Circuit board repair, manufacturing and assembly

From the circuit diagram, the printed circuit board layout is created using CAD software, from which the Gerber files are exported. Afterwards, the Gerber data is loaded into the CAM software by the PCB manufacturer and checked. If the data is correct, it is approved for production. A common manufacturing method for printed circuit boards is the etching technique. The manufacturing steps are as follows: drilling, copper plating, laminating photoresist, exposure, development, etching, rinsing and coating (green solder mask). When repairing defective tracks on the printed circuit board, there is no mechanical assistance. Here, the defective tracks are bypassed manually with a piece of wire and correctly reconnected.

Which components and package types can be found on printed circuit boards

The individual electrical components on the circuit board have many different functions. A distinction is made between active and passive components. When Circuit board repair care must be taken to ensure that the components are replaced with the correct types having the same specification.

Active components (Semiconductor)

Active components are also known as semiconductors. They can emit a signal with a higher power than the source of the received signal can provide. This is done with the help of auxiliary energy from an additional supply.

Diodes or rectifiers

A diode allows current to flow in one direction and blocks the flow of current in the other direction. These are referred to as the forward direction and the reverse direction.

integrated circuit

An integrated circuit (colloquially IC) is an electronic circuit mounted on a thin silicon wafer just a few millimetres in size. This is also referred to as a solid-state circuit or monolithic circuit. For protection and easier contacting, this chip is usually encapsulated in a much larger chip package.

Electronic switches

An electronic switch is also known as a semiconductor switch and describes a switch that can be operated electronically. It is a component of many electronic circuits. Consequently, you will find the most common components of this category.

Passive electrical components

Passive components do not exhibit any amplifying effect and do not have a control function, such as resistors, capacitors or inductors. They have linear or non-linear electrical characteristics.

Resistors

The resistance determines which electrical voltage is required to allow a specific current to flow through an electrical conductor. That means, so to speak, it is used in a circuit to „throttle“ the current.

Capacitors

Capacitors store energy in the electric field. With the stored charge, the capacitor attempts to keep the voltage constant by releasing or absorbing energy.

Coils

Inductors store energy in a magnetic field. In order to be able to maintain a constant current through the inductor, it tries to compensate for these fluctuations by increasing or decreasing the voltage. 

Types of electronic components on circuit boards

Depending on the design of the components on the circuit boards, different equipment must be used for repair.

SMD components

The abbreviation SMD stands for „Surface Mounted Device“ and translates into German as „oberflächenmontierte Bauelemente“. The components do not have wire leads, but are soldered directly onto a printed circuit board by means of solderable connection pads. To replace SMD components, you need a powerful hot air gun, a high-quality soldering station and a steady hand.

Through-hole components

Trough-hole translates to through-hole components in German. They are mounted onto the printed circuit board using through-hole technology, meaning they are inserted through contact holes in the board and then connected to the conductive tracks by soldering. If you want to replace the through-hole components to repair the circuit board, you need a special soldering tool that can remove the solder from the pad. Once the solder has been removed, the component can be uninstalled and replaced with a new one.

Faults on component assemblies on printed circuit boards and our repair options

Since every appliance contains circuit boards and printed circuit boards, there are countless potential causes of failure. This ranges from the failure of a display to complete system failure. To enable us to check whether your device can be repaired, simply contact us. To save us from having to ask any potential follow-up questions, please always send an exact description of the fault along with pictures. If there is a possibility that we can repair your circuit board or printed circuit board, you are welcome to send it to us by post or drop it off in person.