With millions of printed circuit boards (PCBs) created every year, it is ideal to
avoid short circuits in PCBs, but it's nearly impossible to avoid. There are multiple
reasons that can cause a short circuit, which can occur during the manufacturing and/or
the assembly of a PCB. While it is possible to detect shorts on a PCB using a multimeter,
one of the hardest challenges with PCB short circuits is physically locating them,
especially if they are relatively high resistance or are not noticeably visible. The PCB
will not work as intended, and any short circuits can lead to permanent damage to the PCB
that may be very costly to fix or replace. The worst-case scenario may even be discarding
the entire PCB and having to order or build a new PCB, which can significantly set back a
project based on factors like component availability. The last thing anyone would want to
happen to their PCB is to have it burn or melt which, speaking from firsthand experiences,
does NOT smell the greatest...
About Our Sponsor
Precision Test Solutions is an independent testing laboratory located in Orlando, FLorida. They're known
for evaluating and testing both electrical and mechanical components, ensuring that they can meet a range
of specifications. Being about a 15-minute drive from the University of Central Florida, all of the work done with the
PCB Short Locator has been conducted by the team at their facility, along with our meetings. We're very grateful
for Precision Test Solutions sharing their resources with us and giving us this opportunity, as it was a very
educational experience. We would also like to extend our gratitude to our project mentor, Steve Ireland, for
giving us tremoundous guidance and insight as we worked on this product for Precision Test Solutions.
Lastly, the team would like to give a special thanks to all three of our project review panelists, as well as our ECE Senior Design
coordinators, Dr. Lei Wei and Dr. Chung Yong Chan, for also guiding us throughout the Summer and Fall 2023 semesters.
