Test Equipment:
• A good Digital Volt Meter (DVM): Ideally it should have microVolt resolution.

• Needle Test Probes: Regular test probes are too crude. Make you own needle probes from old pens using sewing needles soldered on to test wires and then glue/ hotmelt/ epoxy the needles and wires into the empty pen shells. They will look like regular test probes except the tip will be a sewing needle and very sharp. It will be able to penetrate the solder resist coating on the PCB traces. Do not blame me when they fall off the workbench and get stuck in your leg. Be careful.

• Power Source: Use an adjustable power supply or other power source to have a continuous current into the PCB but not so large that something will be damaged.

Testing: Continue reading →