Gel on finished PCB?

B

Braunbear

Guest
Hi,
I am going to be vague for this first post.Please excuse me.

A number of folks have very recently purchased defective AV receivers
from a certain well known manufacturer. Since the manufacturer does
not publicly disclose the cause of the symptoms owners are
experiencing, much speculation has occurred as to the cause. The
speculation I refer to is on a thread in a forum for AV enthusiasts.
Since the repair involves a 40 pin ribbon cable and its associated
connectors, one poster claims to have inside information as to the
cause of the failure of these components. His claim is that there was
an acidic gel applied to the PCB and connectors that corrodes the
cable and connectors. Not knowing of any gel that could be left on a
finished product's PCBs, especially in the area of a connector, I
question this claim. So, my question is, does anyone have any
explanation as to how or why or what this gel might be? And is it a
feasible claim that there was such a gel? To me, the claim is
extraordinary and leaves me with more questions than answers.

Thanx in advance. Any help would be much appreciated.
 
On Sun, 10 Jul 2011 05:50:34 -0700 (PDT), Braunbear <JBBMI@Yahoo.com>
wrote:

Hi,
I am going to be vague for this first post.Please excuse me.

A number of folks have very recently purchased defective AV receivers
from a certain well known manufacturer. Since the manufacturer does
not publicly disclose the cause of the symptoms owners are
experiencing, much speculation has occurred as to the cause. The
speculation I refer to is on a thread in a forum for AV enthusiasts.
Since the repair involves a 40 pin ribbon cable and its associated
connectors, one poster claims to have inside information as to the
cause of the failure of these components. His claim is that there was
an acidic gel applied to the PCB and connectors that corrodes the
cable and connectors. Not knowing of any gel that could be left on a
finished product's PCBs, especially in the area of a connector, I
question this claim. So, my question is, does anyone have any
explanation as to how or why or what this gel might be? And is it a
feasible claim that there was such a gel? To me, the claim is
extraordinary and leaves me with more questions than answers.

Thanx in advance. Any help would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Flux residue?

--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
 
Braunbear <JBBMI@Yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1cfa6aaa-695b-4d9d-9126-d74dff045fe7@q17g2000vby.googlegroups.com...
Hi,
I am going to be vague for this first post.Please excuse me.

A number of folks have very recently purchased defective AV receivers
from a certain well known manufacturer. Since the manufacturer does
not publicly disclose the cause of the symptoms owners are
experiencing, much speculation has occurred as to the cause. The
speculation I refer to is on a thread in a forum for AV enthusiasts.
Since the repair involves a 40 pin ribbon cable and its associated
connectors, one poster claims to have inside information as to the
cause of the failure of these components. His claim is that there was
an acidic gel applied to the PCB and connectors that corrodes the
cable and connectors. Not knowing of any gel that could be left on a
finished product's PCBs, especially in the area of a connector, I
question this claim. So, my question is, does anyone have any
explanation as to how or why or what this gel might be? And is it a
feasible claim that there was such a gel? To me, the claim is
extraordinary and leaves me with more questions than answers.

Thanx in advance. Any help would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...

Flux associated with PbF is my guess
 
"Braunbear"
I am going to be vague for this first post.
Click to expand...

** Unsupported claims made on the net should be automatically treated as
bullshit.

Unsupported claims from anonymous persons should automatically be treated as
lies.

The onus of proof always lies with the person making any claim - not on
others to disprove.

Liars thrive on anonymity, ambiguity and that no-one calls their bluff.

Take this to heart and it will utterly change your life.




..... Phil
 
In article <epcj175udojde8i442g5ob5lhhl6abalon@4ax.com>,
Rich Webb <bbew.ar@mapson.nozirev.ten> wrote:

On Sun, 10 Jul 2011 05:50:34 -0700 (PDT), Braunbear <JBBMI@Yahoo.com
wrote:

Hi,
I am going to be vague for this first post.Please excuse me.

A number of folks have very recently purchased defective AV receivers
from a certain well known manufacturer. Since the manufacturer does
not publicly disclose the cause of the symptoms owners are
experiencing, much speculation has occurred as to the cause. The
speculation I refer to is on a thread in a forum for AV enthusiasts.
Since the repair involves a 40 pin ribbon cable and its associated
connectors, one poster claims to have inside information as to the
cause of the failure of these components. His claim is that there was
an acidic gel applied to the PCB and connectors that corrodes the
cable and connectors. Not knowing of any gel that could be left on a
finished product's PCBs, especially in the area of a connector, I
question this claim. So, my question is, does anyone have any
explanation as to how or why or what this gel might be? And is it a
feasible claim that there was such a gel? To me, the claim is
extraordinary and leaves me with more questions than answers.

Thanx in advance. Any help would be much appreciated.

Flux residue?
Click to expand...
Could be, water-soluble flux is corrosive, and many manufacturers
switched to it when CFCs were banned. Board populated, soldered, washed,
then connectors added by hand and not washed.
 
