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Cause Found For The Mysterious Skateboard PCB Faults

Authors:
Geoffrey Hunter
Geoffrey Hunter
Published On:
May 28, 2012
Last Updated:
May 28, 2012

So I finally fixed the problems with the skateboard circuit boards…

The culprit, the flux! This stuff is acidic and makes solder stick better to the metal on the components. For some reason, this stuff was causing all the grief with the micro-controllers not programming and the LED’s flashing sporadically. Maybe because I got it from my Dad, who used it when he was a kid? People were questioning me on whether it was a flux designed for PCB components or not, but it clearly says “soldering flux” on it.

Fluxite, soldering paste which caused all sorts of problems since it is a plumbers flux which is not designed for electronics.

More info can be found on the Electric Skateboard project page.