PCBA Tech - Why does PCBA fail?

From smartphones and computers to TVs and vacuum cleaners, almost all electronic devices you can find use PCBA. If the device needs to be electrically connected to operate, then it is certain that there is some kind of circuit board inside, sometimes very small and thin.

Over the years, as technology has progressed, circuit board design and development have also continued to advance, allowing the use of smaller and more complex components and thinner and smaller circuit boards. This makes the circuit board repair process particularly tricky because there are many different types of different sizes and designs. You can't just find anyone to repair, modify or remanufacture printed circuit boards. Crucially, you must find an authorized party with experience and the necessary equipment to achieve this goal.

Net celebrity fan PCBA

Like anything that ages over time and usage, printed circuit boards may encounter various problems. There are many points of contention on the circuit board from damage to traces that affect the conductivity of the circuit board and circuit to component failure that causes the death of a capacitor or diode.

It helps to identify and understand some of the most common failures so that you can deal with the problem in a relevant way. This can also help those who have no direct contact with the circuit board experience to keep them in a better condition.

1. Physical damage

This is the more obvious choice when it comes to circuit board damage. In fact, the most common cause of PCB failures stems from physical damage to the equipment or its internals. This can be almost anything related to physical stress or shock. The device in question may have fallen from a long distance. Maybe it was violently hit or hit by another object? It is also possible that the device is disassembled for any reason, directly damaging the circuit board.

How to diagnose and repair

As long as it is not a complete failure-the circuit board is dropped and broken or completely broken-the physical damage can be remedied through the remanufacturing process. Usually, this involves melting the damaged part of the circuit board or repairing it through disassembly and reassembly. Due to the nature of most physical damages, people without PCB repair experience are unlikely to complete it as a DIY project. Repair of physical damage can only be performed by trained and experienced professionals. In most cases, it requires modification of the circuit board, re-soldering of components, and re-assembly of conductive traces.

2. Component failure

In addition to physical damage, faulty components are the other most common cause of printed circuit board failure. In fact, if there is no physical damage but the device cannot operate or is powered on, you can almost guarantee that it has something to do with one of the components connected to the board.

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 real component. Sometimes, due to aging, overheating, and voltage dips, the trace circuit may deteriorate to the point where it no longer conducts electricity. One or more components may also fall off the circuit board completely and need to be reinstalled.

How to diagnose and repair

You may ask, when a component fails, how to repair the printed circuit board? Likewise, the repair and remanufacturing process of malfunctioning components is best performed by professionals. There are voltage tools and various equipment that can be used to test the conductivity of the circuit board circuits. They can also be used to identify whether there is current flowing to the component, or whether a component of the circuit board has completely failed. In many cases, just turn on the device and you will be able to see the faulty component. Their housing may appear to be burned, cracked or damaged, or the component and the circuit board may be completely separated and loose.

To repair a faulty component, you may need to heat (usually use a hot air gun) the solder 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 trace problem with the naked eye, but not always. If the circuit is damaged, whether through regular use or physical damage, it may cause serious problems with 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, you usually only need to scan the path to identify the damage. Copper and silver are bright and shiny in nature, which makes it easier to identify when cracks or damage occur. Remember, this is not always the case, but it is for sure.

To repair a faulty or damaged wiring path, you only need to re-solder or re-spheroidize the circuit board with the necessary materials. This will reconnect the disconnected circuit and allow current to flow freely across the board.

Beauty instrument PCBA

4. Bad design

Although we would like 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 may lead to poor design and construction of the circuit board, leading to problems later.

Unfortunately, poorly designed printed circuit boards can lead to many situations, and many of the failures that have occurred have been discussed here.

How to diagnose and repair

Once the circuit board fails or is defective, you will know, because even after a repair or service session, your equipment will still fail again and again. The best solution for inferior circuit boards is to completely replace it by visiting an official or licensed repair center.

The easiest way to identify a poorly designed circuit board is the number of failures or problems after prolonged use. Unless there is significant physical or electrical damage to the equipment, if you take the circuit board somewhere for repair or analysis and there are some problems, there may be a problem with the way the circuit board is constructed. In some cases, this simply means that the original manufacturer used cheap or unreliable components, but there is no problem with the circuit board itself.

5. Power failure

In most cases, power failure is very similar to component failure, and may even be one of them. The ultimate problem stems from the fact that all or part of the board has a major power failure. One of the components may be exposed to a higher voltage than normal, causing it to overheat and explode. Or maybe the tracking fault caused a short circuit somewhere? In any case, the 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. This is indeed the only way to diagnose problems other than visible damage to the component. As for repairs, the process is best performed by professionals, but usually involves reinstalling or replacing components.