TSP #50 - Teardown and Repair of an Agilent E3620A Dual Power Supply Plus IC Decapping Tutorial

[@yaghiyahbrenner8902]

x2 successful repairs, x2 silicon die extractions. Signal Path pushing the EE bloging innovation envelope, hands down. Thank You.

[@petercoutts3853]

soldering is not boring at all not showing the soldering is boring. i like to watch these sort of videos from start to finish with no editing. more educational

[@jaa93997]

As always, Shahriar delivers awesome badass content..... hats off to you sir

[@Systemrat2008]

Nicely done. Some IC have glass passivisation over the chip and I've seen hydrofluoric acid used to remove that and then the IC run under and electron microscope with reduced clock speed so you can see actually see whats happening :-)

[@MrPBrane]

I´m once again impressed how much effort you put into repairing these instruments, even though you don´t seem to actually need any more. After seeing the water damage in that power supply, I will be even more nervous seeing your cat walk over your equipment ;)

[@sbreheny]

Very nice video as always. I have decapped several ICs successfully using 98% sulfuric acid, heated to around 100 deg C. It's much cheaper, easier to get, and safer than Nitric acid and it will not dissolve copper but does dissolve the epoxy quite well.

[@bgdwiepp]

Very nice of Gerry to send you that controller - it may be worthwhile looking at the protocol/interfaces incase a similar problem occurs in the future, although, with the likelihood, maybe not. I would have sanded/ground them down more prior to putting them in the acid, just to minimize excess material, but also possibly to show a nice picture of the leadframe too. Also, i'd say the package that dissolved first was the VFD driver, because it was from a different manufacturer compared to the two mask rom microcontrollers, so more likely that the same manufacturer used the same epoxy. Anyway, great video, keep them coming! Nice work on the spec an too!

[@-yeme-]

its good to see someone on youtube with a sensible attitude to RFNA and who understands the risks of the stuff. Ive seen people on other channels use it both to decap ICs and for other purposes and theyre splashing the stuff around like its isopropanol or something :( you just know someone is going to watch those videos and think hey that looks fun Im going to decap some ics and look at them under the scope or w/e and come to a sticky end. like, literally sticky as their flesh drips off.

[@rubusroo68]

2 in one day, feels like Christmas!

[@dogastus]

Excellent video as usual. A comment on removing through-hole DIL components. If I know I won't need the chip I find it better to carefully cut off the leads individually and then remove the remaining lead stubs one by one. This reduces the danger of ripping up tracks.

[@AV1461]

Amazing video. Priceless. I think you didn't put the links to Gary's channel in the description. I will search him anyway.

[@dwDragon88]

Awesome video! I really like Gerry's channel, it's too bad he's not making videos anymore.

[@gerrysweeney]

dwDragon88 I can only apologise, I have not given up and you will see videos again, I have just been unusually busy to the extreme for the last few months so its been hard to find the time. Thanks for the vote of confidence. Gerry

[@xyloeye]

Gerry Sweeney I second the vote of confidence. I miss your videos too.

[@gerrysweeney]

xyloeye thank you. More to follow I promise Gerry

[@ElGatoLoco698]

Where is the link to Gary's channel and web site? I'd love to see his videos and I don't see the links in the description.

[@KX36]

***** search for Gerry Sweeney on youtube. He's pronouncing Gerry wrong, it should be as in Tom and Jerry; I think we can forgive him that though.

[@ElGatoLoco698]

KX36 Thanks much for that.

[@blapty]

@@KX36... Lies thanks for wasting everyone's time

[@mark314158]

Excellent content. Keep up the good work. I'm sure that if you contact microscope manufacturers and point them at your vids they could come up with a suitable loan/gift.

[@IDan1109]

This is awesome!! Thanks for sharing this videos and your knowledge

[@AliMoeeny]

You forgot to put his link in the description :)

[@pe0sat]

And again a great informational video, thanks for sharing this.

