Ask Helena & Leo

Question: If you were to begin performng tests to better understand you Wave Solder Machine’s Flux System capabilities and you had a limited amount of resources (both human and capitial resources), in what order of priority would you perform...

Question: Hello, I would like to know the benefits of tip tinning and tip maintenance. Is it necessary to tin and turn off irons when not in use?

Question: Is it true we can use lead-free solder to remove leaded solder on our soldering iron tips? I seem to remember we were shown how to flood the tip with lead-free solder three times, wiping clean after each flooding, to remove any lead...

Question: Some time ago my company ran into issues with erratas that were added to our IPC-A-610 manuals. An ISO auditor did not like that we were adding notes to our standards. Lots of questions were asked (can you guarantee all updates are...

Question: Can you please tell me if there is a specification regarding labeling, and the information that should be included on the label? I am specifically talking about cabinet wiring, labeling each end with To and From locations to assist...

Question: Is “wet sponge” solder tip cleaning mandatory for leaded and RoHs soldering? Are there any downfalls to only using the dry “copper sponges”?

Question: What is the difference between touch-up, rework and repair?

Question: Lately some of our terminations on SMT caps and resistors look dark, almost purple, like they have been overheated during the reflow process in a lead free environment. According to everything (e.g.,.Data Sheets, mole profiles, oven...

Question: We have some RF components that are “bottom only” and the castellations are gold. Is there anything we can do about the 75% gold removal rule?

Question: Are there review questions for Rev. E that we can use as handouts?

Question: We received a PCB with 3 etches connected together that were not supposed to be. Is there anyway to repair these and if so, is it compliant to IPC 610 or JSTD 001? We do know how to repair these issues, but our inspector is requiring...

Question: We have an ongoing debate regarding the charring of wire insulation. IPC-A-610E is very clear on the topic. Aside from overheating damage to the PCB, what other dangers does this pose? Do you have any white papers on the topic? Thank...