Al Gore, I think you have the wrong VP.  I think you mean Danny Quail!!
Chuck Brummer
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, April 08, 2002 6:24 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [TN] Single-sided/Double-sided PCB Reliability

Hi Mike!

Probably the first question would be; "What is the application?"

If this is a class-1 product, then I would think that you're going to have a hard time convincing your customer to add the cost of changing from a single-sided PCB to double sided plated through hole...

As an example, I was sitting home one weekend, on a Sunday, "vegging-out" (as it were) flipping my TV back-and-forth from the NASCAR race to a football game. When all of a sudden, my remote control quit working!!!

EMERGENCY!!! EMERGENCY!!!

Of course it was too late to go to a store and buy one of the "All in One" replacement remotes, so I thinks to myself; "Self, you build this stuff, you can fix it!".

I open it up, and almost puked! I have never seen such poor workmanship! Then again, I have never built class-1 stuff. Sure, it was a single-sided assembly, but I have never seen such residues! and such marginal solder joints! The residues looked like tar! But I guess that's what class-1 is all about...throw away stuff...

If it's single-sided, non-plated through-hole, I imagine it's class-1...and you're going to have a hell of a time convincing the powers that be to add any cost to the fab to improve reliability...the market is very competitive for this stuff....

BTW, I found a fractured solder joint on a component on the keypad and was able to re-flow it with my BIC lighter (didn't have a solder station laying around...hehehe). Was able to sit back and be a couch potatoe (or potato, need to ask Al Gore to be sure) for the rest of the day!!!

Necessity, is the mother of invention...hehehe

-Steve Gregory-


Hi there tech-netters,
I am currently producing a product for a customer that is based on 100% T/H
devices, and is loaded onto a single sided non-T/H plated PCB.  As for
obvious reason's I am keen to switch this to a double-sided PCB (i.e. T/H
plated barrels), however, it seems to take a lot of effort to try and
convince the customer that this is the preferred type of PCB for his
application.  Has anyone seen or know of any documentation/papers on the
comparison of relibility of single-sided (non-plated Barrels) and
Double-sided (plated barrels)????  Any information that I can use to
convince my customer that the plated barrels are better would be greatly
appreciated.

Cheers

Mike