Contents

1) PCB troubleshooting
2) Tools for pcb troubleshooting
3) Visual incpection
4) Physical inspection
5) Indivual component inspection
6) Ics testing
7) Component failures
8) Solder joint and contact failures
9) Pcb failure
10)How components fail
11)Using hot air rework station for PCB repair
12)Damaging the PCB board
13)Component testing method
14)Wires and traces
15)Switch/push button
16)Fuse
17)Capacitors & diode & transister
 PCB TROUBLESHOOTING
• PCBs, are a mass of insulators and copper traces connect densely packed components
together
• Troubleshooting a multi-layer PCB is often quite a challenge with factors such
1. Size
2. number of layers, signal analysis, and types of components playing a large role in the
ease of troubleshooting.
Some more complicated boards will require specialized equipment to properly
troubleshoot, but most troubleshooting can be done with basic electronic
equipment to follow traces, currents, and signals through the circuit.
 Tools For PCB Troubleshooting

• Multimeter
• LCR METER(RESISTANCE INDUCTANCE CAPCITANCE,IMPEDANCE)
• Oscilloscope
• power supply( for variable voltages)
• logic analyzer
• Soldering Iron
• Optics
 MULTIMETER

LCR METER

SOLDERING IRON
 VISUAL INSPECTION
• Overlapped traces
• burnt out components
• signs of overheating
 PHYSICAL INSPECTION
• Apply power to circuit by touching pcb or components htspots can be detect
without thermoghrapic camera.
• cool with air components then observe the behavior of pcb.
• Touching precautions make use one hand in circuit and feet should not in contact
with grounds is also essential to reduce the danger of shocks.
• Touching circuit will change impedence of circuit and can change behavior.
 Discrete Component Testing

• Most effective techniques for PCB troubleshooting is to test each individual component
• Testing each resistor, capacitor, diode, transistor, inductor, MOSFET, LED, and discrete active
components can be done with a multimeter or LCR meter.
• Components that have less than or equal to the stated component value, the component is typically
good but if value is higher then component is bad or solder joint is bad
• Diode and transistor can be check using diode testing mode on multimeter.
• Base-emitter&base-collecterjunction of transistor should behave like diodes and conduct in one
direction with same voltage drop
• Nodal analysis testing option allows unpowered testing of components by appling power to single
component and measure voltage vs current response.
 ICs Testing
• There are many techniques for testing ICs
• Many ICs can be operationally tested using oscilloscopes and
logic analyzers
• Multimeter can only use to test IC dc supply voltage and ohm
range to find out ic is shorted to ground or not.
• Generally oscilloscope is use to test IC more accurately
 Components failures
• There are many reasons for components failure
• Barrier protecting the component from the environment
breaks, outside factors such as humidity and oxygen can
accelerate the aging of the component and cause it to fail
much faster
• thermal stress, chemical cleaners, and ultraviolet light
 Solder Joint and Contact Failures
• Solder joints provide the main means of contact between a component and a circuit
and have their fair share of failures
• Wrong type of solder with components or PCB and can form brittle layer called
intermetallic layers These layers lead to broken solder joints
• Thermal cycles
• As all of these materials heat
up and cool down, massive mechanical stress can form between them which can
break the physical solder connection, damage the component, or delaminate the
PCB trace
 PCB Failures
• PCB boards have several common sources of failure
• some stemming from the manufacturing process and some from
the operating environment.
• During manufacturing, the layers in a PCB board may be
misaligned leading to short circuits, open circuits, and crossed
signal lines.
• the chemicals used in PCB board etching may not be fully removed
and create shorts as traces
 How Components Fail
Overcurrent Radiation
Overvoltage Corrosion
Over temperature Rusting
Connected incorrectly Oxidizing
Change in operating Thermal runaway
environment Loose connections
Manufacturing defect Bad circuit design
Mechanical shock
Mechanical stress
 Using a Hot Air Rework Station for PCB Repair
• a higher success rate (without damaging the board) a few
additional tools are highly recommended.
• 1. Hot air solder rework station
2. Solder wick
3. Solder paste (for resoldering)
4. Soldering iron (with adjustable temperature control)
6. Tweezers
 Rework
• couple of ways to quickly remove an IC using a hot air rework
station.
• The most basic, and one of the easiest to use techniques is to
apply hot air to the component using a circular motion so that
the solder on all of the components melts at about the same
time. Once the solder is melted the component can be
removed with a pair of tweezers.
 Damaging the PCB board
• When the hot air nozzle is held stationary for a long time to
heat up a larger pin or pad the PCB may heat up too much and
start to delaminate
 Components Testing Method
Troubleshooting with Multimeter :
will use digital and analog multimeter to check the following electrical and
electronic instruments
Cable and Wires
Switch/Push Buttons
Fuse
Capacitors
Resistors & Burnt resistors
Diodes
Battery
Transistors
 Wires and traces
• For this purpose, take AVO meter (or Digital Multimeter) and select
“Resistance” (in AVO meter…Rotate the knob to the “Ω” or
Resistance).
• Now connect both terminals, i.e. both naked ends of the trace/wire with
the AVO or Digital Multimeter Terminals. If the meter reading shown “0 Ω”,
it means trace/Wire is in “Good Condition”. On the other hand, if meter
reading is “Infinite”, it shows the trace/wire may be defected or broken. So
you need to replace it with a new one.
 Switch/Push Buttons

