How I repair printed circuit boards?

Hi everyone!

I would like to share with you in this article materials and equipment for repairing electronics and printed circuit boards.

This is a very important topic, especially for those new to this work. There are a lot of nuances that cannot be described in one article. So let’s get started.

First of all, let’s determine the degree of responsibility for the electronic device. In the first case, it belongs to you and you can do whatever you want with it. In the second case, the electronics were brought to you for repair. The equipment does not belong to you and you need to handle it with the utmost care and caution. If necessary, you need to cover the body with films; food grade films will also work. The very fact that you value customer technology says a lot about you as a professional.

To work, place a repair work mat on the table. This can be found in almost any color. Electronics repair mat are designed for maximum human convenience during repairs. Some mats are equipped with ESD buttons for connecting an antistatic wrist strap. Each outlet has a grounding bar. All you need to do is buy a ready-made set for putting the bracelet on your hand.

Never try to remove bolts with the wrong tool. Always use appropriate bits to avoid cutting off splines on bolts and cogs. To separate the cases, repair kits have triangular thick plastic mediators. They are very convenient for separating the body of any device. And buy ESD gloves so as not to leave greasy marks on the body, you yourself will be pleased to work in a professional environment.

Soldering accessories.

1. Soldering Fluxes. An important component of repair. There are several types of them, but for repairs they use no-clean ROL0 in gel form, preferably in a syringe like this one flux electronics. After work, I prefer to wash everything that is dirty, even though the flux is no-clean. This has several advantages – dust will not stick to the surface. I use FluxOff. The client will prefer a clean PCB than a dirty one. For the rest, only your accumulated experience and articles on repairs, of which there are a lot on the Internet, will help you. In any case, treat the repair correctly at the very beginning and lay the foundations for quality work. This will help you in the future!
   
2. Soldering Station. For repairs, you need to have a hot air soldering station with a regular soldering iron. Thermal tweezers for SMD components are also very convenient. A good expensive soldering station is more accurate. Works better with temperatures, turns off the soldering iron when you are not working to save the soldering iron tip. Cheap Chinese soldering stations can, of course, do all this, but this is not the best choice – believe me. Of course, it is suitable for starting, but in the future, be sure to think about buying a professional soldering station.
   
3. Soldering wires. One of the most important points in the work. There are several types of them. First, let’s make it clear that the diameter of the wire for electronics repair is 0.8mm. This is the most convenient size for repairs. There are 2 main solder alloys – Sn63Pb37 – the so-called Lead solder, it may contain silver or copper in the amount of 2%. It’s okay, and sometimes it’s even better when, for example, your board has a silver immersion coating. There will be better adhesion to the printed circuit board from solder with silver. The melting point of lead solders is 300-320 degrees Celsius. The color is brilliant. There are also lead-free solders, in which the amount of tin reaches 96% – the so-called PbFree solders. Their melting point is 20 degrees Celsius higher – about 340-350 degrees. Their color is most often matte silver. They are used for repairs if the printed circuit board being repaired is also soldered from lead-free solder.
   
4. Microscope. Never listen to those who say that they already see everything perfectly. This is a deep misconception. For very small work, you will definitely need a trinocular microscope with eyes. This one is very convenient for coordination with hands. It will allow you to carry out work of any complexity and very carefully. It is very important to see and understand what you are doing, and poking a soldering iron at random at some point without 100% understanding of what you are doing, in most cases leads to either damage to the track on the printed circuit board or damage to the component.
   
   Have a great day and thanks for reading!