Homebrew PCBs

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Stefan Trethan"
<stefan_trethan@g...> wrote:
>
> On Thu, 20 Oct 2005 18:45:21 +0200, Steve <alienrelics@y...> wrote:
> 
> > I wish that were true of all TVs! Some brands have double sided with
> > traces following tortuous paths across many plated-through holes and
> > SMT jumpers.
> > Steve Greenfield
> 
> 
> You mean the more expensive sets, that would be worth repairing ;-)

RCA... shudder.

> The more expensive TVs tend to have modules and smd / doublesided
boards.  
> I have found they are no more reliable than the cheap sets and i
really  
> don't need any of the fancy features they might offer (which i never
know  
> about anyway).

I worked at a shop that had the RCA warranty contract for the local TV
stores. It was not uncommon to see a TV come in 3 times for repair
-before- it got sold, at which point RCA junked the set. 99% of the
time: bad solder joints.

You might find one connection that on the schematic is just a wire
from one IC to another, on the board may cross from one side of the
board to another several times, passing through several SMT jumpers
(ie, "zero ohm resistors"). A nightmare to find a bad solder joint.

The owner of the shop made sure to find the one single joint he could
resolder to get the TV working again. His warranty reports would say
things like "soldered forward joint of J312".

Mine didn't come back. But my warranty reports said things like
"resoldered ~150 solder joints on SMT resistors and jumpers".

Steve Greenfield