Thought my eyes were enough for board checks until this one job

I always figured I could catch any issue just by looking close during avionics inspections. Then I got stuck on a weird altimeter glitch that wouldn't go away. After pulling my hair out for hours, a buddy suggested I use a loupe on the circuit board. Sure enough, there was a hairline fracture near a solder joint I'd scanned over twice. Now I never skip the magnifier, even on quick checks. It's turned into my first move for tricky faults. Saved my butt on a nav system last Tuesday too.

3 comments

3 Comments

drew_park1mo ago

Ever hear about hairline cracks in old boards? My buddy had one that scrambled a whole fuel gauge system until he spotted it under bright light.

henrybutler1mo ago

Those sneaky little cracks are the worst, right?

reese751mo ago

Grab a magnifying glass and check near the solder joints first. That's where they hide.