Electrostatic Discharge (ESD), is the sudden flow of electricity between two electrically charged objects. This is the same static shock we get when walking across a carpet and then touching a doorknob afterward. This unwanted flow of electricity can disable or severely damage sensitive electronics. As more devices today and in the future get more…
The 2020 Coronavirus pandemic took a massive toll on business operations for everybody across the electronics industry, and training wasn’t spared. With the topic centered on the online pivot of 2020 for technical training programs, I-Connect007’s Nolan Johnson recently interviewed Jahr Turchan, Director of Veteran Services and Advanced Manufacturing Programs, Blackfox. Jahr talked about training…
Surface Mount Soldering is a commonly used technique in the Surface Mount Technology (SMT) assembly process. Instead of components with leads inserted into holes as with “Through Hole” soldering, in this technique, components are attached to the pads on the board surface. Among all the SMT processes, soldering requires the most extreme focus when being…
The pandemic disrupted businesses worldwide, but many have learned to adapt and even improve their existing processes. I-Connect007’s Andy Shaughnessy recently spoke with Blackfox’s Jamie Noland, IPC MIT / Marketing & IT Manager, about some of the lessons learned from COVID-19 and how the company has adapted and developed new ways of training its students.…
Poor soldering tip maintenance is a common culprit in most soldering issues. Most of which is caused by a heavy buildup of oxidation on the soldering iron tip’s surface. A bad tip is unable to perform an effective heat transfer to the connection point, which then affects the final product in the assembly line. As…
2020 was a year of unprecedented lockdowns that were implemented to control the outbreak. These then sparked simultaneous massive economic repercussions all over the world. For the electronics industry especially, it has been one turbulent year. Fortunately, 2021 gave the world a chance to hit the reset button. This article will talk about the electronic…
Electronics used to operate solely at standard temperatures. Today, it doesn’t only demand faster and more powerful circuitry, modern electronics also require boards to function in much harsher environments, including extremely high temperatures, pushing operating tolerances to their limits. In the past, products that were not considered high-temperature electronics, like computers, are now being designed…
Before Surface Mount Technology, through-hole circuits were the industry standard. They require holes to be drilled on the board. Then, components were mounted on the side of the board by threading their leads through matching holes (hence the name). Though it was relatively simple, through-hole connections don’t allow for much automation of boards’ manufacturing process,…
IPC regularly publishes performance documents that regulate practices in the PCB manufacturing industry. The two most known documents are the IPC-6012 and IPC-A-600, explicitly made for bare PCBs. If you’re confused by these two documents, this post will clear things up and discuss their differences. IPC 6012 The IPC 6012 came from a series of…
With the increased use of technology this year due to all the lockdown protocols, the demand for electronics has surged. Technical training, however, hasn’t kept up with the pace. This gap resulted in skill shortages, especially in the electronics manufacturing industry. To fill this gap, the best way to do this is to offer training…