Removing debris from PCB












1












$begingroup$


I have a PCB with no solder mask with a very dense layout and a very fine trace spacing.



I didn't get a solder mask because it's still in the prototyping phase, and it's way cheaper.



I keep having to stop, find the new shorts that keep popping up, and remove metal fibers that are barely visible.



From what I can tell the fibers are aluminum from the pcb so a magnet is no help.



Is there a trick to remove them faster or a way to stop this from happening?






pcb-fabrication short-circuit debugging







share|improve this question











$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Aluminum? That would be rare as aluminum is pretty much only used for the heat sink layer of a metal core pcb. More likely you're learning about Tin whiskers and would benefit from reading more about them. I don't know the answer to this question the way you've phrased it other than "better tools, use solder mask"
    $endgroup$
    – K H
    4 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    compressed air?
    $endgroup$
    – Wesley Lee
    4 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    Compressed air didn't help. Your right it is Tin... I looked at "whiskering" on wikipedia, that seems to be whats happening. Tomorrow I'll get some solder on the problem traces and see if that fixes it.
    $endgroup$
    – Tony
    4 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    Who did the soldering?
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    Yes, there is one proven way: USE MORE FLUX.
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    3 hours ago
















1












$begingroup$


I have a PCB with no solder mask with a very dense layout and a very fine trace spacing.



I didn't get a solder mask because it's still in the prototyping phase, and it's way cheaper.



I keep having to stop, find the new shorts that keep popping up, and remove metal fibers that are barely visible.



From what I can tell the fibers are aluminum from the pcb so a magnet is no help.



Is there a trick to remove them faster or a way to stop this from happening?






pcb-fabrication short-circuit debugging







share|improve this question











$endgroup$








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Aluminum? That would be rare as aluminum is pretty much only used for the heat sink layer of a metal core pcb. More likely you're learning about Tin whiskers and would benefit from reading more about them. I don't know the answer to this question the way you've phrased it other than "better tools, use solder mask"
    $endgroup$
    – K H
    4 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    compressed air?
    $endgroup$
    – Wesley Lee
    4 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    Compressed air didn't help. Your right it is Tin... I looked at "whiskering" on wikipedia, that seems to be whats happening. Tomorrow I'll get some solder on the problem traces and see if that fixes it.
    $endgroup$
    – Tony
    4 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    Who did the soldering?
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    Yes, there is one proven way: USE MORE FLUX.
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    3 hours ago














1












1








1





$begingroup$


I have a PCB with no solder mask with a very dense layout and a very fine trace spacing.



I didn't get a solder mask because it's still in the prototyping phase, and it's way cheaper.



I keep having to stop, find the new shorts that keep popping up, and remove metal fibers that are barely visible.



From what I can tell the fibers are aluminum from the pcb so a magnet is no help.



Is there a trick to remove them faster or a way to stop this from happening?






pcb-fabrication short-circuit debugging







share|improve this question











$endgroup$




I have a PCB with no solder mask with a very dense layout and a very fine trace spacing.



I didn't get a solder mask because it's still in the prototyping phase, and it's way cheaper.



I keep having to stop, find the new shorts that keep popping up, and remove metal fibers that are barely visible.



From what I can tell the fibers are aluminum from the pcb so a magnet is no help.



Is there a trick to remove them faster or a way to stop this from happening?






pcb-fabrication short-circuit debugging




pcb-fabrication short-circuit debugging






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 4 hours ago









Michael Karas

44.4k348103




44.4k348103










asked 4 hours ago









TonyTony

30519




30519








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Aluminum? That would be rare as aluminum is pretty much only used for the heat sink layer of a metal core pcb. More likely you're learning about Tin whiskers and would benefit from reading more about them. I don't know the answer to this question the way you've phrased it other than "better tools, use solder mask"
    $endgroup$
    – K H
    4 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    compressed air?
    $endgroup$
    – Wesley Lee
    4 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    Compressed air didn't help. Your right it is Tin... I looked at "whiskering" on wikipedia, that seems to be whats happening. Tomorrow I'll get some solder on the problem traces and see if that fixes it.
    $endgroup$
    – Tony
    4 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    Who did the soldering?
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    Yes, there is one proven way: USE MORE FLUX.
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    3 hours ago














  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Aluminum? That would be rare as aluminum is pretty much only used for the heat sink layer of a metal core pcb. More likely you're learning about Tin whiskers and would benefit from reading more about them. I don't know the answer to this question the way you've phrased it other than "better tools, use solder mask"
    $endgroup$
    – K H
    4 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    compressed air?
    $endgroup$
    – Wesley Lee
    4 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    Compressed air didn't help. Your right it is Tin... I looked at "whiskering" on wikipedia, that seems to be whats happening. Tomorrow I'll get some solder on the problem traces and see if that fixes it.
    $endgroup$
    – Tony
    4 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    Who did the soldering?
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    Yes, there is one proven way: USE MORE FLUX.
    $endgroup$
    – Ale..chenski
    3 hours ago








