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EPTE Newsletter from Japan: Quick Repair, Slow Process

I have been using Apple personal computers since the early 1990s. I bought my second MacBook Pro almost five years ago. This was the state-of-the-art computer – fast with many technological advances. The total cost was more than $2,000, including a three-year warranty. I must have got a lemon, because this PC was in the shop several times over three years. The LCD display simply went out three times, the CD drive stopped working once, and the battery went dead and could not be charged. The technicians at the Apple store were prompt and efficient in fixing the PC each time, but the whole process was a hassle.

The process is always the same – a technician diagnoses the problem quickly and fixes it by replacing a part or a module. Usually, the store does not have the part on hand, and I have to return once the part is shipped to them. I leave the store with my broken computer, and visit it one more time when the part arrives. Because they can’t fix it immediately, I have to leave my computer with them. I visit the store a fourth time, and now I can pick up my computer.

The repair process is very simple – they only need to replace a module, and it usually takes less than a half hour. It is very easy to fix computers today; however it takes four trips to the Apple store before you can go home with a working computer. Factor in travel time, (the closest Apple Store is 20 minutes from my home), and the whole process is a hassle. The good thing is the repair work is free because I bought an extended warranty.

I had a chance to visit a Circuit Technology Centre (CTC) in Haverhill, Massachusetts. This company is experts in circuit board repair. They fix the problem without replacing parts. One of their engineers told me that most of the problems with the circuit boards are caused by inadequate soldering. CTC uses a quick and efficient process where they remove the soldering and re-mount the components on the same board. High density small packages such as BGAs and wafer level packages are not problematic in the repair process. The smallest sized chip components are not a problem either. The company solders the boards without replacing any parts and the defective area of the circuit board (such as an open/short and through-hole cracks) are quickly repaired. CTC can repair the defects using small amounts of copper foils and fine wires and solder or glue. CTC repairs various defects on finer copper traces less than one hundred micron (4 mils) traces rescuing the whole circuit boards. They do it with surgical precision in a short period of time. This saves the customer time and money.

I remember in my younger years watching TV electronic technicians repair broken equipment using only simple hand tools. Usually, a schematic diagram was attached inside the housing for these technicians to follow, and most of them received specified training.

Nowadays, the broken products are sent to a manufacturers’ repair facility. They order alternative parts to replace the modules and do not solder anything in the process. It is pretty much plug and play – the technicians at the repair center do not require any specialized training. This is now the future – gone are the independent TV repair men. I cannot say which way is better.

Headlines of the week

(Please contact haverhill@dknreseach.com for further information of the news.)

1. Nikon (Major optical device manufacturer in Japan) 5/19

Has commercialized an absolute encoder “MAR-M50A” with world smallest thickness (12.74 mm).

2. Murata (Major electronic device supplier in Japan) 5/14

Has developed the world first SMT type acceleration sensor with MEMS technology. Size: 5.2 x 2.5 x 0.8 mm

3. Riken (Major R&D organization in Japan) 5/15

Has developed a new quantum theory for the analysis of heat stream and temperature graduation in electronic devices.

4. Ricoh (Major electronics company in Japan) 5/18

Has developed a new power generation rubber for energy harvesting. The rubber generates electric power by a piezo effect that has higher conversion rates than ceramic materials.
 
5. FDK (Major electronic device supplier in Japan) 5/18

Has developed a new re-chargeable sensor logger for IoT and IoE applications. Sensing items: Acceleration rates, directions, temperature, pressure, etc.

6. Mitsubishi Electric (Major electric & electronics company in Japan) 5/26

Has completed the building of photovoltaic facility in Nagasaki Prefecture for the Mega-Solar generation plant with a 13.2 MW capacity.

7. Fujitsu (Major electronics company in Japan) 5/21

Has introduced a new river monitoring system using an IoT technology for Saitama Prefecture to check water levels on time.

8. Kyocera TLC Solar (Major solar device supplier in Japan) 5/24

Has started the commercial operation of the large scale solar power generation station on the lake of Sakamaike, Hyogo with 2.3 MW capacity.

9. Stanley (Major electronic device supplier in Japan) 5/26

Has co-developed a new LED lighting agriculture plant unit with Taisei Construction. The new unit reduces the energy consumption 64%.

10. Riken (Major R&D organization in Japan) 5/26

Has achieved 10% conversion rates with the large size organic thin photovoltaic cells made by painting process.

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Dominique K. Numakura, dnumakura@dknresearch.com

DKN Research, www.dknresearchllc.com

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