[@Bushougoma]

11:42 I'd replace that transparent X cap by the voltage selector switch it's made by Rifa and they're known to explode without warning. They're a replace on sight component in older gear. If you look close at it you will most likely see hairline fractures (crazing) in it's epoxy casing. Once moisture comes into contact with the capacitors plates it's just a matter of time before the plates short out and it emits copious amounts of smoke. Just search Rifa X caps there are plenty of posts about them.

[@TheBrightPixel]

Hi Shahriar. Loved your Amp Hour episode. Great video. Repairs, Silicon inspection & boiling acid - what more more could you want? :)

[@pauldeboer]

You should really have cut all the pins from the LM339 and remove them individually, that way you'd have much less damage. Apart from that, a very nice video as always!

[@PoLoMoTo2]

Hey hey hey, it's a Note Edge in the wild! I have an Edge too and love it, especially the camera coming from an S3 the camera in the Edge is outstanding, about the only other device with a camera on this level is the iPhone 6+

[@NskLabs]

If You don't want condensation to drip on the sides turn the convex side down, fume will still be somewhat contained and condensation will drip back inside.

[@Pieh0]

Kind of surprised when you said about copper in nitric acid and needing all the precautions, cause at school MANY years ago, we killed a ton of copper coins in science class. No fume hood, no real protection other than "don't splash it about, it'll burn your hands off", we just dissolved them into the class room and watched the brown smoke.

[@gacherumburu9958]

👍👍 well done!

[@NaudioElectronics]

When desolder some rusted throug hole multiple pin components like IC's, cut all pins gently and than desolder each pin. Using this method you will save more pin holes and the damage will be less.

[@nickk6109]

You could use super resolution (take lots of images with the board shifted a little each time), then align and overlay on a 10:1 upscaled grid. The result is a higher definition image (astrophotography uses this technique as do dithered upsampling filters)

[@MartinFreund]

Shahriar, have you considered using a fibreglass pen to remove solder resist? That might probably be less fiddling. Anyway, nice videos, keep going :) Regards, Martin

[@at0977]

Great Video

[@JustinAlexanderBell]

I hate to be nitpicky but, it would be nice if you could use better lighting(5500-6500K) or maybe it's a white balance problem? Either way your videos are always informative and appreciated. Regards, Justin Bell

[@EcotechServicesChristchurch]

It looks like you had not fully desoldered the pins of the LM339. That is why the through hole plating came out with the ic legs.

[@1010tesla]

what is that pointer you are using in the beginning? looks like a metal pencil

[@benbencom]

A turned pin socket would give you access on on both sides and might make the LM339 rework easier.

[@babybearkill1]

Waiting, waiting, waiting!!! When will the waiting come to an end?

[@Narigopia]

Awesome!

[@HelmutTschemernjak]

Thank you for your great videos, I learn a lot here.The blue SMA to SMA cables you use, what kind of brand is this. I purchased multiple cables from Aliexpress but they are not 50 Ohm compatible. Any advise would be appreciated.

[@Claymuh]

Hi Shahriar, great video, I love seeing the dies of various components. However, being a chemist there's one thing I need to comment on, which I keep telling our students as well. Please do not use disposable nitrile gloves with HNO3. They're not real safety gloves and are not rated to protect you from pretty much anything other than water. Look at the many videos on youtube on how fuming HNO3 reacts with these gloves. They burst into flames in a matter of seconds! Please get a pair of non-disposable gloves rated for HNO3.

[@megasmart1337]

You are the master of test-gear repair haha :D

[@davidgrey943]

Hi Shahiar,The tear down and repair of the power supply useing the VFD driver display. I have a radio scanner with a similiar type display but the driver for the HV no longer works and is obselete. I was hoping to use a LED display useing a common Anode display to replace the VFD display. I would like your opinuion on doing that and any sugguestion how,I was going to use a voltage regulator to reduce HV voltage down to 5 Volts. The reason to use a common anode LED because the valve theroy were the voltage goes from anode to cathode. Many Thanks David Grey

[@Thesignalpath]

David Grey I suggest start looking at what interface is used to drive the VFD. If it is a serial interface, you may be able to use a microcontroller plus a regular LCD/LED display to replace the whole VFD and VFD driver.

