Testing Electrical Circuit Boards

Flying probe and universal grid.

Testing electrical circuit boards.

Multimeters can be valuable troubleshooting tools when working with circuit boards. Step 1 visually inspect the board. Standard probe type circuit testers such as neon circuit testers voltmeters and multimeters have two wire leads with probes for checking circuit wiring or electrical devices when you insert the leads into an outlet or touch them to a switch s screw terminals a light or readout will indicate whether or not the device has voltage. Pcb testing or printed circuit board testing begins with understanding that the pcb is the foundation for any printed circuit assembly pca.

Then use the non contact voltage tester to make sure the power is off at the circuit you ll be testing. Even if you don t have an electrical schematic of the circuit board which would identify components and give you the voltage and resistor values that should be present many circuit boards have test points that are clearly labeled. Printed circuit board pcb is the common name that is used for these electrical boards. By examining the board and the surface mounted components you can identify obviously damaged or disconnected parts before beginning a points test.

Electrical testing on printed circuit boards is a common operation performed during the pcb manufacturing process as one of the last steps prior to completion. More comprehensive testing can be performed on these components when the component is removed. Check the electrical rating of the equipment. The circuit board is a top quality product that should not cause your end product to cost you money due to failures and recalls.

Cords are provided that prevent accidental connection to circuits that provide the wrong voltage or current. Below please find a full explanation of how we perform these tests and what they mean. You can test the points on a board to identify the location of a fault. Printed circuit board testing.

If you re testing for continuity in home electrical wiring turn off the appropriate breaker at your main electrical service panel. A test of circuit board components such as capacitors resistors transistors and integrated circuits can be done to some extent without removing the components from the circuit board. Next test a non contact voltage tester on a circuit you know is working such as any meter you use daily. All electrical tools and devices leave the factory with a label that states the voltage and amperage requirements and more.

In history pcbs were been developed by going through a complicated procedure of point to point wiring and these circuits were highly exposed to get failure or damage. Testers and how they work. Two main types of electrical tests there are two typical types of electrical tests done on a bare printed circuit board. Faults on the circuit board can cause the electrical device to malfunction or stop working.