1




1




$begingroup$
Aluminum? That would be rare as aluminum is pretty much only used for the heat sink layer of a metal core pcb. More likely you're learning about Tin whiskers and would benefit from reading more about them. I don't know the answer to this question the way you've phrased it other than "better tools, use solder mask"
$endgroup$
– K H
4 hours ago




$begingroup$
Aluminum? That would be rare as aluminum is pretty much only used for the heat sink layer of a metal core pcb. More likely you're learning about Tin whiskers and would benefit from reading more about them. I don't know the answer to this question the way you've phrased it other than "better tools, use solder mask"
$endgroup$
– K H
4 hours ago












$begingroup$
compressed air?
$endgroup$
– Wesley Lee
4 hours ago




$begingroup$
compressed air?
$endgroup$
– Wesley Lee
4 hours ago












$begingroup$
Compressed air didn't help. Your right it is Tin... I looked at "whiskering" on wikipedia, that seems to be whats happening. Tomorrow I'll get some solder on the problem traces and see if that fixes it.
$endgroup$
– Tony
4 hours ago






$begingroup$
Compressed air didn't help. Your right it is Tin... I looked at "whiskering" on wikipedia, that seems to be whats happening. Tomorrow I'll get some solder on the problem traces and see if that fixes it.
$endgroup$
– Tony
4 hours ago














$begingroup$
Who did the soldering?
$endgroup$
– Ale..chenski
3 hours ago




$begingroup$
Who did the soldering?
$endgroup$
– Ale..chenski
3 hours ago












$begingroup$
Yes, there is one proven way: USE MORE FLUX.
$endgroup$
– Ale..chenski
3 hours ago




$begingroup$
Yes, there is one proven way: USE MORE FLUX.
$endgroup$
– Ale..chenski
3 hours ago










1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes


















3












$begingroup$

The trick to stop this from happening is to order your PCB with solder mask. Do consider the cost of your time when deciding that it is cheaper to order boards without.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    I got this board w/ 1 day turn around time with overnight shipping for $250 vs paying over $2000 and 5 day turn around when including a solder mask for a design that hasn't been proven.
    $endgroup$
    – Tony
    4 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    You might also want to consider using leaded solder, as lead inhibits the formation of whiskers, if that is your problem. As long as you dispose of it properly, there's nothing wrong with using lead in your prototypes, just try to keep it out of any final products.
    $endgroup$
    – Hearth
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    Yep, that's all we use. All of our designs are just for internal use.
    $endgroup$
    – Tony
    3 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    Did you end up using more or less than $1750 worth of your time finding and fixing shorts, though?
    $endgroup$
    – The Photon
    2 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    And if you add a couple of days looking for the shorts (or if they show up as glitches in the future), that 2000$ price tag falls drastically for 48hr and 72hr fabrication.
    $endgroup$
    – Wesley Lee
    1 hour ago











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1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes








1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









3












$begingroup$

The trick to stop this from happening is to order your PCB with solder mask. Do consider the cost of your time when deciding that it is cheaper to order boards without.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    I got this board w/ 1 day turn around time with overnight shipping for $250 vs paying over $2000 and 5 day turn around when including a solder mask for a design that hasn't been proven.
    $endgroup$
    – Tony
    4 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    You might also want to consider using leaded solder, as lead inhibits the formation of whiskers, if that is your problem. As long as you dispose of it properly, there's nothing wrong with using lead in your prototypes, just try to keep it out of any final products.
    $endgroup$
    – Hearth
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    Yep, that's all we use. All of our designs are just for internal use.
    $endgroup$
    – Tony
    3 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    Did you end up using more or less than $1750 worth of your time finding and fixing shorts, though?
    $endgroup$
    – The Photon
    2 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    And if you add a couple of days looking for the shorts (or if they show up as glitches in the future), that 2000$ price tag falls drastically for 48hr and 72hr fabrication.
    $endgroup$
    – Wesley Lee
    1 hour ago
















3












$begingroup$

The trick to stop this from happening is to order your PCB with solder mask. Do consider the cost of your time when deciding that it is cheaper to order boards without.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    I got this board w/ 1 day turn around time with overnight shipping for $250 vs paying over $2000 and 5 day turn around when including a solder mask for a design that hasn't been proven.
    $endgroup$
    – Tony
    4 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    You might also want to consider using leaded solder, as lead inhibits the formation of whiskers, if that is your problem. As long as you dispose of it properly, there's nothing wrong with using lead in your prototypes, just try to keep it out of any final products.
    $endgroup$
    – Hearth
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    Yep, that's all we use. All of our designs are just for internal use.
    $endgroup$
    – Tony
    3 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    Did you end up using more or less than $1750 worth of your time finding and fixing shorts, though?
    $endgroup$
    – The Photon
    2 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    And if you add a couple of days looking for the shorts (or if they show up as glitches in the future), that 2000$ price tag falls drastically for 48hr and 72hr fabrication.
    $endgroup$
    – Wesley Lee
    1 hour ago














