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54 The PCB Design Magazine • July 2014 board part that needs to be replaced) exceed its performance expectations. What criteria should guide your selection of a service provider if you've decided to repair or rework your circuit board? We recommend fo- cusing on "Three Es"—expertise, equip- ment, and economies of scale. I. Expertise Circuit board repair re- mains a labor-intensive pro- cess at its core, demanding highly skilled handiwork and technical knowledge. One of the benefits of working with service-centric repair companies, as opposed to OEMs, is that their profit- ability depends on the capa- bilities and customer service of their engineers and tech- nicians. Their ability (or in- ability) to deliver high-qual- ity and reliable repairs before deadline—especially when large or complex projects are on the line—powers (or stunts) their growth. Subsequently, longevity is an important factor to con- sider when choosing a repair company; there's a reason why some repair providers have been operating and grow- ing for several decades and others stagnate after a few years in business. Certifications are another obvious factor to bear in mind: If a company's technicians aren't qualified in ESD and IPC repair and rework standards, you shouldn't trust them to handle advanced microprocessors and digital signal processor circuits. Similar to this, while not advertised publi- cally, ongoing specialized training for tech- nicians is a sign of a competent independent service provider (ISP) committed to competing on a global stage. Technicians should be able to operate the latest diagnostic technology and also develop world-class programs for handling and testing parts. In addition to having the ability to quickly diagnose a failing circuit board component, ex- ecute its repair, test its performance, and pro- vide an aggressive warranty, repair companies should also be eager to offer value-added tech- nical services. These might include: removing and replacing stressed parts, improving inefficient design with stronger, more reliable technology, remanu- facturing unsalvageable or obsolete components, manu- facturing custom-designed products and implementing end-of-life (EOL) strategies, among others. II. Equipment Everything else being equal, up-to-date diagnostic and testing instruments can make the difference between a 1-day turnaround and a 3-day turnaround on an ur- gent project. For this reason alone, successful PCBA repair companies invest millions to equip their facilities with the most state-of-the-art equip- ment available. Specifically, ISPs need a mixture of equipment in order to address the digital, analog, and power sections of circuit cards. A properly outfit- ted PCB repair facility will incorporate the following equipment into their production process: 1. In-Circuit testers perform a powered, in- circuit logical test of digital and many analog ICs, as well as signature analysis of the chips. These tests check for the Boolean functions from digital chips, and also provide a signature analysis of dynamic operation. Unknown chips can be identified by its Boolean output. The Di- agnosys PinPoint System also contains libraries of digital chip pinouts to assist the technician in troubleshooting, and can determine wiring patterns of the circuits. article CHOOSINg THE RIgHT PCBA REPAIR SHOP continues One of the benefits of working with service- centric repair companies, as opposed to OEMs, is that their profitability depends on the capabili- ties and customer service of their engineers and technicians. Their ability (or inability) to deliver high-quality and reliable repairs before deadline— especially when large or complex projects are on the line—powers (or stunts) their growth. " "