Soldering Defect Database: How many ways can a solder joint fail? More than you might think.

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), in the UK, has opened their Defect Database to the public. Of specific interest to us is the Soldering Defects Database.

When you go to the Soldering Defects Database, you are asked for an email address (not sure why?), once entered a set of pull-down menus is shown, allowing us to narrow the filed of defects that we want to search. If you want to see all of the defects simply hit "Submit Query", without selecting anything. This brings up a long page of pictures of the various types of defects.

NPL is also accepting submissions of solder defects not already covered.

An entry in the IPC Blog Introducing Defect of the Month from NPL and IPC: Toe Fillet Defects, introduces the new Defect of the Month video series; Gimpel Software's Bug of the Month comes to mind.

Steve Ciarcia, of Circuit Cellar Magazine, has been known to say that his favorite programming language was solder. Consider these defects to be the 'compiler errors' of the hardware realm.