3












3








3





$begingroup$

The trick to stop this from happening is to order your PCB with solder mask. Do consider the cost of your time when deciding that it is cheaper to order boards without.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$



The trick to stop this from happening is to order your PCB with solder mask. Do consider the cost of your time when deciding that it is cheaper to order boards without.







share|improve this answer












share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer










answered 4 hours ago









Michael KarasMichael Karas

44.4k348103




44.4k348103












  • $begingroup$
    I got this board w/ 1 day turn around time with overnight shipping for $250 vs paying over $2000 and 5 day turn around when including a solder mask for a design that hasn't been proven.
    $endgroup$
    – Tony
    4 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    You might also want to consider using leaded solder, as lead inhibits the formation of whiskers, if that is your problem. As long as you dispose of it properly, there's nothing wrong with using lead in your prototypes, just try to keep it out of any final products.
    $endgroup$
    – Hearth
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    Yep, that's all we use. All of our designs are just for internal use.
    $endgroup$
    – Tony
    3 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    Did you end up using more or less than $1750 worth of your time finding and fixing shorts, though?
    $endgroup$
    – The Photon
    2 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    And if you add a couple of days looking for the shorts (or if they show up as glitches in the future), that 2000$ price tag falls drastically for 48hr and 72hr fabrication.
    $endgroup$
    – Wesley Lee
    1 hour ago


















  • $begingroup$
    I got this board w/ 1 day turn around time with overnight shipping for $250 vs paying over $2000 and 5 day turn around when including a solder mask for a design that hasn't been proven.
    $endgroup$
    – Tony
    4 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    You might also want to consider using leaded solder, as lead inhibits the formation of whiskers, if that is your problem. As long as you dispose of it properly, there's nothing wrong with using lead in your prototypes, just try to keep it out of any final products.
    $endgroup$
    – Hearth
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    Yep, that's all we use. All of our designs are just for internal use.
    $endgroup$
    – Tony
    3 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    Did you end up using more or less than $1750 worth of your time finding and fixing shorts, though?
    $endgroup$
    – The Photon
    2 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    And if you add a couple of days looking for the shorts (or if they show up as glitches in the future), that 2000$ price tag falls drastically for 48hr and 72hr fabrication.
    $endgroup$
    – Wesley Lee
    1 hour ago
















$begingroup$
I got this board w/ 1 day turn around time with overnight shipping for $250 vs paying over $2000 and 5 day turn around when including a solder mask for a design that hasn't been proven.
$endgroup$
– Tony
4 hours ago




$begingroup$
I got this board w/ 1 day turn around time with overnight shipping for $250 vs paying over $2000 and 5 day turn around when including a solder mask for a design that hasn't been proven.
$endgroup$
– Tony
4 hours ago












$begingroup$
You might also want to consider using leaded solder, as lead inhibits the formation of whiskers, if that is your problem. As long as you dispose of it properly, there's nothing wrong with using lead in your prototypes, just try to keep it out of any final products.
$endgroup$
– Hearth
3 hours ago




$begingroup$
You might also want to consider using leaded solder, as lead inhibits the formation of whiskers, if that is your problem. As long as you dispose of it properly, there's nothing wrong with using lead in your prototypes, just try to keep it out of any final products.
$endgroup$
– Hearth
3 hours ago












$begingroup$
Yep, that's all we use. All of our designs are just for internal use.
$endgroup$
– Tony
3 hours ago






$begingroup$
Yep, that's all we use. All of our designs are just for internal use.
$endgroup$
– Tony
3 hours ago














$begingroup$
Did you end up using more or less than $1750 worth of your time finding and fixing shorts, though?
$endgroup$
– The Photon
2 hours ago




$begingroup$
Did you end up using more or less than $1750 worth of your time finding and fixing shorts, though?
$endgroup$
– The Photon
2 hours ago












$begingroup$
And if you add a couple of days looking for the shorts (or if they show up as glitches in the future), that 2000$ price tag falls drastically for 48hr and 72hr fabrication.
$endgroup$
– Wesley Lee
1 hour ago




$begingroup$
And if you add a couple of days looking for the shorts (or if they show up as glitches in the future), that 2000$ price tag falls drastically for 48hr and 72hr fabrication.
$endgroup$
– Wesley Lee
1 hour ago


















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