[@davidgrey943]

The Signal Path Blog The VFD display is from a very early microcontroller which feeds the VFD display and not a single chip that is fed by a microcontroller which makes it a bit more difficult as in the term nothing is simple as it looks HAHA. You would be very aware it happens that way the output looks all most like the similiar system to drive a BCD display system accept it drives a VFD display. Regards David Grey

[@billybunter9103]

I wonder why you didn't grind off the excess black until you cam to a point where you could have used the Nitric Acid to finish off. It would have saved a lot of time.

[@ToniT800]

I drunk two cups of tea and ate 6 donuts while watching tthis video! Very good job. I just wonder, what do you do with all these repaired units, you cant sell them on ebay, cant you?

[@KX36]

Toni T800 I believe he does resell what he doesn't need on ebay, yes.

[@ToniT800]

KX36 but then he has to mention, That the unit is repaired, and looks somewhat different inside with not original components, water damage etc.

[@KX36]

Well, buying something sold as broken or "sold as is, untested" and then fixing it and selling it as "refurbished, used but tested and working" is probably going to make a profit, certainly not a loss; but I think what's more valuable to him is the video material he gets out of it.

[@Slartibartfas042]

One Tip for you and everybody watching that video - *never* do leave any wires or traces as rusty as shown in the video. Be sure to always clean it up and at least get some soldering tin on that tracks and wires to seal it from oxygen. Tracks and wires already are weakened by the liquid (which I think was some cola or lemonade which both are containing acids). So you definitely want to stop that tracks from corroding any further by first clean it up very well and then isolate the track itself from Oxygen by strengthen the tracks with some added solder layer.

[@joelcr250]

the video description doesnt have the link you mentioned

[@Megabean]

Nice video, as always K)

[@KirkOfBellevue]

neat thanks

[@xjohnlangerijs527]

Make some knobs from wood, or plastic. Easy 2 do. BTW it may have been similar stuff, to the stuff u used to de-cap those chips that corroded your pwr supply. Namasté.

[@davecc0000]

Link please to Gary Sweeney's channel? (There are quite a few on YT...)

[@KX36]

davecc0000 search Gerry Sweeney

[@jaycal1920]

What do you call those buttons? The ones that turn the other one off when you press one of them? What is that called?

[@kresoptube]

So how would bits 0 and 1 appear under the microscope ?

[@BTom16]

Great channel. (y)

[@JGunlimited]

Are you even human? lol kidding, this is amazing as usual

[@yaghiyahbrenner8902]

Shahriar, Do you mean Gerry Sweeney ?

[@babybearkill1]

The Signal Path Blog It's time for a new video,

[@billybunter9103]

To see those ICs in detail, then visit ZEPTOBARS zeptobars.com/en/

[@embeddedusystems]

Someone please find the buttons! I've searched, can't even find them from Agilent!

[@Starchface]

William Reeve Someone with a 3-D printer can undoubtedly 3-D print some. There may be a design for such buttons online.

[@aknewhope]

The electric surgeon ;)

[@BellA-mf1ti]

any new videos？

[@svenhoek]

If you are interested in decapping fun, KZbin search Chris Tarnovsky

[@CKOD]

I saw an interesting talk on using image processing to read a mask ROM recently. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYKbY3mhqc13rpo Interesting to see what can be done after de-capping.

[@joelcr250]

ones and zeros

[@trevorvanbremen4718]

Gloves? When using RFNA? I'd AVOID those gloves. (From what I understand, your typical nitrile lab gloves will actually self ignite if you spill RFNA / WFNA onto them!)

[@Thesignalpath]

Thank you, I did not know that! I will have to make sure I have gloves designed to work with RFNA.

[@trevorvanbremen4718]

I just re-read what I posted and my own words comes across as hyper-arrogant even to my OWN eyes... Therefore, I apologize... Gulp

[@Thesignalpath]

@@trevorvanbremen4718 Don't worry about it. The safety message outweighs any unintentional tone.

[@hannonm]

wow that was bad damage

[@Megabean]

I really don't like how they attached that transformer directly to the PCB, if you dropped that unit, it wouldn't just damage case standoffs, you'd likely crack and destroy the PCB. Not a good design AT ALL.