Finally got that weird static out of a G1000 audio panel after two days of head scratching

Had a Citation come in with the pilot reporting intermittent static in his headset, but only on comm 2. Checked all the usual stuff, grounds, connections, even swapped the headset jack. Nothing. Spent maybe 12 hours total on it over Tuesday and Wednesday. On a hunch, I pulled the whole audio panel and found a tiny, almost invisible crack in a solder joint on the comm 2 input circuit. A quick reflow with the iron and the static was gone. Has anyone else had a fault hide in a solder joint like that on these panels?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew_reed6211d ago

Honestly, I've had way more trouble from bad connectors than from cracked solder. Could it have just been a pin in the rack?

brian_smith611d ago

Been there. Those hairline cracks in old solder are the worst, especially on a dense board. Good call pulling the whole unit. On the older panels, the vibration over time just works those joints loose. A magnifying glass and good light are your best friends for spotting them.

markt2311d ago

Actually, vibration usually cracks the bigger components first... the little chips can handle it. It's the transformers and big caps that shake loose.

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