Training Scenario for PCB Repair

AAQ Workshop DemonstrationMarch 22, 2012

This short pamphlet takes the participant(s) through a realistic scenario where a student, Erika, needs to be properly trained in order to perform a PCB repair to a RF communication module on a cube satellite.

AAQ

Erika, a senior, has decided to participate in her university’s space grant funded project: Development and deployment of a cube satellite

Erika is interested in a career in aeronautics and wants to capitalize on the partnership between her university and the local aerospace industry

Space Grant Project

Erika has been inspired by the Space Grant Consortium’s efforts to provide her with interdisciplinary training in a diverse environment where she can utilize her strong science, math, and technology background

Space Grant Project

Meet Erika

Cube Satellite

Erika’s university is building a standard 100+/-0.1mm x and y and 113+/-0.1 z cubesat with the typical weight of 2.932 lbs (CalPoly Cubesat Design Specification Rev. 12)

The development of the cubesat is mostly completed and the project is in the final integration and testing phase

Erika approached her senior design professor and requested that she join the university’s cubesat project

Her professor agreed and her strong technical background was welcomed

by the team

Joining the Project

Erika is excited about the project and wants to jump in and start contributing

Her senior design professor has designated her to the RF PCB which will act as the communication center for the cubesat system

Prior to performing any hands on activities her senior design professor advisors her that it is important for her to learn about workmanship

Workmanship

Her professor introduced her to the training material published on the Auburn University AAQ site http://aaq.auburn.edu/taxonomy/term/4

AAQ Workmanship

Let’s now take a moment and see the highlights of what Erika learned about workmanship

For demonstration of completion and understanding of workmanship, Erika took the online quiz and submitted the feedback to her professor

AAQ Workmanship Quiz

Now that Erika is familiar with workmanship, she is assigned the task of repairing the communication board that failed during integration and testing

Root cause analysis provided sufficient information to determine that a diode was allowing an electric current to pass in the reverse direction

The proper action is to replace the faulty diode with a properly functioning one

RF Module PCB Repair

Another student has already removed the faulty diode and it is left up to Erika to attach the new diode to the communication module

RF Module PCB Repair

The wise professor knows that Erika is anxious to perform the repair and knows that without further training, she will unknowingly run the risk of damaging the RF PCB even further. She is directed again to the AAQ training material for a lesson in ESD http://aaq.auburn.edu/taxonomy/term/15

AAQ ESD

Let’s now take a moment and see the highlights of what Erika learned about ESD

Again, for demonstration of completion and understanding of ESD, Erika took the online quiz and submitted the feedback to her professor

AAQ ESD Quiz

Finally, Erika is ready to perform the solder on the PCB as she prepares in the lab

She then realizes that there is a major problem, she has never soldered before…

It is late in the evening and the professor is not around so Erika remembers her online AAQ training and searches the site only to be relieved that there is also training on soldering

RF Module PCB Repair

Erika, upon her own direction, carefully completes the soldering module http://aaq.auburn.edu/taxonomy/term/3

AAQ Soldering

Let’s now take a moment and see the highlights of what Erika learned about soldering

Due to Erika’s online AAQ training, the repair was a success, which led to 100% mission success for her university’s cubesat project

Thanks to her experience and the online AAQ training, she ended up pursing a lifetime career in the aeronautics industry and became involved in the Space Grant Consortium herself in hopes to provide other students with the same experience as she had

Successful Repair

This concludes one example scenario demonstrating the benefits of the online AAQ training material

Please feel free to offer any thoughts and suggestions

Conclusion

Thank you!