Category Archives: Soldering


Sep09
How to Read a BGA Red Dye Penetration Test Report: What the Results Really Mean and How to Interpret Them

Figure 1: How to interpret the deeper meaning of a laboratory BGA red dye penetration test report If I showed you the microscope image above (Figure 1), taken right after a Red Dye Penetration Test, could you tell Workingbear what … Continue reading

Sep02
BGA Red Dye Penetration Test: Acceptance Criteria for Cracks and Voids

Figure: BGA Red Dye Penetration Test: Acceptance Criteria for Cracks and Voids A reader asked Workingbear, “After performing a Red Dye Penetration / Red & Pry Test on a BGA, how should we determine the acceptance and rejection criteria?” At … Continue reading

Aug19
BGA Solder Ball Crack Analysis: How to Identify the Root Cause Using the Red Dye Penetration Test

Figcaption: How to Identify the True Root Cause of BGA Solder Ball Cracking Using the Red Dye  Penetration Test When a BGA fails and the Red Dye Penetration Test reveals cracked solder balls, how can we determine the actual root … Continue reading

Aug12
BGA Solder Ball Crack Analysis Using the Red Dye Test | Types and Failure Patterns

Figure: Use the Red Dye Test to Identify BGA Solder Ball Cracks: Failure Patterns and Practical Analysis BGA IC functional failures are a major headache for many electronics companies. This is especially true today, as most CPUs use BGA packages. … Continue reading

Jul22
Should BGA Pads Be Designed as SMD or NSMD? Pros, Cons, and Drop-Test Performance

Figcaption: Should BGA Pads Be Designed as SMD or NSMD? Pros, Cons, and Drop-Test Performance Do you know the difference between SMD (Solder Mask Defined) and NSMD (Non-Solder Mask Defined) pad designs for PCB? What are the advantages and disadvantages … Continue reading