Reliability in electronic devices is always important.

"Consumers expect a quality product, but today, reliability of electronics devices is increasingly related to our safety. Considering the recent developments of self-driving vehicles, Internet of Things (IoT) devices which control and safeguard our homes, and avionics in the aircraft in which we travel, reliability takes on a new level of importance. "

For many years, strain measurement has been an important element in the design and testing of electronic devices. The widespread use of lead-free solder, with its typically higher modulus and brittleness than the leaded varieties of solders that it replaced, means that more strain is transferred to the electronic components. High-density ball-grid arrays (BGA) and generally smaller surface mount components have led to smaller solder footprints. While these developments in electronics manufacturing allow increasingly smaller devices, it also means that the printed circuit board assemblies are more sensitive and require proper support during manufacturing and installation to avoid failures of solder connections or of the components.

This 2-day workshop is scheduled on April 18 – 19 in San Jose, CA. The cost of the workshop is $890, which includes all materials and lunch. This application-specific, hands-on workshop is taught by experts from Micro-Measurements and Pacific Instruments. All of the necessary surface preparation materials, strain gages (both with and without cables preattached), adhesives, wire, instrumentation, and software are available to support measurement techniques defined in IPC/JDEC 9704A. At the end of the workshop, participants will know how to use all of these products to achieve successful strain measurements on printed circuit boards.  Registration is available online or by calling our Training Coordinator at 919-365-3800. 

We will cover the following topics:

Strain Gage (Strain Gauge) Characteristics

• Gage Factor
• Temperature Compensation
• Sensing Alloys
• Transverse Sensitivity
• Strain Limits
• Fatigue Endurance

Installation Techniques

• Surface Preparation
• Adhesive Selection
• Gage Installation Procedures and Check-Out
• Leadwire Attachment and Soldering Techniques
• Protective Coatings

Gage Installations with Epoxy and Cyanoacrylate Adhesives

• Room-Temperature Installation of CEA Gage on Aluminum
• Room-Temperature Installation of C2A Stacked Rosette on PCB Material
• Clamping Techniques
• Leadwire Attachment
• Protective Coatings
• Measuring Strain Level

Discussion of Special Gage Installation Techniques for Measurement Over Wide Temperature Ranges

• Gage Selection
• Gage Performance Characteristics
• Temperature Effects
• Leadwire Selection and Attachment
• Protective Coating Systems

Strain Gage (Strain Gauge) Circuitry

• Quarter, Half and Full Bridges
• Leadwire Compensation

Bridge Excitation

• Power Levels
• Self-Heating

Rosette Data Reduction

• Measurement and Data Analysis of Stacked Rosette on PCB, Including:
• Maximum Principal Strain
• Minimum Principal Strain
• Direction
• Strain Rate

High Speed Data Acquisition – Pacific Instruments