Jul03
[Case Study] Troubleshooting a Customer Complaint – Keypad Malfunction Caused by Oil & Powder Contamination on the PCB

post on July 3, 2025

This article shares a real case from Workingbear’s past experience dealing with an urgent customer complaint. One day, Workingbear was suddenly assigned to fly to a factory in China to “hunt for oil.” My manager even warned, “If you don’t find the source of the oil, don’t bother coming back!” So, with a heavy heart, Workingbear set off—didn’t even dare to book a return ticket.

The reason for this emergency was a serious DOA (Dead On Arrival) complaint. The product completely failed right out of the carton box when it reached the customer.

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Case study, EDX/EDS/SEM/IMC/FTIR, Keypad, Process, Quality     WorkingBear    Views (360)     comment (0)
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Jun26
What is Environmental Stress Screening (ESS)?

post on June 26, 2025

Electronic Product Bathtub Curve

Environmental Stress Screening (ESS) is a method used to apply certain environmental and operational stresses—such as power on/off cycles, bias voltage, pressure, thermal cycling, and vibration—to new or repaired products (usually electronics or components). The idea is to expose hidden early-failure issues that normal testing might miss. This helps weed out defective units and ensures better product quality.

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Process, Quality, Reliability, Test/Inspection     WorkingBear    Views (590)     comment (0)

Jun19
What Is EDX/EDS? A Beginner’s Guide to Elemental Analysis in Materials Science

post on June 19, 2025

What Is EDX/EDS? A Beginner’s Guide to Elemental Analysis in Materials Science

Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS or EDX) is a common, non-destructive technique used in the industry to quickly identify the elemental composition of a sample’s surface. In electronics manufacturing and material analysis, knowing what elements are present is critical for quality control and surface-level failure analysis.

Although EDX is considered non-destructive, there are some limitations. Most EDX equipment has size restrictions, so it’s a good idea to check with the lab beforehand to make sure your sample fits. Also, in many cases, the sample needs to be cross-sectioned before analysis. That’s because EDX can only detect elements within about 5 microns (µm) from the surface, so it’s best suited for surface-level analysis.

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EDX/EDS/SEM/IMC/FTIR, Quality     WorkingBear    Views (1,595)     comment (0)

Jun12
Impact Drop Test Requirements in Electronic Product Development

post on June 12, 2025

裸機的落下試驗/摔落實驗(Drop test)要求

During the design and verification phase of electronic products, an Impact Drop Test is a standard procedure. This test is generally divided into two phases:

  1. Product Drop Test – Testing the device without packaging.
  2. Packagage Drop Test – Evaluating the protective capability of the packaging during transportation.

(Note: This article is based on personal experience and is for reference only. If you have different opinions, feel free to discuss with us. Also, the test methods mentioned are not industry standards, so please use discretion when referring to them.)

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Design, Plastic, Quality, Reliability     WorkingBear    Views (812)     comment (0)

Jun05
Tumble Test: How to Prevent PCB and BGA Failures in Electronics Manufacturing

post on June 5, 2025

Tumble Test: How to Prevent PCB and BGA Failures in Electronics Manufacturing

From what I remember, one of the earliest and most frequent requests for tumble testing came from Motorola. Since some of Motorola’s mobile phones and products were designed for military use, their reliability and quality standards were exceptionally strict. However, this also meant higher design and production costs. I can’t help but wonder if this was one of the reasons Motorola eventually lost its competitive edge.

Workingbear strongly believes in maintaining high-quality standards, but over-engineering beyond practical use (over quality) can be a waste of resources. Take smartphones as an example—most people replace their phones every two years. Designing a phone to last five years is already impressive. Insisting on a 10- or 20-year lifespan might only make sense if it doesn’t significantly increase costs. Otherwise, companies need to seriously consider whether the extra investment is worth it.

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Design, Process, Quality, Reliability     WorkingBear    Views (857)     comment (0)