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Old timer told me to always check the solder joints first, even when the fault code says something else
Back when I was a greenhorn at a regional shop in Dayton, we had a G1000 unit throwing a weird comm error. The book pointed straight at the LRU. My lead, a guy named Frank who'd been at it since the 70s, just grunted and said 'Pull the rack, look at the pins. Bet you a coffee it's a cold joint.' I thought he was nuts, the diagnostic path was clear. Spent half a day swapping boxes with no change. Finally gave in, pulled the unit, and sure enough, three pins on the main connector had cracked solder. A ten minute reflow and it was solid. Frank never said 'I told you so,' just sipped his coffee. That was maybe eight years ago, and I still start with the physical connection now, no matter what the computer screams. Anyone else have a boss or mentor who drilled in a rule that seemed wrong but saved your skin later?
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josephs266h agoTop Commenter
Sounds like Frank knew how to save you a half-day headache. (And hey @nathanh44, at least you learned it yourself, even if it hurt.) Some lessons just stick better after you've wasted a whole afternoon, right?
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