electronicsolutions

How to Effectively run a Functional Test on a PCB?

A functional test is a quickest and most effective way to check an assembly function as designed. This simulates the intended field of application and also analyses the electrical behaviour of the assembled board. Read more to find out our top 7 checks and how we fixed defects during a recent project. Firstly, the assembly process is chosen depending on the customer’s requirements and the electronic components. A mixed process of through-hole and SMT assemblies was used to build these boards. Next, once the PCBA is ready, it undergoes functional testing or FCT before being shipped. These tests aim to eliminate any defects or faults that might hinder reliability, replace incorrect or faulty components, check solder points and generate a detailed report to share with our customers. This module will be used in an EV charging station. Certain specific components were provided by the customer and others were sourced from our suppliers.  The 7 Checkpoints We Ran To Ensure The Proper Functioning Of A PCBA: At Ark Circuitry, we go the extra mile to ensure reliable boards are manufactured. For this specific project, after uploading the code, the engineer tests the boards to ensure the board will carry out the intended functions in the actual application. The checkpoints that they look at ticking off are: 1. Relay check: According to the functions and design, we have used 5 relays on the board.  When the engineer inputs the command, a soft clicking noise is the expected output.  Relay and buzzer test in progress 2. Buzzer test: The next is the buzzer test. The buzzer must go off when the command is run to confirm its functioning.  3. GSM module and Wifi test: A Sim card is inserted and the code is run. This test records the HSN code of the network and IP addresses generated.  GSM and WIFI test 4. CAN test: CAN test  The Controller Area Network or the CAN test. When the command is given, the output returns as a pass and that signifies its functioning.  5. RFID test “Access denied” is the prompt that returns (that was set by the customer ) when the tag is tapped. This ensures the component’s proper functioning. Testing the RFID function 6. LED check The customer provided us with the LED strip. The power supply to the LED is tested. The lights go off at first. It then turns on switching from red to blue and we know its a check.  Power supply to the LED is tested using this test 7. Voltage check: An input power of 12V is fed and an output of 5V is recorded to ensure its functioning. If a defect is detected, they check for open/shorts in nets or faults in solder connections. Lastly, once the tests are complete, the data is processed and the results generated. The stored data would aid in maintaining the PCBA quality effectively.  A detailed report on the status of functioning is shared with the customer for analysis or to refer to the test log.  Some points to look for when a fault persists: Check and recheck that all IC pins are soldered properly  Ensure that there is no solder paste residue  Reflow oven: When the outer layer of the solder paste would have dried and the inner layer might be still wet it leads to no contact. Check if it has been soldered well. Do not use solder paste that might be old or not stored at the right temperature. Temperature and environment are crucial, this results in no solder Manual solder any joints where there is no contact Use reliable and good-quality components Ensure your engineers are well-trained from time to time and quick to pick up issues/faults There are other inspection processes that a customer can request. Furthermore, read our previous blog to know more about inspection Get in touch with us to know more about the services we can provide. We are an EMS provider and specialise In providing tailor-made end-to-end services to meet your requirements. We have the capabilities and the experience to deliver low or high-volume orders.   Let’s talk for more information. Call us on +91 91764 18660 Mails us at: arkcircuitry@gmail.com Visit us at: https://arkcircuits.com/ Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram Recent Blogs How to Effectively run a Functional Test on a PCB? Suneyna February 17, 2023 A functional test is a quickest and most effective way to check an assembly function as designed. … Read More How prototypes help identify and formulate design and save time Regan February 9, 2023 Prototypes can help manufacturers save manpower, time and money. It simulates the actual product … Read More

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How prototypes help identify and formulate design and save time

