Watchdog Timer and Brownout Circuit Design An embedded controller can fail in ways that no amount of firmware testing will catch: a supply dip that leaves the core in an undefined state, a clock that starts late, or a code path that stops feeding the watchdog. A supervisor circuit exists…

Solder Balling on SMT Assemblies: Causes and Fixes Solder balling is the small spheres of solder that appear around a joint or scattered across the surface of an assembly after reflow, and it is one of the most common cosmetic findings on an SMT line. The balls are rarely a…

Real Time Clock Circuit Design Guide A real time clock keeps time while the rest of the system is unpowered, which means it spends most of its life running from a small battery and drawing almost nothing. Every microampere matters, every picofarad of load capacitance shifts the frequency, and the…

Panelisation For Small Boards: Rails, Fiducials, Spacing A board that is smaller than the assembly line can handle has to be built as part of a larger panel. The panel is what the machine grips, the conveyor carries and the stencil prints through, and the small board is separated from…

Feeder Maintenance and Tape Handling on the SMT Line A placement machine is only as good as the tape it draws from, and most intermittent placement defects trace back to a feeder that has drifted rather than to the head. Feeder care is unglamorous maintenance with a direct effect on…

Common Mode Choke Selection For SMT Boards A common mode choke is a small component with a specific job: to pass the signal that the circuit intends to send and to block the noise that travels on both conductors at once. It does that with two windings on a shared…

Line Changeover and Setup Verification Most assembly defects are introduced during changeover, when the line is reconfigured for a different product and the checks that ran during production are paused. The changeover is therefore the moment that deserves the most discipline and usually receives the least. What a Changeover Involves…

PCB Underfill Dispense Pattern: Supporting the Solder Joints Electronics manufacturing has become a discipline of small details. Solder paste volumes, placement accuracy, temperature profiles and inspection limits all add up to the final result. This guide looks at PCB underfill dispense pattern from the perspective of a PCBA factory floor,…

PCB Feeder Calibration Check: Feeding the Machine Buyers and engineers often focus on the finished product and forget the production line behind it. In practice, most field failures can be traced back to process decisions made during assembly. Understanding PCB feeder calibration check gives you a practical advantage when you…

PCB Wire Harness Routing: Finding a Path Buyers and engineers often focus on the finished product and forget the production line behind it. In practice, most field failures can be traced back to process decisions made during assembly. Understanding PCB wire harness routing gives you a practical advantage when you…