All electronic devices, such as televisions and phones, contain one or more printed circuit boards or PCBs. A typical PCB contains a number of electronic components connected together through copper lines on the board. The components are held on the board through electrically conducting bonds between their terminals as well as by pads on the board. A number of tools are required to install and repair components on a PCB.
Active Electronic Components
An active electronic component is a device that requires power to operate. All integrated circuits, or ICs, are active devices. For example, a computer microprocessor is an active component. Other examples of active components are micro-controllers, amplifier chips and timer chips. Almost all electronic boards now contain one or more integrated circuits.
Passive Electronic Components
Passive electronic components do not require external power to operate. The commonly used passive electronic components on PCBs are resistors, capacitors, inductors, transistors and diodes. Generally, these components are found in greater numbers on PCBs than active components.
Soldering Iron
A soldering iron is used to solder electronic components on circuit boards. Soldering involves melting a metal alloy called solder flux at the interface of a component's terminal and its pad, and then letting it cool and solidify. Soldering iron is an absolutely essential tool not only for component installation but also for board repair. If a component is to be taken off of a board, the solder flux must be melted to break the bonds. This can be done with a soldering iron.
Solder Flux
Solder flux is a metal alloy that is used to bond a component's terminals with pads on a PCB. It comes in different types and shapes. For use with a soldering iron, it comes in the shape of a wire. For reflow soldering, it comes in the form of a paste. Reflow soldering is a process in which a component is placed on the board with solder paste on its terminals and then heated in an oven to melt the solder flux and create bonds between the terminals and the pads.
