With increase in modern technology and automation in ship’s machinery and operations, electronic circuits like printed circuit board or PCB along with signal transducer and transmission system are popularly used onboard. Since these are very small and vital circuits they require proper location and precaution for their installation.
What is Printed Circuit Board or PCB?
In ships, electronic system PCB plate or board is commonly used as it is compact in size and easy to replace.
PCB is an electrical interconnection of different electronic components using tracks, signal traces, conductive pathways etc., and the whole circuit is supported mechanically on a small board.
It is very important to properly locate the installation of electronic components as they are prone to damage if there is excessive change in the surroundings.
Important points to be kept in mind while installing electronic system:
- The electronic circuits get affected by change in temperature or heat so component like transmitter should be installed in a place with good ventilation and with no gas or steam leakage.
- Cable connecting the electronic component must be installed over perforated plates for good ventilation and should not lie on the hot surface.
- The cable used must have proper insulation.
- Circuits like PCB have more chance of getting damaged when exposed to high temperature. Therefore, they are installed in Engine control room (ECR) and air conditioning is provided in the control room to maintain the temperature of electronic and electrical components.
- While installing the electronic component, drier or silica gel packets are used in the control box to avoid condensation of moisture over the circuit.
- With moisture over the circuit due to humidity in the atmosphere, the electronic component will behave erratic.
- The box or cabinet used to install electronic circuit must be properly secured with the surroundings to avoid vibration.
- Vibration will cause loose or breaking of contacts.
- All the components are to be tightly fitted in the cabinet as else loose fitting may lead to vibration and hence breaking of contacts and components.
- Electronic circuit’s component cable should not be in the vicinity of 440 v high tension cable.
- 440 v cable produce electromagnetic field which will interact with the signal of the electronic circuit and lead to wrong input or output.
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About Anish
With electronic card, the most important issue is static electricity . We can avoid damage due to static electricity two ways.
First, you have to ground your body simply touching any metal surface.
Second, touch only the PCB insulation not the circuit line or the components lead.