PCB debate is on

PCB & IC — Do you see?
Today, when your AV equipment or PC goes in for repair, the common terminology of the technician is Sir, your IC is defective and since this has gone over your head, all you can say is I See! What is a PCB and what is the difference between a PCB and IC?

PCB (printed circuit board) is a thin board generally used in electronic and electrical equipment and appliances to mechanically support and connects electronic components. Before PCBs, components were connected together with wires. Then came the PCB. This too is a wiring board but etched with copper tracks, which are conductive paths for current instead of cumbersome wires. A full board assembled with electronic components is also known as a printed circuit board (PCBA).
An integrated circuit (IC) is a circuit comprising of miniature silicon semiconductors forming a small electronic circuit encased inside a hermetically sealed plastic, metal, or ceramic package that prevents it being damaged from dust, moisture, and contact with other objects. The package also serves to allow easier connections to a printed circuit board (PCB). The IC is also called a chip. They are easier to mount on PCBs than loose components and in some equipment ICs can be directly socket mounted on very small PCBs and hooked on to the gadget.

Reader Query
I have a 43’’ Plasma TV which is around two years old. Suddenly the picture went off and the red light on the front panel keeps on blinking. Today with HD LCD 40” LCD TVs easily available within Rs 60,000, would it be worthwhile to repair it?
Rajesh, Mumbai

Columnist’s Response
The blinking indicates a malfunction in the circuit. In new generation, whenever there is a fault, the in-built protection circuit is triggered and the set goes into standby mode. The blinking therefore indicates a circuit failure. The set will therefore not function until the fault is rectified or until the faulty component is replaced.
Now, whether it’s worth repairing or not? If the repair cost is more than one third the cost of the equipment, then on would rather go in for a new piece. You will be getting newer technology, more features, an year’s warranty and a longer life. As per a recent study stipulated Plasma/LCD life spans of 30,000-40,000 hrs, your Plasma, if repaired rightly, should be good for another 8 years atleast even if used daily for minimum four hours.
Since your Plasma is only two years old and Plasma provides better contrast than some LCD TVs, it would be worthwhile repairing your Plasma if the cost of repairs less than 25 percent of your TV cost.
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