Hi Nat,

I am fully agree with you. The reference designator serves as a important
guide for us, especialy most of our customer doesn't give us the CAD-data
for the pick & place machine. 
Having reference designator, we are able to locate the location of the 
component so much easier as there is reference designator to guide us.

I even help the test guys to diagnose/repair the board so much faster when
come to locate for the components.

You are right that it serves as a "Road Map" and without it, it will damn 
hard to work ...


Poh Kong Hui
Nera Electronics

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At 10:53 AM 7/10/96 -0400, you wrote:
>We build a lot of "developmental type" boards in quantities of 100 - 1000.
>At these quantities highly automated test and repair is not cost effective.
>Reference designators are quite useful to engineering, test technicians,
>and for field repair. Aside from component location, the clear
>identification of test points, LED indicators, test connectors is useful.
>This step is also used for board level labels and warnings (floating
>voltage, laser emission etc.). I have seen "tick marks"  placed near every
>5th or 10th fine pitch pin to aid in pin location.
>
>A test technician gave me a good analogy: "On your next vacation imagine
>using a map but having no road signs".
>
>I have no doubt that given proper volume, maturity, and automation,
>eliminating reference designators can provide real cost savings.
>
>
>Nat Perkinson
>[log in to unmask]
>
>
>>Questions on reference designators ?
>>
>>For those of you that have them screened or otherwise marked on you board;
>>what do you use reference or component designators for in today's technology?
>> I have found a few people who use them on a unloaded board to check
>>first-piece if no overlay is present h them.  Some say it is for orientation
>>and others say it is for rework or field repair.  With cost of screening
>>reference designators on the board running between 2 and 8% of the cost,
>>there must be a better reason
>>
>>Phil Hinton
>>[log in to unmask]
>>
>>The mail list is provided by IPC using SmartList v3.05
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>
>
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