Repairing electronic equipment
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to carry out repairs on electronic equipment, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to carry out repairs on a range of electronic equipment, such as power supply systems, motor control systems, sensors and actuators, digital circuits and systems, analogue circuits and systems, and hybrid circuits and systems. This will involve dismantling, removing and replacing faulty items at board and component level, on a variety of different types of electronic assemblies and sub-assemblies. You will be expected to apply a number of dismantling and reassembly methods and techniques, such as soldering, de-soldering, crimping, harnessing, and securing cables and components. You will be expected to take care that you do not cause further damage to the equipment/circuit during the repair activities and, therefore, the application of electrostatic discharge procedures will be a critical part of your role.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for carrying out the repair activities, and to report any problems with these activities or the tools and equipment used that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will be expected to work with minimal 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 electronic repair procedures. You will understand the various repair procedures used, and their application, and will know about the tools and techniques used, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities, correcting faults and ensuring that the repaired equipment functions to the required specification and remains compliant with all standards and regulations.
You will understand the safety precautions required when carrying out the repair activities, especially those for isolating the equipment and taking the necessary safeguards to protect yourself, and others, against direct and indirect electric shock. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout, and will understand the responsibility you owe to yourself and others in the workplace.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- work safely at all times, complying with health and safety legislation and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
- follow the relevant repair schedules to carry out the required work
- carry out the repair activities within the limits of your personal authority
- carry out the repair activities in the specified sequence and in an agreed timescale
- report any instances where the repair activities cannot be fully met or where there are identified defects outside the planned schedule
- complete and store all relevant maintenance documentation in accordance with organisational requirements
- dispose of waste materials in accordance with safe working practices and approved procedures and leave the work area in a safe condition
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the health and safety requirements of the area in which the repair activity is to take place, and the responsibility these requirements place on you
- your responsibilities under regulations that apply to the electronic repair activities being undertaken
- the isolation and lock-off procedure or permit-to-work procedure that applies to the repair activities (such as electrical isolation, locking off switchgear, removal of fuses, placing repair warning notices, proving the isolation has been achieved and secured)
- isolation procedure and safety precautions unique to the electronic equipment or circuits being worked on
- the importance of wearing protective clothing and other appropriate safety equipment (PPE) during repair activities
- the hazards associated with repairing electronic equipment, and with the materials, tools and equipment that are used (such as live electrical components, capacitor discharge), and how to minimise these and reduce any risks
- what constitutes a hazardous voltage and how to recognise victims of electric shock
- how to reduce the risks of a phase to earth shock (such as insulated tools, rubber matting and isolating transformers)
- the importance of keeping the work area clean and tidy, and free from waste and surplus materials
- how the repair activities may affect the work of others, and the procedure for informing them of the work to be carried out
- the procedures and precautions to be adopted to eliminate electrostatic discharge (ESD) hazards
- how to obtain and interpret drawings, boolean algebra, truth tables, logic symbols, circuit diagrams, specifications, manufacturers' manuals, test procedures and other documents needed to carry out repairs
- the basic principles of how the electronic circuit functions, its operation sequence, the working purpose of individual units/components and how they interact relevant to the equipment being repaired
- organisational policy on the repair or replacement of faulty components during the repair process
- how to check that the replacement components meet the required specification/operating conditions (such as values, tolerance, current-carrying capacity, temperature ranges)
- methods of removing and replacing the faulty components from the equipment (such as unplugging, de-soldering, removal of screwed, clamped, edge connected, zero insertion force, and crimped connections)
- the importance of removing faulty components, without causing damage to other components, wiring, or the surrounding structure
- methods of attaching identification marks/labels to removed components or connections, in order to assist with re-assembly
- the tools and equipment used in the repair activities (including the use of wire-stripping tools, crimping tools, soldering irons, insertion devices and connecting tools)
- how to check that tools and equipment are free from damage or defects, that they are in a safe and usable condition and are configured correctly for the intended purpose
- the sequence for reconnecting the equipment, and checks to be made prior to restoring power (such as checking components for correct polarity, ensuring that there are no exposed conductors, cable insulation is not damaged, all connections are mechanically and electrically secure, casings are free from loose screws, wire ends or solder blobs that could cause short circuits, and all fuses/protection devices are installed)
- the importance of making `off-load' checks before proving the equipment with the electrical supply on
- how to make adjustments to components/assemblies to ensure that they function correctly
- the repair documentation and/or reports to be completed following the repair activity, and the importance of ensuring that these reports are completed accurately and legibly
- the problems that can occur with the repair activity, and how they can be overcome
the organisational procedures to be adopted for the safe disposal of waste of all types of materials
the extent of your own authority and to whom you should report if you have a problem that you cannot resolve
Scope/range
Carry out all of the following during the repair activities:
- plan and communicate the repair activities to cause minimal disruption to normal working
- obtain and use the correct issue of organisational and/or manufacturers' drawings and repair documentation
- adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, COSHH, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations and procedures to realise a safe system of work
- ensure the safe isolation of equipment
- provide and maintain safe access and working arrangements for the repair area
- carry out the repair activities using appropriate techniques and procedures
- take electrostatic discharge precautions when handling sensitive components and circuit boards
- re-connect and return the system to service on completion of the repair activities
- record the results of the repair activity and report any defects found
- dispose of waste materials in accordance with safe working practices and approved proceduresand leave the work area in a safe condition
Carry out repair activities on four of the following types of electronic equipment:
- power supplies (such as switch mode, series regulation, parallel regulation)
- motor control systems (such as closed loop servo systems, solid state drives, inverter control)
- sensor/actuator circuits (such as linear, temperature, photo-optic, flow, rotational, level, pressure, mass/weight)
- digital circuits (such as process control, microprocessor-based, logic devices, display devices)
- signal processing circuits (such as frequency modulating/demodulating, oscillators, amplifiers, filters)
- alarms and protection circuits
- ADC and DAC hybrid circuits
Carry out all of the following repair activities:
- applying electrostatic discharge (ESD) precautions
- preparation of areas for repairing
- disconnection/dismantling of required units/components
- replacement of faulty units/components
- reassembly of components/equipment in line with specification
- making any adjustments required
- functionally testing completed equipment
Replace a range of electronic components, to include eight of the following:
- cables and connectors
- capacitors
- sensors
- encoders or resolvers
- printed circuit boards
- rectifiers
- heat sinks
- inverters or servo controllers
- transformers
- thermistors
- protection devices
- fixed resistors
- transistors
- decoders
- analog or digital integrated circuits
- variable resistors
- diodes
- regulator ICs
- other specific electronic components
Use appropriate joining/connecting techniques to deal with four of the following types of connection:
- push-fit connectors
- crimped connections
- soldering or desoldering
- zero insertion force (ZIF) connectors
- clip assemblies
- adhesive joints/assemblies
- threaded connections
- edge connectors
Repair electronic equipment, in compliance with one of the following:
- organisational guidelines and codes of practice
- equipment manufacturer's operation range
- BS, ISO and/or BSEN standards
- current wiring regulations
Complete and store all relevant maintenance documentation in accordance with organisational requirements, using one of the following:
- job cards
- permits to work/formal risk assessment and/or sign on/off procedures
- repair log or report
organisational-specific documentation
electronic reports