Locating and diagnosing faults in post-production electronic components and circuits

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This standard identifies the competences you need to investigate, locate and diagnose the causes of faults in electronic components or circuits, on completion of or during the production stages, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to diagnose faults on a range of electronic components and circuits, such as capacitors, resistors, inductors, sensor devices, optic devices, display screens, switching devices, microwave components, printed circuit board assemblies and thin, thick and flexible film circuitry. You will be expected to use a variety of fault diagnosis methods and techniques and to utilise a number of diagnostic aids and equipment. You will be required to review the fault symptoms, interpret technical data, apply systematic fault finding procedures and fully record and report your findings. Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the fault diagnostic and fault location activities undertaken and to report any problems with these activities, or with the tools and equipment used, that you cannot personally resolve, or are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will be expected to work with a minimum of supervision, taking personal responsibility for your own actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out. Your underpinning knowledge will provide a good understanding of your work and will provide an informed approach to applying fault diagnosis procedures on electronic components and circuits. You will know about the electronic products being produced and will understand the various fault diagnosis methods and techniques used and their application. You will also know how to apply and interpret the information obtained from diagnostic aids and equipment, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities and for identifying faults or conditions that are outside the required specification. You will understand the safety precautions required when carrying out the fault diagnosis activities, especially those for isolating the equipment. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout and will understand your responsibility for taking the necessary safeguards to protect yourself and others in the workplace.

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1. work safely at all times, complying with health and safety legislation, regulations, directives and other relevant guidelines
2. review relevant information on the symptoms and problems associated with the products or assets
3. investigate and establish the most likely causes of the faults
4. locate faults, using appropriate diagnostic techniques, tools and aids
5. complete the fault diagnosis within the agreed time and inform the appropriate people when this cannot be achieved
6. determine the implications of the fault for other work and for safety considerations
7. draw valid conclusions about the nature and probable cause of the fault using evidence from the fault diagnosis
8. deal promptly and effectively with problems within your control and report those that cannot be solved
9. ensure that work records are completed, stored securely and available to others, as per organisational requirements
10. leave the work area in a safe condition on completion of the activities, as per organisational and legal requirements

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1. the specific safety precautions to be taken whilst carrying out the  activities (including any specific legislation, regulations or codes of practice relating to the activities, equipment or materials)
2. the health and safety requirements of the work area  and the activities, and the responsibility these requirements place on you
3. the hazards associated with  the activities, and how to minimise them and reduce risks
4. the personal protective equipment and clothing (PPE) to be worn during the activities
5. voltage ranges, what constitutes a hazardous voltage and how to reduce the risks of a phase to earth shock
6. how to recognise and deal effectively with victims of electric shock (to include methods of safely isolating the power source and methods of first aid resuscitation)
7. how to obtain the authority to conduct fault location and diagnosis, the relevant work areas and any specific permit-to-work procedures that are used
8. the clean work area protocols that should be used
9. how to obtain and use data that relates to the post-production fault problems
10. how to check the calibration status of authorised test facilities and equipment to be used
11. the various fault diagnosis and location techniques (such as six point technique, emergent problem, input/output, half-split techniques and algorithm charts/tables), what they are, how to use them and the risks associated with them
12. how to set up, care for and use the range of test equipment items for the post-production fault location (such as logic and waveform analysis equipment, oscilloscopes, signal generators, sensing and measuring devices, current, voltage and resistance measuring instruments)
13. how to read and interpret circuit diagrams and related symbols
14. how to recognise, read values and the polarity of electronic components
15. the basic operating principles of the electronic components, systems/equipment being diagnosed
16. component types being processed/assembled and the different values and ratings of the components used (such as resistance, capacitance, inductance values and tolerances, voltage and current ratings, insulation resistance)
17. how to analyse and evaluate the results of the fault diagnosis checks carried out
18. the faults that can occur and the typical actions needed to deal with them (such as short and open circuits, problems at the hardware/software interface in equipments with embedded software)
19. the extent of your own responsibility and whom you should report to if you have problems that you cannot resolve
20. how to access, use and maintain information to comply with organisational requirements and legislation

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1. Carry out all of the following during the fault location/diagnosis activities:

   1. use the correct issue of drawings, job instructions and specifications
   2. adhere to health and safety regulations, systems and procedures to realise a safe system of work
   3. follow clean work area protocols, where appropriate
   4. use grounded wrist straps and other electrostatic discharge (ESD) precautions, as appropriate

   5. comply with organisational procedures

   6. create and store records, in accordance with appropriate procedures

2. Conduct fault diagnosis on one of the following manufactured components or circuits:

   1. capacitors                            
   2. microwave components
   3. resistors                            
   4. spark gaps
   5. inductors                                 
   6. charge-coupled devices
   7. interconnection devices             
   8. printed circuit boards/assemblies
   9. sensor devices                                
   10. thin film circuits
   11. optical devices                                  
   12. thick film circuits
   13. visual display screens             
   14. flexible film circuits
   15. switching components
   16. other type of components or circuits (specify)

3. Collect fault diagnosis evidence from two of the following sources:

   1. test instrument measurements (such as multimeter, oscilloscope, logic probe, pulse sequencing analyser, signal generator/tracer)
   2. automatic optical inspection equipment
   3. automatic flying probes tester
   4. functional test equipment
   5. in circuit test equipment (such as bed of nails/probes)
   6. circuit meters
   7. circuit self-diagnosis
   8. automated X-ray inspection equipment
   9. recording devices (such as for shock, vibration, humidity, temperature)
   10. sensory input (such as sight, sound, smell, touch)

4. Use two  of the following types of technical information to assist with fault finding activities:

   1. technical manuals                                  
   2. circuit diagrams
   3. logic diagrams
   4. flow charts/fault algorithms                      
   5. fault finding/trouble shooting guides

5. Use two of the following fault diagnostic techniques:

   1. half-split technique              
   2. unit substitution              
   3. emergent sequence
   4. input/output technique            
   5. injection and sampling     
   6. function testing
   7. six point technique

6. Use all of the following fault diagnosis procedures:

   1. visual inspection (such as for breakages, signs of overheating, missing parts, loose fitting, dry joints)
   2. operation (such as manual switching off and on, automatic switching/timing/sequencing, outputs)
   3. measurement (such as voltage, current, continuity, logic states,      noise, frequency, signal shape and level)

7. Locate two of the following types of fault:

   1. intermittent component/circuit failure
   2. partial failure/reduced performance
   3. complete component/circuit failure

8. Prepare fault diagnosis reports using one of the following:

   1. customer report
   2. company specific report
   3. other appropriate
      media

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2

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31 Mar 2023

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Current

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Original

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Semta

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SEMEEE3-19

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Engineering, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, Engineering Technicians, Maintenance Team Technician, Manufacturing Technologies, Production and Process Engineers

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3113

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Engineering; electrical; electronic; locate; diagnose; faults; post production; components; circuits; techniques

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