Prototypes can help manufacturers save manpower, time and money. It simulates the actual product that you can present to your customer. Read this blog to find out how. Prototyping: A powder-coated aluminium box was the proposed enclosure. We 3D printed an enclosure to check how the board fit and the placement of the button and switch. We presented the fabricated powder-coated box to the client. At this point, we proposed a brushed stainless steel enclosure for sophistication. The client accepted the suggestion. Rapid prototyping: To execute several revisions in a short time, rapid prototyping is often used. Rapid prototyping can reduce material wastage, and expenses and quicken the processing time. This can confirm the functioning and aesthetics of a product. Reasons for prototyping: Prototypes help the designer and engineer to work out a solution for a final product. The designer finalises the material, structure, functions and appearance of the solution. A prototype allows the designer and engineer to make informed decisions. You can create prototypes with available materials or other techniques. This helps you create a solution keeping the cost minimal. Prototyping helps simulate the actual product. An operating version of prototypes can give the customer an idea of the product. Building the concept tests the possibility of whether the idea is operable. Prototyping determines unanticipated technical, financial and other hurdles that may occur during manufacturing. Provide you with an idea of how the end user will interact with the product. Illustrating our recent prototype for Clarico Air: We have been rolling out tailor-made box builds for an Indoor Air Quality Management system. Before manufacturing the products, prototypes helped us develop a functional and appealing product. PCB design lifecycle: First, we began with a conversation with the client to understand their requirements. Then, our designer created a PCB design and fit it into the enclosure. But, upon testing the usability, the designer included a few changes to the design. After testing the board it was fit into the box. This was the final design. A few design changes were made with inputs from the client and to fit the PCB perfectly into the enclosure Enclosure design changes: Then, a powder-coated aluminium box was the proposed enclosure. We 3D printed an enclosure to check how the board fit and the placement of the button and switch. We presented the fabricated powder-coated box to the client. At this point, we proposed a brushed stainless steel enclosure for sophistication. The client accepted the suggestion. Enclosure design changes (contd): Manufacturing the fully finished products: Finally, on approval, the electrical and mechanical designs are finalised. Using both SMT and through-hole technology we manufactured the PCBs. The mechanical team fabricated the enclosures to place the PCBs in them. All the necessary wires and harnesses are fit. Brushed Stainless Steel enclosure. The logo is lasercut with a black background. Our take on the benefits of prototyping: Ensure to communicate to your customer that prototypes are mockups only. The client and the manufacturer benefit by saving time, energy and financial burn. Moreover, prototypes can project costs, technical specifications and programming glitches. By testing the functionality, minimise design flaws and include modifications. Drop several edits and quicken the design development process through prototyping. Check out Clarico’s case studies to know more about the Indoor Air Quality systems deployed by them in Noida and Gurgaon. Check Out Clarico Air To Know More About Their Capabilities And Project. Get In Touch With Us To Know More About The Services We Can Provide. We Are An EMS Provider And Specialise In Providing Tailor-made End-To-End Services To Meet Your Requirements. We Have The Capabilities To Deliver Low Or High Volume Orders.   Let’s talk for more information.   Call us on: +91 91764 18660   Mails us at: arkcircuitry@gmail.com   Visit us at: https://arkcircuits.com/ Facebook Twitter Linkedin Instagram Recent Blogs How prototypes help identify and formulate design and save time Regan February 9, 2023 Prototypes can help manufacturers save manpower, time and money. It simulates the actual product … Read More Reverse Engineering-13 ways to constructively use it in R&D Regan February 2, 2023 What happens if a product or machinery used becomes outdated and you can’t find its components? Can … Read More

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Reverse Engineering-13 ways to constructively use it in R&D

