Mass Spec PCB Repair?

[mburleson]

Hello,

Does anyone know of a company that offers repairs on PCBs? I've got a Thermo Quantum Ultra MS that is eating PCBs. I've tried Global Electronic Services (https://gesrepair.com/), but haven't had much luck even with me sending them the schematics of each PCB I've attempted to have them repair.

Thanks!

[70 eV]

I feel like if you're constantly burning out boards calling in a service tech would be a better use of funds.

[mburleson]

I feel like if you're constantly burning out boards calling in a service tech would be a better use of funds.

The cost I have been quoted is outrageous for a university. They want $31k. What happens is that the diagnostics show an issue with one PCB, and when I replace it another one then faults. The engineer I was emailing, before they stopped replying, said “I’ve had to replace every PCB in that model just to get them to behave before.”

I have a guy in California I know with the same system who's loaned me PCB by PCB to figure out which one is acting up.

[zhenfazhang]

I feel like if you're constantly burning out boards calling in a service tech would be a better use of funds.

The cost I have been quoted is outrageous for a university. They want $31k. What happens is that the diagnostics show an issue with one PCB, and when I replace it another one then faults. The engineer I was emailing, before they stopped replying, said “I’ve had to replace every PCB in that model just to get them to behave before.”

I have a guy in California I know with the same system who's loaned me PCB by PCB to figure out which one is acting up.

So every time you replaced one PCB and that solved your problem, and then some other problem popped up and you have to replace another PCB? I am wondering how long the system would stay working between each two PCB replacements. Is one PCB replacement causing the other? Or you are just replacing one PCB after another to figure out which PCB is at fault? That is a daunting job and seems impractical if we have to buy PCB to test.

[mburleson]

I feel like if you're constantly burning out boards calling in a service tech would be a better use of funds.

The cost I have been quoted is outrageous for a university. They want $31k. What happens is that the diagnostics show an issue with one PCB, and when I replace it another one then faults. The engineer I was emailing, before they stopped replying, said “I’ve had to replace every PCB in that model just to get them to behave before.”

I have a guy in California I know with the same system who's loaned me PCB by PCB to figure out which one is acting up.

So every time you replaced one PCB and that solved your problem, and then some other problem popped up and you have to replace another PCB? I am wondering how long the system would stay working between each two PCB replacements. Is one PCB replacement causing the other? Or you are just replacing one PCB after another to figure out which PCB is at fault? That is a daunting job and seems impractical if we have to buy PCB to test.

It was a daunting job, but the boards are easy to find on eBay. Is there a way I can contact you directly to help?

[MichaelVW]

My sympathy. I've been told that one bad board can cook others, so I wonder if something you haven't replaced is the problem.

Do you have this thing on a power conditioner?
Could the internal power supply be the problem?

[mburleson]

My sympathy. I've been told that one bad board can cook others, so I wonder if something you haven't replaced is the problem.

Do you have this thing on a power conditioner?
Could the internal power supply be the problem?

That's a valid point about it being the internal power supply. I know Thermo has a surge protection circuitry in there somewhere but ours may have went out. Once I got the system operational, we did put it on a power conditioner.