We found this video on Youtube from The Science Channel show How It’s Made. You’ll get to see how PCB boards, specifically video cards, are made. If you’ve never had a chance to see how a circuit board is made, and you’re a little bit of a “tech geek” like us, we think you’ll like this video. It’s a pretty cool process to watch. Thought it was appropriate for today’s post.
Before you get started repairing a circuit board there are a few things you should have on hand. These are some of the most used tools and materials for any PCB repair job however your particular job may require more or less. For instance, sometimes it is advised to gently heat the circuit board to prevent any component from going through thermal shock because of heating just one area of the board. A PCB heater didn’t make it on the list because we didn’t feel it was as heavily utilized as the other tools.
Consult a professional and/or your spec sheets before attempting to repair any circuit board.
3. Soldering – A good soldering iron or station is obviously necessary when repairing your circuit board. Depending on your needs, you can find soldering irons from professional stations and industrial irons to lightweight and cordless irons.
4. Desoldering Equipment – Removing old solder can get messy if you don’t have the right tools. Typically you’ll have a desoldering pump that, when the old solder is melted using a soldering iron, heat gun or butane torch, is easily sucked up into the pump. You can find desoldering guns with pump combos that make things a little easier. Another method is using a desoldering braid. These come in spools of braided specially treated fine copper threads that act as a wick and soak up the molten solder then solidify in the wick.
5. Drilling and Grinding Tools – In case you need to re-drill the connecting holes on your board, a micro drill or precision drill system will be very handy. Plus, dragging out the old bulky hand drill can be too much for the board to handle and completely destroy your circuit board. A good micro grinding tool is very helpful when removing dried epoxy or solder.
6. Eyelets with Eyelet Press – Eyelets are needed to repair through holes to connect wires to the board. They are crimped down onto the board using the eyelet press. They are used frequently when repairing boards and come in various sizes so make sure you have several different sizes on hand. The inside diameter should be 0.003” – 0.035” larger than the diameter of the component lead.
We’ll finish out with a video that shows how a circuit board was repaired for a Hoshizaki Machine. You’ll notice he uses several of the tools mentioned above.
Want to make your life a little easier? Check out our 415 piece PCB repair starter kit!
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Temperature-controlled soldering stations consist of an electrical power supply and a soldering iron. Used for soldering electronic components to a PCB substrate board.
A variety of means are used to control temperature. The simplest of these is a variable power control, much like a light dimmer, which together with the loss of heat from the iron to the environment roughly sets the temperature. Another type of system uses a thermostat, often inside the iron’s tip, which switches power on and off to the elements. A more advanced version ofthis uses a microprocessor to monitor the temperature of the tip via a thermocouple and adjusts thepower to the heating element accordingly.
A soldering iron stand keeps the iron away from flammable materials, and often also comes with a cellulose sponge and flux pot for cleaning the tip. Some soldering irons for continuous and professional use come as part of a soldering station, which allows the exact temperature of the tip to be adjusted, kept constant, and sometimes displayed on a digital screen.