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Comparing lead vs. lead-free solder for PCBs
3 MIN. READ For electricians and plumbers trained as recently as the 1970s, lead solder might have been the only option for joining pipes and connecting electronic components. In 1974, U.S. federal law began to target lead solder in plumbing, and by 1986, the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments effectively banned it in all plumbing…
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How to Best Utilize Your Senior Electrical Engineers for PCB Testing
3 MIN. READ Testing printed circuit boards (PCBs) is largely automated. However, the testing process still requires expertise to collect, sort and cleanse data for statistical analysis. Moreover, some test procedures are still better conducted manually. As a result, even PCB manufacturers that use automated PCB testing still need test engineers and technicians to support…
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Why PCB repair is more environmentally friendly than replacement
3 MIN. READ Electronics are often viewed as a “cleaner” industry than transportation, industrial chemicals and mining. This may be true after the electronics are manufactured and assembled. However, to reach that point, electronic devices such as printed circuit boards (PCBs) rely on all those “dirty” industries. This impacts the environment, and as a result,…