Conformal Coating Application: Masking, Jetting and Coverage Conformal coating protects an assembly from moisture, contamination and corrosion, and it does so only where it covers the surface completely. The application method determines whether the coverage is complete, and the masking determines whether the parts that should not be coated remain…

PCB Moisture Log: Design, Process, and Quality Notes Modern electronics depend on boards that are assembled correctly the first time. Every product – a phone, a charger, a medical instrument or an industrial controller – relies on thousands of solder joints that must conduct current for years. This article explains…

Power Sequencing and Rail Tracking Design A board with several supply rails is not powered up by connecting a supply to it. Each rail has to reach its nominal value in the right order and within a defined time, or the devices that span two rails can be damaged, latch…

PCB Profiler Calibration: Process Details and Inspection Points 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 profiler calibration from the perspective of a PCBA factory floor, covering…

PCB Torque Tool Calibration: Design and Assembly Considerations 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 torque tool calibration gives you a practical advantage when…

PCB Ionic Tester Calibration: Process Details and Inspection Points 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 ionic tester calibration gives you a practical advantage…

Battery Fuel Gauge and Coulomb Counting Design A fuel gauge answers a simple question that is surprisingly difficult to measure: how much energy is left in the battery. The cell voltage moves with load and temperature, the capacity changes as the battery ages, and the current that has to be…

PPAP and APQP for PCB Assemblies: What the Documents Contain Automotive and medical customers ask for documents that a consumer customer never mentions, and the requests arrive with abbreviated names. Understanding what each document contains makes the difference between a routine submission and a month of rework. What PPAP Is…

Via Plugging and Solder Mask Process Control Two process steps are often considered together because they both concern the way a via is treated after it has been plated. Via plugging fills the barrel with a material so that the surface above it can be used, and solder mask defines…

IPC-A-610 and J-STD-001 Acceptance Criteria Compared Two documents govern most electronics assembly work, and they are frequently confused. IPC-A-610 describes what a finished assembly should look like, while J-STD-001 describes how it should be made. One is an inspection standard and the other is a process standard, and knowing which…