On Jul 10, 10:21 am, "N_Cook" <dive...@tcp.co.uk> wrote:
Braunbear <JB...@Yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:1cfa6aaa-695b-4d9d-9126-d74dff045fe7@q17g2000vby.googlegroups.com...









Hi,
I am going to be vague for this first post.Please excuse me.

A number of folks have very recently purchased defective AV receivers
from a certain well known manufacturer. Since the manufacturer does
not publicly disclose the cause of the symptoms owners are
experiencing, much speculation has occurred as to the cause. The
speculation I refer to is on a thread in a forum for AV enthusiasts.
Since the repair involves a 40 pin ribbon cable and its associated
connectors, one poster claims to have inside information as to the
cause of the failure of these components. His claim is that there was
an acidic gel applied to the PCB and connectors that corrodes the
cable and connectors. Not knowing of any gel that could be left on a
finished product's PCBs, especially in the area of a connector, I
question this claim. So, my question is, does anyone have any
explanation as to how or why or what this gel might be? And is it a
feasible claim that there was such a gel? To me, the claim is
extraordinary and leaves me with more questions than answers.

Thanx in advance. Any help would be much appreciated.

Flux associated with PbF is my guess
Click to expand...
Wouldn't the flux have been washed off by the time the board had been
assembled in the finished product. Certainly before the conformal
coating. no? Have you seen flux residue before in such situations?
 
On Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:20:03 -0700 (PDT), Braunbear <JBBMI@Yahoo.com>
wrote:

On Jul 10, 12:06 pm, Smitty Two <prestwh...@earthlink.net> wrote:
In article <epcj175udojde8i442g5ob5lhhl6aba...@4ax.com>,
 Rich Webb <bbew...@mapson.nozirev.ten> wrote:









On Sun, 10 Jul 2011 05:50:34 -0700 (PDT), Braunbear <JB...@Yahoo.com
wrote:

Hi,
I am going to be vague for this first post.Please excuse me.

A number of folks have very recently purchased defective AV receivers
from a certain well known manufacturer. Since the manufacturer does
not publicly disclose the cause of the symptoms owners are
experiencing, much speculation has occurred as to the cause. The
speculation I refer to is on a thread in a forum for AV enthusiasts.
Since the repair involves a 40 pin ribbon cable and its associated
connectors, one poster claims to have inside information as to the
cause of the failure of these components. His claim is that there was
an acidic gel applied to the PCB and connectors that corrodes the
cable and connectors. Not knowing of any gel that could be left on a
finished product's PCBs, especially in the area of a connector, I
question this claim. So, my question is, does anyone have any
explanation as to how or why or what this gel might be? And is it a
feasible claim that there was such a gel? To me, the claim is
extraordinary and leaves me with more questions than answers.

Thanx in advance. Any help would be much appreciated.

Flux residue?

Could be, water-soluble flux is corrosive, and many manufacturers
switched to it when CFCs were banned. Board populated, soldered, washed,
then connectors added by hand and not washed.

Thanx everyone for the quick responses. I appreciate the effort. Well,
i learned that there is no gel, other than possible flux residue. I
opened my unit and discovered no gel or residue, but I do have the
symptoms of the defect. I just wish the manufacturer would be more
forthcoming and let us know what went wrong as the symptoms are
intermittent and the fix did not work for me. My cable and connectors
were replaced. Not to mention, this happened to so many units across
the entire model lineup that its hard to imagine they were all not
washed properly. Thanx again.
Click to expand...
What I've gleaned is that the switch to Pb-free lead (no pun intended)
manufacturers to trying several different solder formulations and then
more permutations on top of that to find a workable flux. I'd imagine
that some of the attempts worked out less well than others.

I'm keeping my tub of Kester 44. ;-)

--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
 
Braunbear wrote:
On Jul 10, 12:06 pm, Smitty Two <prestwh...@earthlink.net> wrote:
In article <epcj175udojde8i442g5ob5lhhl6aba...@4ax.com>,
Rich Webb <bbew...@mapson.nozirev.ten> wrote:









On Sun, 10 Jul 2011 05:50:34 -0700 (PDT), Braunbear <JB...@Yahoo.com
wrote:

Hi,
I am going to be vague for this first post.Please excuse me.

A number of folks have very recently purchased defective AV receivers
from a certain well known manufacturer. Since the manufacturer does
not publicly disclose the cause of the symptoms owners are
experiencing, much speculation has occurred as to the cause. The
speculation I refer to is on a thread in a forum for AV enthusiasts.
Since the repair involves a 40 pin ribbon cable and its associated
connectors, one poster claims to have inside information as to the
cause of the failure of these components. His claim is that there was
an acidic gel applied to the PCB and connectors that corrodes the
cable and connectors. Not knowing of any gel that could be left on a
finished product's PCBs, especially in the area of a connector, I
question this claim. So, my question is, does anyone have any
explanation as to how or why or what this gel might be? And is it a
feasible claim that there was such a gel? To me, the claim is
extraordinary and leaves me with more questions than answers.

