8 Mar
2012
8 Mar
'12
2:50 a.m.
On 7 Mar 2012 at 22:13, Jonas Otter wrote:
Another problem I have seen, which relates to surface
mount devices, is
that the instrument cluster on my car (a 1996 BMW) goes dead every now
and then, only to come alive again after a moment. A number of people
have reported that this appears to be due to bad solder joints on the
PCB, which has a number of surface mount devices.
I have a Volvo like that--RoHS solder where it has no business being
(temperature extremes and vibration). The (Robert Bosch) relays are
the biggest problem, with their little PCBs inside. Some Volvo
owners preemptively resolder all of the relay boards with good old
60/40 Sn-Pb solder. The problems stop then.
Regardless, old components were heavier. You'd put them on a shake
table and watch the heavier components break loose. But lightweight
SMT components have their own peculiar issues.
--Chuck