About Electronics Troubleshooting
For your information, getting expensive test equipment does not necessary will help you in locating the fault fast in a circuit board. I don’t mean that you do not invest in test equipment especially the expensive one. If you have the budget then go ahead. My point here is that besides test equipment, one also must have the good troubleshooting knowledge to successfully in locating the fault. Now lets take this scenario for example, there are two repair technicians that is troubleshooting an electronic board. Both using the same test equipment, and the problems in their board are the same.
Why one repair tech takes an hour to locate a fault where the other repair tech only took him about 1o minutes to solve the problem? The answer is the know how in electronic troubleshooting. Of course if you have the troubleshooting knowledge and the right test meters, all the advantages is on your side. This story tells you that having good and expensive meters don’t really solve the problem fast unless you must have the skill in electronics troubleshooting. Skills like where to locate the right section that giving problem, how to use the right way to isolate a problem, how to read schematic diagrams, how to accurately test an electronic component, how to read components part number and find replacement and etc.
All these skills are important if you want to be successful in electronic repair. By having the best meter in the world without the right troubleshooting knowledge would not help you much in identifying the problem in electronic boards. The best is to have both!
John Preher
April 30, 2010 at 3:38 pm
This is so true. I have met too many technicians with fancy meters who did not even know how to use all the functions of the meter or understand it completely, because they don't have much electronics Education. Education is the most important thing for anyone is the electronics field especially as a repair technician, I make any person that works as a technician for my company go through a certification program developed by our company so I know they have a strong understanding of electronics from the basics to electronics circuit design and troubleshooting digital circuits. That way I can be confident they are going to make themselves and me money when I send them out into the field.
admin
May 1, 2010 at 10:31 am
HI John,
Thanks for sharing this!
Jestine
Waleed
May 1, 2010 at 1:22 pm
I have also seen good technicians get stuck at problems because they do not have the right meters to use for trouble shooting.
any expert on LCD tv repair guy sent me an lcd tv set to work on and the problem was shut down. to me that is a very simple fix because of the ESR meter that I have and he did not. in a matter of half an hour, the tv was up and running. he was wondering why I solved it so fast and he was working on that tv for almost a full day. again, he has the experience but not using the meter to acomplish his fix. in my opinion, the technician and the meter complete each other..you need the experience and at the same time you need tools..
admin
May 1, 2010 at 9:20 pm
HI Waleed,
You are right, without the right tools,even an experience repair tech also face some problem.
Jestine
Kim Hock
June 5, 2010 at 10:52 am
hi jestine,
I plan to buy the agilent U1732A handheld LCR meter, in the user manual state than can measure the capacitor in serial & parallel mode. do you know the function of the serial & parallel mode use for? does it mean can measure the capacitor in circuit?
admin
June 5, 2010 at 11:25 pm
Hi Kim hock,
Since i do not have this meter thus i can't give any expertise advice to you on this matter-sorry.
jestine