PCB Surface mount test tools

[justinlw]

I'm looking for a tool to measure current between 2 pads on a PCB. Something like the tweesers to bnc for surface mount caps/resistors. specifialy, it also has to be easy to use 1 handed.

 

[evandude]

Okay, first off, I am going to ask this because I've seen people make this mistake on the forum recently, and I don't know how familiar you are with electronics, so please don't take offense if you are aware of it already... you DO realize that to measure current in a trace on a PCB, the meter has to be in series with it, not parallel, right?

are you going to be cutting traces to measure current, or putting in designated test pads, or what?

If this is going to be done for debugging a finished board, it seems like with the extra work it takes to get the series connection for current measurement in an arbitrary trace, the probe you use would be the least of your troubles...

If you only need to measure the current through designated test pads (presumably this would be for mass production verification before the device was fully assembled, as leaving important traces with open-circuited test pads would not make it work very well in the end), then you could try making a small tool by drilling a couple holes in a piece of plastic and inserting spring-loaded pogo pins.

 

[justinlw]

we're removing an RF Choke, and measuring across its pads. no trace cutting, and no resoldering. want to minimise possible pad damage. there are 2 vias off its pads, so something similar to **broken link removed** might work. waiting to get the boardlayout to see what the diameter of the via's is

 

[evandude]

oh, okay. If you're always measuring current across pads with uniform spacing on all the devices you need to test, then a simple jig made with pogo pins might be a good bet... and if you got pogo pins with conical tips, it might even be a good idea to space them so the tips of them rested in the vias.