Jul11
What Is the Purpose of Testing Electronic Products? It’s Like Buying Insurance!

post on July 11, 2024

電子產品測試的目的所為何在？買保險也！

Workingbear has been in the electronics industry for several years and has noticed an interesting phenomenon. Almost every new manager will ask the same questions when they come on board: “Why do we need to perform ICT (In-Circuit Test) at the board level assembly?” and “Can we skip ICT tests?”

This is mainly because a “Keysight (Agilent) 3070” ICT test fixture can cost around US$15,000, equivalent to the price of a small car. And this cost is just for the fixture, excluding the test equipment. On the other hand, a simpler MDA (Manufacturing Defect Analyzer) fixture, such as the “TR-518,” only costs around US$1,700.

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Management, Personal Opinion, Process, Quality, Test/Inspection     WorkingBear    Views (1,628)     comment (0)
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Jun27
What is Function Verification Test (FVT) for Assembled Circuit Boards?

post on June 27, 2024

What is Function Verification Test (FVT) for Assembled Circuit Boards?

Function verification tests (FVT), or call Function Circuit Tests (FCT), are crucial for detecting defects in PCBA (Printed Circuit Board Assembly). These tests simulate the full functionality of the circuit board as if it were part of the final product. The goal is to identify and remove faulty boards before they are fully assembled into the final device, preventing wasted time and materials from having to disassemble and reassemble defective products.

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Process, Test/Inspection     WorkingBear    Views (4,068)     comment (0)

Jun20
The Benefits of Using SMT Synthetic Stone or Aluminum Alloy for Reflow Carriers

post on June 20, 2024

With the advancement of technology, electronic products are becoming thinner and more compact. Consequently, electronic components are also getting smaller, and even the thickness of printed circuit boards (PCBs) is decreasing. The thinnest PCB Workingbear has seen is 0.4mm. Such thin PCBs are prone to deformation or warpage due to the high temperatures result in uneven thermal stress while go through SMT reflow oven, which can even cause components to fall off inside the reflow oven.

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SMT, Soldering     WorkingBear    Views (2,001)     comment (0)

May30
Conformal Coating: How to Understand and Choose the Right Material

post on May 30, 2024

Conformal Coating: Understanding and Choosing the Right Material

Conformal coating is a protective chemical coating or polymer film applied to printed circuit boards (PCBs) and critical electronic components to protect them from environmental factors such as moisture, dust, chemicals, and temperature extremes.

This coating, typically 25 to 300 µm thick, enhances the product’s resistance to moisture, dirt, dust, and chemical contamination. Additionally, it prevents solder joints and conductors from continuing to corrode by blocking contact with air. By incorporating specific ingredients, conformal coatings can also provide shielding against electromagnetic interference and serve as an insulator.

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Glue/adhesive/epoxy/underfill,     WorkingBear    Views (3,482)     comment (0)
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May23
How to Resolve HIP or HoP Soldering Issues in BGA Solder Balls

post on May 23, 2024

How to Resolve HIP or HoP Soldering Issues in BGA Solder Balls

BGA packages  are prone to HIP, also known as HoP defects, during the reflow process, and it is an undeniable fact that the larger the size and the more balls a BGA package has, the more likely HIP is to occur. This double-ball soldering defect, Head in Pillow , is a particularly troublesome engineering problem because neither 2D X-ray inspection nor electrical testing (FVT or ICT), and even sending the product to burn-in (B/I), can detect HIP issues with 100% certainty.

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Quality, SMT, Soldering     WorkingBear    Views (3,403)     comment (0)
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