• Use the same method (mentioned above for checking the

traces and wires)…to perform this method correctly,
• you will need to apply this method in both cases (ON & OFF
positions) on switches and push buttons
 Fuse

• For fuse use continuity

• if the meter reading is “Zero” it means Fuse is in good
condition.
• If Multimeter reading is infinite, it means Fuse continuity may
be broken or
blown
 Capacitor
• There are few ways to check capacitor
1 Traditional Method to test & check a capacitor (Not Recommended
for everyone but professionals only)
2 Check & Test a Capacitor By Analog Multimeter ( AVO = Ampere,
voltage, Ohm Meter )
3 Test & Check a Capacitor By a Digital Multimeter
4 Checking Capacitor By Multimeter in the capacitance Mode
5 Check and test a capacitor by simple voltmeter.
 Check & Test a Capacitor By Analog
Multimeter ( AVO)
• 1. Make sure the suspected capacitor is fully discharged.
2. Take an AVO meter.
3. Select analog meter on OHM (Always, select the higher range of
Ohms).
4. Connect the Meter leads to the Capacitor terminals.
5. Note The reading and Compare with the following results.
6. Short Capacitors: Shorted Capacitor will show very low Resistance.
7. Open Capacitors: An Open Capacitor will not show any movement
(Deflection) on OHM meter Screen.
8. Good Capacitors: Initially, it will show low resistance, and then
gradually increases toward the infinite. It means that Capacitor is in
Good
Condition.
 Checking Capacitor By Multimeter in the
capacitance Mode
• 1. Make sure the capacitor is fully discharged.
2. Remove the capacitors from board or circuit.
3. Now Select “Capacitance” on your multimeter.
4. Now connect the capacitor terminal to the multimeter leads.
5. If the reading is near to the actual value of the capacitor (i.e. the printed
value on the Capacitor container box).
6. Then the capacitor is in good condition. (Note that the reading may be less
than the actual value of the capacitor (the printed value on the
Capacitor container box).
7. If you read a significantly lower capacitance or none at all, then capacitor is
dead and you should change it.
 Diode & LED

Test a Diode using Digital Multimeter

Testing Diode using DMM (Diode Test Mode + Resistance Mode)
Remove the diode from the circuit i.e. disconnect the power supply across the diode which has
to be tested. Discharge all the capacitor
(by shorting the capacitor leads) in the circuit (If any).
2. Set the meter on “Diode Test” Mode by turning the rotary switch of multimeter.
3. Connect the diode leads to the multimeter test leads and note the reading.
4. Now, Connect the diode lead to the multimeter test leads in reverse direction (i.e. Reverse
the test leads) and note the measurement.
5.If the multimeter shows 0.5V – 0.8V for common silicon diodes and 0.2V- 0.3V in case of
germanium diodes in the first attempt, its mean
the diode is in good condition (forward-biased).
6.If multimeter display “OL” in reverse biased, It is good as well.
7.If multimeter does not show measurements I.e. if multimeter display
“OL” reading in both direction (Forward-biased and reverse-biased),
its mean diode is dead and acting as an open switch which doesn’t
allow current to flow in it. In case of shorted diode, there will be zero
8.voltage drop across the diode as current will flow through it and it
acts like a short path for current. The diode needs to be changed then.
9.If the multimeter displays approximately 0.4V in both directions, its
mean the diode is short and need to be replaced with new one.
 Transistor
• Remove the transistor from the circuit i.e. disconnect the power supply across the
transistor which has to be tested.
• Set the meter on “Diode Test” Mode by turning the rotary switch of multimeter.
• Connect the Black (common or -Ve) test lead of multimeter to 1st terminal of
transistor and Red (+Ve) test lead to the 2nd terminal (Fig below). You have to perform
6 tests by connecting the Black (-Ve) test lead and Red (+Ve) test lead to 1 to 2, 1 to 3,
2 to 1, 2 to 3, 3 to 1, 3 to 2 respectively by just replacing the multimeter test leads or
reverse the transistor terminals to connect, test, measure and note the reading in the
table (shown below). Numbers in Red colors are Red Test Lead and numbers in Black
are connected to Black (-Ve) test lead of multimeter.
• Test, measure and note the display reading shown in the multimeter in the table
below.
NPN transistor
2nd point base
 Resistor & Burnt Resistors

• To check if the Resistor is in good condition or broken, we use a multimeter.

• take AVO meter (or Digital Multimeter) and select “Resistance” the knob to the “Ω” or Resistance).
Now connect both ends of resistor with Digital Multimeter Terminals.
• If the meter reading shows the exact value of resistance or with a percentage tolerance, it means
Resistor in “Good Condition”.

• For Example, 1kΩ = 1000Ω with a 5% tolerance will show the reading near about 950Ω to 1050Ω. On
the other hand, if meter reading is “Infinite”,
it shows the Resistor may be defected or broken and open. So you need to replace it with a new one