6 Clear Indicators of a Defective Industrial Logic Board & How to Resolve Them

Maybe your production came to an abrupt halt, or you are getting all kinds of beeping and error codes.  These are expensive problems to have when it means production is affected. You want to get answers fast!  Here are a few signs that your logic board could be the culprit:

• Error codes  on operator’s screen – pretty good indicator that complete failure is about to occur
•  Warning beeps – this is a head’s up; go check your manual for more information before a catastrophic  failure occurs
• No power – too late! Your unit will likely not power up although the power supply may still work
• Corrupt data  – won’t pass data correctly, errors will keep occurring
• Random rebooting – when your equipment seems to be “possessed by poltergeists”
• Smoke, fire, “burnt electronics smell” – pretty obvious

These are all potential signs of logic board failure which means the “brains” of your equipment has lost its marbles.  Smoke and fire of course are a bit more alarming than the others but all equally responsible for costly equipment down time.

What should you do if you suspect your logic board is bad?   This depends on your level of expertise with electronic equipment.  You can pull the logic board and put in your spare (you do have one right?) and then ship the bad board out for professional logic board repairs. 

If you have some level of experience with electronics, have unplugged the unit first and then removed the board, you may consider doing the following:

• Visually inspect the logic board for obvious signs of failure – burn marks, cracked capacitors, scratches or damage, solder problems
• Check connectors for signs of corrosion which is common especially with edge connectors.  They can be gently cleaned with an eraser and soft, lint-free/static-free cloth
• Get the schematic drawing for the board to find the test points and voltages for normal circuit operation; use an oscilloscope and/or multimeter to test for measured matches to see if the board is operating normally

In most cases, we recommend sending the suspect logic board to a competent professional industrial electronic repair company.  This is usually the most time and cost efficient way to get the board evaluated and repaired.  Having a working spare board handy is obviously important if you want to keep production going while the board is being repaired.