Printed circuit boards are amongst the cornerstones of all sorts of electronic devices out there. As such, their importance cannot truly be overstated. Of course, there are all sorts of different issues that can affect them directly but having some more knowledge about what these happen to be will put you in a much stronger position to be able to deal with them effectively. With this in mind, let’s look a little bit closer at a few of the most common PCB issues that are out there.
PCB Issues Are:
Physical Damage
First up on the list, there is always going to be the risk that physical damage has occurred to them. This is certainly the most common problem out there that is worth defending against. Anything ranging from physical pressure to shock, and everything between these, can mean that your PCB is not functioning in the way that you would expect. There is also the possibility that some sort of damage has occurred if the device has been taken apart for any reason at all.
Failure with the Components
If there has been no evidence of physical damage occurring, it could be that a failure with the components is the issue. It is often the result of one of the board’s components not working in the way that it should. There is a whole range of different possibilities here, including a capacitor to a diode or microprocessor. It could be the case that one of the components is going to require a complete replacement to get it functioning all over again as it should. Otherwise, it could be the case that something has become dislodged and need to be re-established.
Trace Damage
The next potential problem that may have happened is a direct result of trace damage. You can often see these issues directly with the naked eye, though you should bear in mind that it is not always going to be the case. There are plenty of common causes that could be at the heart of this problem happening. A few of them are severe power outages, lightning strikes, metallic dust contamination, normal wear, and tear, and overheating.
Poor Design
It may well be the case that the PCB has simply not been designed as well as it possibly could be. It could be that corners have been cut at some point along the way. Otherwise, there is the potential that the wrong design tool has been used, which could well mean that you will need to turn to Altium.
Power Failure
The final reason on the list here is an overall power failure occurring. It could be that the device has ended up being exposed to a higher voltage than you would normally find. Otherwise, it could be that a trace failure has been exposed, as already discussed in the section above.
These are amongst the major PCB issues that may well have occurred to your device for one reason or another along the way.