What happens if a product or machinery used becomes outdated and you can’t find its components? Can you find out the working of a machine and incorporate design changes before launching a new product? How can you clone or replicate or revise an existing product? What is Reverse Engineering? When a product is developed, firstly, it begins with an idea, then moves to constructing the design and finally the product is built. However, with reverse engineering, the process begins with a final product. The engineer deconstructs the product going in layer by layer to understand and arrive at the product design specifications. Where is it used? Reverse engineering can be used in several industries including electronics, mechanical, consumer products, software, biomedical, chemical, electronics, automotive, design, manufacturing, healthcare and medicine among several others. Why is it used? Reverse engineering is used to either re-create a product, improve it or understand its design for manufacturing in the future. During this technical process, vital information is collected to be used to analyse and research a product. Data on design elements like specifications, core components, processing flow, functional performance, manufacturing process and critical dimensions is gathered. 13 common reasons for reverse engineering include: To retrofit parts or components: New or modified parts, equipment or components which are not available at the time of manufacture and might be necessary to the end customer can be installed using reverse engineering.  Unavailability of original documentation: This method is used  when there are missing files or legacy systems are involved OEM components unavailability: Reverse engineering can be used to factor out obsolescence. Many OEM parts or components may have a short commercial lifespan or are out of production, replacements can be constructed with available material. It may also be used when maintenance is discontinued by the original manufacturer for a product.  Migrating legacy systems: To modernise software or include functions to adapt to the technological advancements, reverse engineering helps tackle these challenges. Migrating legacy systems to new platforms is possible with this method.  Privacy protection: By understanding the product better, the engineer can develop stricter protocols to restrict the copying of systems.  Revise product faults: You can fix issues with a product if you reverse engineer it. Particularly those problems that are not supported by the original manufacturers can be solved by this method.  Sourcing alternatives: Understanding the components or parts that go into a product, readily available or cheaper alternatives can be sourced. This ensures uninterrupted production and can also reduce costs. 13 common reasons for reverse engineering include (CONTD) Accelerate R&D: By deducing the know-how of a product there is scope for innovation & rapid production.  Educational: To understand a well developed product or to mitigate faults in the future.  Competitor analysis: This may not be ethically sound, but several companies expose their competitors’ public statement using this method. When a competitor has falsely campaigned or marketed a certain product, sometimes they are brought to light using reverse engineering Restoring or repurposing: A product that is no longer in use can be redesigned and improved to be made useful.  Proactive maintenance: This helps manufacturers stock spares and reduce unexpected downtime for critical components before they fail.  Digitise data: As mentioned above, when original data is unavailable, reverse engineering can help re-create the data in the digital form and preserve it.  Engineer researching a board that was manufactured by us (ARK Circuitry) to mitigate possible faults so as to source critical components required and to be stocked In Conclusion: With great knowledge comes power, and with power comes great responsibility. Although reverse engineering is a useful design and development technique and can be widely used in several areas, it is to be used with caution. If output of reverse engineering is to be commercially available, it is always advisable to look into the legal aspects as well. There is no one process in following this technique, it is up to the engineer to analyse the product according to the requirement.   Follow us for the follow up post on reverse engineering.  We will take you through the step-by-step process of one of our techniques for your better understanding.  Ark Circuitry Is An EMS Provider And Specialise In Providing End-To-End Services That Can Be Tailor-Made To Meet Your Requirements. We have experienced engineers who are dedicated to research and develop products with superior functioning.  Let’s talk for more information.  Call us on: +91 88259 58660 Mails us at: arkcircuitry@gmail.com Visit us at: https://arkcircuits.com/ Recent Blogs Reverse Engineering-13 ways to constructively use it in R&D Regan February 2, 2023 What happens if a product or machinery used becomes outdated and you can’t find its components? Can … Read More Why is cleaning a PCBA an essential process in manufacturing? Regan January 5, 2023 The functioning of electronic devices relies heavily on circuit boards. Care needs to be taken when … Read More

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Why is cleaning a PCBA an essential process in manufacturing?

The functioning of electronic devices relies heavily on circuit boards. Care needs to be taken when manufacturing the boards and more so after. Even a spec of dust or residue can affect the reliability and this articles explains more.

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15 challenges in the Electronics Manufacturing Process