Thanx in advance. Any help would be much appreciated.

Flux residue?

Could be, water-soluble flux is corrosive, and many manufacturers
switched to it when CFCs were banned. Board populated, soldered, washed,
then connectors added by hand and not washed.

Thanx everyone for the quick responses. I appreciate the effort. Well,
i learned that there is no gel, other than possible flux residue. I
opened my unit and discovered no gel or residue, but I do have the
symptoms of the defect. I just wish the manufacturer would be more
forthcoming and let us know what went wrong as the symptoms are
intermittent and the fix did not work for me. My cable and connectors
were replaced. Not to mention, this happened to so many units across
the entire model lineup that its hard to imagine they were all not
washed properly. Thanx again.
Click to expand...

Actually, they may have missed that step on the entire product run,
which is why they don't want to say anything. Cleaning a PCB cost
money, and slows production. The bean counters cut every corner they
can, and some they can't. It sounds like it's time for a 'Class Action
Lawsuit'.


--
It's easy to think outside the box, when you have a cutting torch.
 
On Jul 10, 12:06 pm, Smitty Two <prestwh...@earthlink.net> wrote:
In article <epcj175udojde8i442g5ob5lhhl6aba...@4ax.com>,
 Rich Webb <bbew...@mapson.nozirev.ten> wrote:









On Sun, 10 Jul 2011 05:50:34 -0700 (PDT), Braunbear <JB...@Yahoo.com
wrote:

Hi,
I am going to be vague for this first post.Please excuse me.

A number of folks have very recently purchased defective AV receivers
from a certain well known manufacturer. Since the manufacturer does
not publicly disclose the cause of the symptoms owners are
experiencing, much speculation has occurred as to the cause. The
speculation I refer to is on a thread in a forum for AV enthusiasts.
Since the repair involves a 40 pin ribbon cable and its associated
connectors, one poster claims to have inside information as to the
cause of the failure of these components. His claim is that there was
an acidic gel applied to the PCB and connectors that corrodes the
cable and connectors. Not knowing of any gel that could be left on a
finished product's PCBs, especially in the area of a connector, I
question this claim. So, my question is, does anyone have any
explanation as to how or why or what this gel might be? And is it a
feasible claim that there was such a gel? To me, the claim is
extraordinary and leaves me with more questions than answers.

Thanx in advance. Any help would be much appreciated.

Flux residue?

Could be, water-soluble flux is corrosive, and many manufacturers
switched to it when CFCs were banned. Board populated, soldered, washed,
then connectors added by hand and not washed.
Click to expand...
Thanx everyone for the quick responses. I appreciate the effort. Well,
i learned that there is no gel, other than possible flux residue. I
opened my unit and discovered no gel or residue, but I do have the
symptoms of the defect. I just wish the manufacturer would be more
forthcoming and let us know what went wrong as the symptoms are
intermittent and the fix did not work for me. My cable and connectors
were replaced. Not to mention, this happened to so many units across
the entire model lineup that its hard to imagine they were all not
washed properly. Thanx again.
 
That's not true.

--
Cheers,
WB
..............



"Phil Allison" <phil_a@tpg.com.au> wrote in message
news:97trjvFgpcU1@mid.individual.net...
** Unsupported claims made on the net should be automatically treated as
bullshit.

Unsupported claims from anonymous persons should automatically be treated
as lies.

The onus of proof always lies with the person making any claim - not on
others to disprove.

Liars thrive on anonymity, ambiguity and that no-one calls their bluff.

Take this to heart and it will utterly change your life.




.... Phil
Click to expand...
 
In article <htoj179fpdnuv1b4jia195rmn5c7rdic2v@4ax.com>,
Rich Webb <bbew.ar@mapson.nozirev.ten> wrote:

What I've gleaned is that the switch to Pb-free lead (no pun intended)
manufacturers to ...
Click to expand...
Homonyms messing with you again? Led to another typo? Damn that English
language.
 
"Braunbear" <JBBMI@Yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:394039dc-1939-489c-82d7-93988884907d@a11g2000yqm.googlegroups.com...
Thanx everyone for the quick responses. I appreciate the effort. Well,
i learned that there is no gel, other than possible flux residue. I
opened my unit and discovered no gel or residue, but I do have the
symptoms of the defect. I just wish the manufacturer would be more
forthcoming and let us know what went wrong as the symptoms are
intermittent and the fix did not work for me. My cable and connectors
were replaced. Not to mention, this happened to so many units across
the entire model lineup that its hard to imagine they were all not
washed properly. Thanx again.
Click to expand...
Well since the 'well known manufacture' is a secret, how do you expect to
get a valid answer? Get serious, what make and model are you talking about?
 
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