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As the use time increases, printed circuit boards may encounter various problems. There are many points of contention on the circuit board from damage to the traces that affect the conductivity of the circuit board and the circuit to the component failure that the capacitor or diode is about to disappear.
It helps us to identify and understand some of the most common faults so that we can deal with them in a relevant way. The main points are as follows:
1. Physical damage
In fact, the most common reasons for PCB damage are physical damage to the device or its internals. This may be related to physical stress or vibration. It may be hit by another object or forcibly hit; it may also be disassembled for any reason and directly damaged the circuit board.
How to diagnose and repair
As long as it is not a complete failure (the board falls to the ground and is completely broken or cracked), the physical damage can be compensated by the remanufacturing process. Usually, this involves melting the damaged part of the board or repairing it through disassembly and reassembly. Due to the nature of most physical damages, it is extremely unlikely that people without PCB repair experience will complete it as a DIY project. Only trained and experienced professionals can repair personal injuries. In most cases, it requires modification of the circuit board, re-soldering of components, and re-gathering of conductive traces.
2. Component failure
In addition to damage to printed parts, faulty components are also the most common cause of printed circuit board failure. In fact, if there is no physical damage, but the device cannot be operated or powered on, it is almost guaranteed that it is related to one of the components connected to the motherboard.
The components themselves can be anything, from capacitors to diodes or microprocessors. If the component is the problem and is dead or not working, it may need to be replaced completely. However, the problem is not always the actual component. Sometimes due to aging, overheating and voltage dips, the tracking circuit may deteriorate to the point where it no longer conducts electricity. One or more of the components may also have been completely removed from the board and need to be repositioned.
How to diagnose and repair
You may ask, how to fix the printed circuit board when the component fails? Similarly, the repair and remanufacturing process of faulty parts is best left to professionals. There are voltage tools and various equipment available for testing the conductivity of the circuit board. They can also be used to identify whether there is current flowing to a component, or whether a component on the circuit board has completely failed. Many times, as long as you turn on the device, you can see the failed component. Their housing may appear to be burnt, cracked, or cracked, or the component may have been completely removed from the board and loosened.
To repair faulty components, you may need to heat (usually use a hot air gun) for welding and perform rigorous testing.
3. Damaged wiring
The traces on the circuit board are conductive paths made of silver or copper. Usually, you can see the problem with the mark with the naked eye, but this is not always the case. If the trace is damaged, whether through normal use or physical damage, it will have a significant impact on the conductivity of the printed circuit board, components and related equipment.
Some of the more common causes of trace damage include lightning strikes, severe electrical surges or short circuits, metal dust contamination, overheating and normal wear and tear.
How to diagnose and repair
If the trace is not very thin and difficult to see, the damage can usually be identified by scanning the path. Copper and silver are bright and shiny in nature, which makes it easier to identify when they are broken or damaged. Remember, this is not always the case, but it is a sure choice.
To repair the fault or damage the wiring path, you only need to re-solder or re-press the circuit board with the necessary materials. This allows the disconnected circuit to be reconnected and allows current to flow freely across the board.
4. Poor design
Although we want to praise every existing engineer or product developer, this is not feasible. Sometimes, for whatever reason, the team may cut corners when designing circuit boards or manufacturing necessary components. This can lead to poor design and construction of the circuit board, which can cause problems in the future.
Unfortunately, poorly designed printed circuit boards can cause many things, and many failures have been discussed here.
How to diagnose and repair
Once the circuit board fails or is abnormal, you will know immediately, because even after a repair or service session, the device will still fail again and again. The best solution for inferior circuit boards is to completely replace the circuit boards by visiting an official or authorized repair center.
The easiest way to identify poorly designed boards is the number of failures or problems that have occurred after prolonged use. Unless there is significant physical or electrical damage to the equipment, if you repair or analyze the circuit board to a certain place, and there are many problems, there may be a problem with the structure of the circuit board. In some cases, this simply means that the original manufacturer used cheap or unreliable components, but the motherboard itself is not bad.
5. Power failure
In most cases, a power failure is very similar to a component failure, and may even be the same failure. The ultimate problem stems from a major power failure of all or part of the circuit board. One of the components may be exposed to a higher voltage than normal, causing it to overheat and explode. Maybe the tracking failure caused a short circuit somewhere? In either case, a power meter can be used to test the overall conductivity of each individual component and circuit board.
How to diagnose and repair
All professional repair teams have a power meter or voltmeter that can be used to identify electrical problems with the circuit board and its components. In fact, this is the only way to diagnose problems other than visible damage to the component. As for repairs, the process is best left to professionals, but usually requires relocation or replacement of components.
