PCB (Printed Circuit Board) Root Cause Fault Analysis

[M Greenaway]

Wow thank god your back, just changed jobs into a new industry sector and have few questions for a change (instead of just smart answers )

I now work at a company that produces very high-tech electronic monitoring/test equipment. All component manufacture is sub-contracted or 'off the shelf' items - only assembly is done in house. A major component of this equipment are PCB's which can carry hundreds of electrical components such as chips, etc. All product is tested, however often the test cannot isolate the problem - the board just fails. It has been said that often there is no suitable test, or personnel with suitable expertise to find the root cause.

How can I have a good CA programme if I cannot isolate root cause of these failures ?

[Jimmy Olson]

Hi Martin,

I happen to work at a contract manufacturer of PCBs so I can probably help you out. If you can give me some more details I can give you some ideas. How are you testing? Do you test the boards themselves or just in the finished product? Feel free to send me an e-mail if you want. There are a number of ways to test boards and determine root cause. It's just a matter of finding what best suits you.