How To Restore Missing Internal Layer Connections on PCBs Covers procedure to restore missing internal layer connections on a circuit board. Solder Mask Touch-Up At BGA Sites Covers repair of solder mask at a BGA component site on a circuit board assembly to ensure proper replacement. Jumper Wire Nightmare Covers the process to use a significant number of jumper wires to correct a major connector mismatch. Unique Ground Plane Transplant Repair Covers procedure used to repair large surface plane voids on circuit boards. 6 Common Mistakes of BGA Rework Covers common mistakes that occur during BGA component rework. Conductor Repair - When Appearance Counts Covers repair of a damaged conductor on a circuit board using a flat ribbon instead of a jumper wire. Rework for Missing Ground Connections Covers procedure used to repair large surface plane voids on circuit boards. 11 Rules for Circuit Board Mods Covers some of the odd twists and turns occasionally needed to modify assembled circuit boards. Solution for BGA Footprint Mismatch Feature covers modification of the footprint at a BGA site on an assembled circuit board. Cutting Circuits and Conductors Covers steps to perform cuts on external and internal conductors on circuit board assemblies. Having a Hard Time Sourcing Components? Consider Salvaging Them! Covers electronic component salvage and harvest. X-Ray Finds Shorts in Drilled Holes Covers use of X-ray to finds shorts at drilled hole locations on circuit boards. Challenging Connector Rework covers a challenging connector rework project on an assembled circuit board. Exploding Solder Balls Covers problems associated with BGA component rework on assembled circuit boards. How Reliable Is Your Rework? Covers reliability of repair and rework procedures on assembled circuit boards. How to Select the Right Eyelet for Plated Hole Repair Covers selection of eyelets for repair of damaged plated holes on assembled circuit boards. Changing a Conductor Path at a BGA Site Covers steps to modify circuit and conductor paths at a BGA site on an assembled circuit board. Soldering Long Gold Plated Pins Feature explains the steps involved in soldering to gold plated pins into plated holes in circuit boards. Flash Memory Card Rescue Feature covers repair of a damaged flash memory SD card. The Most Essential Tool for Repair Techs Feature covers microscopes, an essential tool in any rework and repair department. Alternative to Dead Bug Rework Feature covers solution alternative to dead bugging. How to Use a Solder Fountain Feature covers use of a solder fountain systems to rework large through hole components on assembled PCBs. Rework for Pad and Component Mismatch Feature cover steps to rework a pad to part size mismatch on an assembled circuit board. Trimming Conductors in Very Tight Places Covers how to reduce a circuit pattern size when a pad or conductor is violating space requirements. Tips For Through Hole Connector Rework Feature covers use of a solder fountain to quickly and reliably rework large through hole components, including connectors. How To Restore Damaged Gold Edge Contacts Repair and replating of solder contaminated and damaged gold edge contacts. Tips for Rework of Large Scale BGA Components Explains the challenge of reworking a large BGA components on an assembled circuit board. Method for Adding A Via Hole Reviews steps involved in adding a via hole to a circuit board. 4 Techniques for Removing Solder Mask Covers common methods for removing coatings including grinding; milling; chemical stripping and micro-blasting. Base Board Burn Repair - How and Why Covers the cosmetic and appearance aspect of repairs to a circuit board assemblies. Critical Considerations for Tin Whisker Mitigation Tin whiskers is a failure mechanism associated with electronic devices that use various solder alloys. Review of Hot Air Component Rework for SMT Components Component rework using hot air, proper nozzle selection and the importance of circuit board positioning. Are Your BGA Rework Operators Experts? Explores the skills required to be a top level BGA component rework technician. Challenging Gold Contact Repair Covers repair of deep voids in gold edge contacts on circuit board assemblies. BGA Conductor Path Re-design Reviews a procedure to rework the conductor paths at a BGA site without using traditional jumper wires. A Solution for Broken Pin Repair Review the repair of a broken pin on a pin grid array by soldering on a specially modified new pin. Ten Rules for Jumper Wires Covers the various options and methods for using jumper wires on assembled circuit boards. How to Fix Press-in Fastener Damage Reviews the repair of circuit board base material at a mounting hole location from an improperly installed press-in fastener. Converting Tin/Lead BGA Pads to Gold Plated Covers steps using conductive ink to complete circuit plating for small gold pads on circuit boards. Tips and Tricks for Successful Rework Covers some insider tips for reworking assembled circuit boards. Three Options for BGA Rework Covers various options for BGA component rework on assembled circuit boards.. Edge Milling to Reduce Board Thickness Covers the steps involved in milling edges of assembled circuit boards to reduce the edge thickness. Rework Option Eliminates Jumper Wires Covers methods and techniques for rework without using jumper wires. Beyond Repair... Think Again Covers repair of damage to circuit base board material using a variety of methods. Essential Practices for Gold Mitigation of Electronic Components Gold embrittlement within tin-lead solder joints is a well-known failure mechanism. Rework for Internal Conductor Mismatch Covers procedure for rework of circuit boards with internal conductor errors. Potted QFP Rework Challenge Covers process steps for a complicated rework of potted QFP components. Keys to Component Lead Tinning Success White paper covers component lead tinning processing considerations. Options for Gold Contact Rework Covers various options and steps for repair or replating of gold edge contacts. BGA Component Site Modification - Is it Possible? Covers common type of BGA component site modification using a flat conductors instead of jumper wires. Damaged Mounting Hole Repair Covers repair to circuit board base material at an ejector handle location on an assembled circuit board. Inner Layer Conductor Modification Covers how to rework inner layer conductors on multilayer circuit board assemblies. X-Ray System Eye Opener Includes various x-ray images of circuit boards and reviews how to analyze and pin-point defects. Keysight Technologies Adapter Rework Covers process for installing Keysight Technologies DDR2 DRAM BGA Probes onto circuit boards. Big Time Damaged Conductor Repair Covers steps involved in complex repair of internal circuit damage on assembled circuit boards. The Repair Technician Hall of Fame Is there a circuit board repair technician Hall of Fame?