Arduino Ethernet Shield Defects?

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TimothyRalphF
 
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Arduino Ethernet Shield Defects?

Post by TimothyRalphF »

Hi Guys,

dunno if it's just me but my Ethernet Shield has some 'defects' I think.

I noticed some of the lead areas are corroded and the wiznet chip is also melted a bit and some corrosion on some of it's pins to the side.

There are also 'scratches' , though I think these were tested for continuity or something...

It looks like factory defect and from my research it might be one of the 0.3% defective boards that get out of their QA's checks in the main Arduino.

I'll try to post some Pics later on if I can get my hands on a decent camera so I can show these trouble spots.

I'm just worried that it might not last me that long before I can really use it.

-----------

When I tried to test some sdfat example files:

I also noticed that it says something about "Data area is not aligned on flash erase boundaries!" when I tried it with the sdfatinfo example to check my card.

It's a 2GB kingston micro sd card.

a couple of example files I tried seem to be okay like the file read and such.
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can this still be replaced? or is this normal?

I'll try to post pics as soon as I can. Thanks for any info on this. :)

Update:

Hi Guys. just uploaded a couple of pics. Sorry I was in a car. I'll try to get better ones if you still can't see clearly.

From the looks of it on closer inspection, they look like residue or corrosion. can I just clean this off or should I have it replaced?

What should I use to clean? alcohol?

Thanks!
Attachments
icsp_corrosion_residue0.JPG
icsp_corrosion_residue0.JPG (95.83 KiB) Viewed 1633 times
wiznet_residue.png
wiznet_residue.png (397.01 KiB) Viewed 1633 times
icsp_corrosion_residue1.png
icsp_corrosion_residue1.png (481.71 KiB) Viewed 1633 times
Last edited by TimothyRalphF on Mon Oct 04, 2010 5:43 am, edited 3 times in total.

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Arduino Ethernet Shield Defects?

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Post clear pics showing any details you are concerned about. Is the Ethernet functioning properly?

TimothyRalphF
 
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Re: Arduino Ethernet Shield Defects?

Post by TimothyRalphF »

hi chaps,

just uploaded some pics. if anyone can give some helpful feedback it would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Arduino Ethernet Shield Defects?

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Looks like a little flux residue. I took a close look at my Ethernet shield and it has flux residue around all the through-hole parts. I guess that's normal for these boards.

TimothyRalphF
 
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Re: Arduino Ethernet Shield Defects?

Post by TimothyRalphF »

so can I just clean this off? doesnt' flux corrode?

did you see the wiznet pic? that residue was on the chip itself.

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Arduino Ethernet Shield Defects?

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Not sure how the flux gets onto the top of the IC. In general, the Ethernet Shields don't seem to be as clean as the Arduino boards.

You can clean up any stray flux with some 90% isopropyl and an old toothbrush.

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Re: Arduino Ethernet Shield Defects?

Post by adafruit »

there is flux on the ethernet shield because they are hand-soldered, not wave soldered. this isnt a defect. the flux used is rosin core, it is protective. you can remove it but it does not in any way affect the functionality of the board and in removing it you could possibly damage the board so we don't suggest it.

residue on the chip is probably from reworking/repair. this isn't a defect, it is because its is impossible to have 100% yield on assembly. the factory repaired this board instead of throwing it out. this is -extremely- common in every kind of electronic device. it does not affect the lifetime or functionality of the board. again, we don't suggest cleaning off the flux as its a delicate chip.

As others have noted, please do not use the visual aesthetics of DIY hobbyist electronic components to attempt an analysis of defectiveness - many things that appear to be 'ugly' are good engineering design! :)

That said, if there is a functional problem with the board we will of course replace it.

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