PCB Pad Repair

 
PCB (Printed Circuit Boards) have been around for a long time but regardless they are infinitely more complicated now than a couple of decades ago. Repair is a very important component in keeping your electrical gadgets in good working order because these boards are typically manufactured on tight production lines which means it is not a good idea to go replacing the whole thing. When you are attempting PCB pad repair, you need to be partially well-versed on the concept of printed circuit board repair in general.
 

Establish A State Of The Art Work Bench

You can’t do wonders if you are working on a ruddy old desk. Make sure you have a good place to work with basic supplies such as a soldering iron, extra eyelets, and epoxy glue and so on. You can also purchase circuit board repair kits from a hardware store and keep them for a rainy day. Invest in a stereo microscope as it comes in handy for repairing everything from radios to cameras and it is used by professionals worldwide.
 

The Process

• Start with cleaning around the PCB pad for any extra debris as if any is left behind it can prevent a good connection from being established. For an at-home job you will require clamps, flux, cleaning solvent, a microscope, circuit frame, dental picks, solder, durable tape, soldering iron, knife, wipes and Popsicle sticks. These are the tools for replacing and repairing a damaged pad in a circuit board.

• After the initial cleaning, go over the circuit pad area with a lint free cloth to catch anything you may have missed. Use your knife to cut out the pad that needs replacing but be careful to not damage any part around it. There might be burned laminate present so make sure you remove that before proceeding.

• Now remove the solder mask from the electrical conductor in your circuit board and you will want to use something thin for this like the dental picks you bought earlier. Go over the area with alcohol at this point.

• Next you will attach a solder alloy tin where you want your pad to go. Mix epoxy glue to glue the new conductor in place. For the time being at least you will want to hold it in place with strong sticky tape to prevent it from sliding off.

• For extra adhesion, you will want to use your clamp to hold the new pad in place along with the tape and the glue. This generally takes about a few minutes. Start inspecting the circuit board at this point since if an electrical connection has not been established you have gone wrong in at least one of the steps above.

• Once you have ascertained the connection you can let go of the clamp and leave the pad in the circuit board to dry. Using a preheated power source or ‘baking’ as it is often called is optional since the board dries well on its own.