I just hate it when ____! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: shadewind
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 11:39:20 am
content: Is there anything related to electronics that sometimes just gets to you and fills you with rage? Something pretty insignificant but that at the time it happens just gets to you? Share your frustrations!I'll start:I just hate it when I've soldered something to a board and it's fine but I suddenly decide I could make it look a bit prettier. Every time I do this, I end up making it look worse and possible ruining something else in the process. I seem to always melt some plastic on some connector or even worse, lift a pad! I just hate lifted pads, it completely ruins the fun in assembly. The weird thing is that I time after time fall for the temptation to try and fix something which looks suboptimal and every time, I manage to make it worse

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 11:57:40 am
content: I think i speak for everyone when i say...Soldering a connector onto a cable then realizing ya forgot to put the casing over the wire first.

author: shadewind
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 12:01:57 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on October 23, 2011, 11:57:40 amOh crap! I knew there was something I forgot. I can't count how many times I've done this (same with heatshrink tubing). Even worse, I sometimes do this twice in a row. I solder the connector, realize my mistake, desolder, resolder only to find out I did it again!

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 12:20:10 pm
content: Quote from: shadewind on October 23, 2011, 12:01:57 pmheh yeah,The most annoying thing is that the connectors never quite solder as nicely after the first attempt.The first time you touch solder to a clean gold plated connector it flows perfectly and produces a nice looking join.

author: Achilles
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 12:27:30 pm
content: Hehehhee, so THAT is common. Nice to know. I just think "DOH!" and do it again.What I hate....hmmm, bad documentation when you worj on sth. you had no experience in yet... Even worse when the support won't help you too.

author: shadewind
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 12:27:56 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on October 23, 2011, 12:20:10 pmOn the other hand, some connectors are a pain to solder either way. Those 1/4" plug jacks (TRS or similar) where the ground tab is also the strain relief are also a pain. You have to heat up the whole tab and by the time it's hot enough, it has started melting the plastic of the cable!

author: Chet T16
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 12:34:14 pm
content: I just hate it when you're stripping ribbon cable and you're on the last one and the wire breaks so you either need to redo them all of leave the rest long

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 01:09:30 pm
content: I just hate it when you run out of solder half-way through a project and the nearest retailer is a three-hour round trip.(Now I keep a few 200g rolls in stock).

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 01:20:09 pm
content: Running out of cable clips (with hardened nails) , it can become an issue.And the worst part are :That every one can see, that you did run out of cable clips .....,by just looking at the wall !!

author: PStevenson
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 02:36:15 pm
content: I use stripboard a lot to prototype stuff and often I (stupidally) start to build something up when I'm tiredI get half way through and realize I've done the strip cuts in the wrong place so then I either have to startagain or make it look like turd adding jumpers over the cuts.that happened last night !also when I run out of 1/4watt resistors and have to resort to 1/2watt resistorsthough hopefully that won't happen for a while after buying boxes of 1000 of my importants!that purchase made me sweat a bit!

author: shadewind
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 02:49:34 pm
content: I hate it when laying out a PCB and i realize that two chips have their pins in the exact opposite order so I have to jump through hoops with lots of vias.

author: RCMR
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 06:48:57 pm
content: Quote from: shadewind on October 23, 2011, 02:49:34 pmJust do the layout with one of the chips on the other side of the PCB (assuming through-hole)

author: deephaven
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 07:16:02 pm
content: ...I've just sent all the Gerbers to a PCB company for the boards to be made, and then find a mistake.

author: Neilm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 08:59:38 pm
content: Quote from: deephaven on October 23, 2011, 07:16:02 pmJest sending is not too bad - imagine knowing they are in transit when you find it... (me last week)

author: shadewind
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 10:21:26 pm
content: I actually prefer blatant PCB design errors over those little "Crap, I wonder if it matters?" things. Those always get to me. If it's broken, I don't have to think about and I can just bite the bullet and do another run. If it's an error small enough for me to not know for sure, I just worry over it until I get mad.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 23, 2011, 10:40:40 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on October 23, 2011, 11:57:40 amIt's an extra bitch when it's a 50 way connector...Or wiring a 50way connector on backwards, as a mirror image.Dave.

author: DrGeoff
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2011, 02:01:07 am
content: Receiving a bunch of PCB mount ribbon headers and finding out that the leads are just too large for the holes in the PCB.

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2011, 02:13:05 am
content: Soldering a through hole chip the wrong way around.

author: PetrosA
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2011, 04:43:03 am
content: Getting all the way up the extension ladder with 40 pounds of splicing tools just to realize that you left the wire strippers down on the ground

author: McMonster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2011, 07:32:27 am
content: Extension ladder? I'm sure these guys would just start to laugh at this moment:

author: Achilles
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2011, 10:01:36 am
content: Quote from: McMonster on October 24, 2011, 07:32:27 amholy sh*t, that narrow tower without security?! More than once?! ....Hehe, these guy's must be really short of time.... And yeah, climbing on a tower with tools can be quite tough, so even more a reason to secure yourself

author: Neilm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2011, 07:08:00 pm
content: Finding that the only thing wrong with your PCB is you have mirrored the connector...Neil