At first glance, analyzing returned electronic products or BGA failures doesn’t seem all that complicated. In reality, however, many new engineers have no idea where to begin when a failed unit is returned from a customer or the field. Even worse, I’ve watched new engineers accidentally destroy critical evidence before they even start the investigation. Once the evidence is gone, so are many of the clues needed to find the real root cause.
Troubleshooting a failed electronic product is surprisingly similar to solving a crime in CSI or NCIS. Instead of rushing to conclusions, you start by gathering evidence and carefully examining every clue. From there, you develop possible root-cause hypotheses and test them one by one until the real culprit reveals itself. Ideally, you should also be able to reproduce the failure. If you can’t recreate it, there’s always a chance you’ve only found a symptom rather than the actual root cause.