Electronics Manufacturing Services are the backbone of manufacturing for companies to produce devices that are launched into the market. They take care of the backend operations from the very beginning of design to delivery and they are crucial at several stages of production. Read more to find out about the challenges that may occur during the manufacturing process. Electronics have been bulldozing their way into every field replacing several manual systems that require manpower. A well-established fact that machines are more reliable, accurate and fast and therefore mitigate errors has bolstered the popularity of electronics. From the manufacturing sector to everyday living, its applications are extensive. The process of Electronics Manufacturing The key elements in an electronics manufacturing process begin from designing the devices to testing and shipping them to customers. Various factors are to be taken into consideration when manufacturing products for OEMs and enterprises. A good design, reducing PCBA re-operations & iterations,  and finally controlling material and labour costs contribute to the cost-effectiveness of the product. The article on Small-run SMT production or Building prototypes using manual soldering gives you a detailed step-by-step understanding of the semi-automatic and manual assembly of PCBs. Let’s explore the challenges that an EMS provider might face during the stages spanning from product design, development, and production to launching it in the market. The constant and rapid advancements in technology: The advancement in technology has become a challenge to most manufacturing companies. Companies have been investing heavily in research to update their existing product or launch new ones to stay ahead of competitors Adopting design principles:  Design principles when adopted during the early stages of planning would be efficient and cut costs and increase lead times. A good design is essential to the functionality, reliability and durability of a device. Product shelf life: With the advancements in technology, companies face the irony of a time-bound product life cycle for non-perishable goods. There are more and more innovative products that are launched every so often that encourage a switch to replace existing products. For example in PCB manufacturing, SMT has been evolving rapidly and so are the machines. Pick and place machines are becoming faster, more flexible to incorporate changes, and more precise and reliable.  Reliability of the device: The reputation of both the manufacturer and EMS provider relies on the reliability and functionality of an electronic device. The durability and reliability of electronic devices rely on several factors. Although the poor design, quality and manufacturing defects are major factors, environmental conditions, overstress and wear and tear also may contribute to the device’s reliability. Access to suppliers: Building a strong network to source components and having consistent supply are crucial to the manufacturing and delivery of a product. Even when EMS providers have access and a network of efficient suppliers sometimes there are unavoidable crises that affect the supply. E.g. the recent chip shortage that shook the automotive industry. The unfortunate turn of events during COVID-19 disrupted both the production and shipping of automobile chips. This delayed the launch of several new and old model vehicles. Supply chain disruptions: Although production is crucial to launch products, supply chain management is important too. Quoting the example from the above point,  the production of the chips that relied on components sourced from suppliers was delayed due to the disruptions in the supply chain. This in turn delayed the production of the chips and their delivery to the automobile manufacturers. The global shipping delays resulted in production and launch setbacks of vehicles. Economic volatility: The manufacturing process is susceptible to the global economic fluctuations that occur. This results in price variations and sometimes leads to orders being cancelled or withheld. When raw material is required certain rare or high-in-demand materials to build a device which might be difficult to obtain. This might lead to a shortage and retailers may bump up the prices. Competition: This is an unavoidable yet difficult challenge to tackle. With the rise in the number of competitors, EMS providers have to battle with quotes which may sometimes not be very profitable. But this can lead to continuous orders which in the long run would be profitable. Labour issues: Although the manufacturing industry has become technologically advanced, it still requires a huge amount of manpower in several or a few stages of the manufacturing process. There could be manpower shortages, labour strikes due to economic fluctuations, working overtime to meet an increase in demand, etc. Since we still highly rely on labour-centric production processes, they are key to smooth production and supply processes. Sustainability: The world is moving towards including “sustainability” in all spheres of life. E.g. There are several communities that produce living necessities and live isolated from the rest of the world. There have been several protests and movements against several industries to become more sustainable. Several factories have been trying to become fully solar-powered, have greener manufacturing processes, improve inventory management and cut wastage, use recycled material, etc. Emerging markets: Several developing nations have been striving to become more advanced by increasing their standardisation and production. They are rapidly increasing their per capita income due to high production levels and significant industrialisation.  Project recall: After launching a product, sometimes manufacturers detect defect(s) and would publicly make an announcement to all their customers to return the product. This does affect the reputation of the brand and they pay a price with a drop in overall sales at least temporarily until damage control is executed. Social media pressure: Today, most customers raise complaints on social media platforms when companies don’t respond effectively. On the same hand, some customers give positive feedback and voluntarily promote a certain product. Social media can work both ways; for or against the reputation of a product. Moreover, social media has become a primary source of advertisement today. Many brands have been creating interactive content making ads more engaging and interesting, this puts pressure on competitive brands to follow the trend. Competitive prices: Irrespective of overall costs incurred

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