LPD Electronic Services Ltd - Frequently Asked Questions

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  • Q: Why Subcontract?
  • A: LPD offers a single source procurement of high quality economical services delivered on schedule with the minimum of disruption to clients' normal working routines. It is our policy to supply only to needs and not to forcibly market unnecessary or unwanted solutions.

    • Q: What is a 'Printed Circuit Board'?
    • A: A 'Printed Circuit Board' starts off as a piece of flat board - typically 1.6mm thick - made from an insulating material. It has a very thin layer of copper attached to one or both sides. Each copper layer is then made to undergo a chemical process whereby selected regions of copper are removed. This leaves only the required electrical circuit connections remaining on the board.

    • Q: What is 'Electronic Fabrication'?
    • A: 'Electronic Fabrication' is the assembly of electrical & electronic components into a complete functioning system.

    • Q: What is a 'Functional Test'?
    • A: A 'Functional Test' is a procedure whereby a newly manufactured device is tested whilst being electrically stimulated in a way similar to the way in which it will eventually be used. This is often carried out at a very high or a very low temperature.

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    • Q: What is a 'Burn-in' or 'Endurance' System?
    • A: A 'Burn-in' or 'Endurance' System is a piece of equipment which allows the lifetime of a new component to be accelerated by applying electrical stimulation at a high temperature. Subsequent testing then identifies immediately any units which would otherwise have failed early in their lifetime. This allows them to be rejected before distribution.

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    • Q: What is a 'Temperature Test Chamber' or 'Endurance Chamber'?
    • A: A 'Temperature Test Chamber' or 'Endurance Chamber' refers to the actual oven enclosure or heating system into which units are placed in order for them to undergo a 'burn-in' test.

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    • Q: What does 'PTH' stand for?
    • A: 'PTH' stands for 'Plated Through Hole'. It is a method of Printed Circuit Board (PCB) manufacture whereby tracks on one layer are electrically connected through previously drilled holes to tracks on another layer using a plating method.

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    • Q: What does 'ESD' stand for?
    • A: 'ESD' stands for 'Electrostatic Discharge' and is more commonly known as 'static electricity'. ESD can severely damage sensitive electronic components internally - usually when they are being handled or assembled. This damage leads to product failures and an increased number of rejects.

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    • Q: What is a 'Score'?
    • A: A 'Score' is a narrow road or pathway. Lowestoft has ten complete Scores remaining. Each was originally a track leading from the cliff top to the 'Beach Village' which housed much of Lowestoft's fishing communities through the centuries. Origins of the word 'Score' are not certain but they would seem to derive from the making of a cut or line.

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    • Q: What is a 'Microcircuit'?
    • A: A 'Microcircuit' is an electronic component in its own right which is designed to perform a particular function. It is in turn comprised of many individual miniaturised and interconnected components which have been very densely packed within a small area.

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    • Q: What is a 'Component Location Drawing'?
    • A: A 'Component Location Drawing' is a diagram showing where components are to be actually placed on a Printed Circuit Board.

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    • Q: What is a 'Power Supply'?
    • A: A 'Power Supply' converts the high voltage industrial or household mains electricity supply into a safe low voltage power source suitable for use with electronic equipment.

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    • Q: What is 'LPD Garden House'?
    • A: 'LPD Garden House' is the name of our second office based in Bungay, Suffolk. From here we are able to offer complete PC systems, peripherals, software and friendly advice without obligation. For more information, see our page titled 'Computer Supplies & Services'.

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    • Q: I am experiencing problems printing PDF files - what can I do?
    • A: There are known issues concerning the printing of a PDF file to a PCL printer (Hewlett-Packard Printer Control Language).

      It is recommended that you first upgrade your installation of the Adobe 'Acrobat Reader' to version 4.05 or higher. The latest version may be freely downloaded from Adobe by following the 'Get Acrobat Reader' hyperlink on our Downloads page.

      A 'workaround' solution which does not involve upgrading is to print the file as an image. This can be achieved by selecting the tick-box 'Print as image' in the 'Print' dialog box of 'Acrobat Reader'.

      A useful resource for troubleshooting 'Acrobat Reader' printing problems is 'PDFzone' - a hyperlink can be found on our 'Links & Resources' page under Generalised Links.

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    • Q: I am experiencing problems viewing PDF files - what can I do?
    • A: It is recommended that in the first instance, the PDF file is downloaded onto the hard drive and viewed directly rather than relying on the 'Acrobat' browser plug-in. This can be achieved by right-clicking on the required file and selecting 'Save Target As' (Windows).

      Some PDF files may take some time to download if the file size is large. Adobe 'Acrobat' will normally display a blank page until download has completed - showing no indication of progress. Downloading directly onto the hard drive as explained above will display a progress bar until transfer is complete.

      Incomplete display of text or images may occur intermittently when using 'Internet Explorer' and the 'Acrobat' plug-in. This may be solved by downloading direct to the hard drive or by selecting 'Preferences - General' from the 'File' menu in Adobe 'Acrobat' and de-selecting 'Web Browser Integration'.

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    • Q: What is a 'Motherboard'?
    • A: A 'Motherboard' is the main circuit board in a computer. It is into this board that the CPU (Central Processing Unit) or 'processor' is plugged. The CPU is the part of the computer that processes information and carries out all calculations.

    • Q: What is an 'Internal Modem'?
    • A: An 'Internal Modem' is a card (circuit board) which is inserted into a slot inside a computer (the internal expansion bus). This then allows the computer to communicate with other computers using standard telephone lines.

    Because conventional telephone lines are designed to carry voices, a modem is required to convert computer data into audio tones which may then be carried through the telephone network. The function carried out by a modem is that of a 'modulator-demodulator' and it is from this that the name 'modem' is derived.

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    • Q: What is a 'Battery Charger'?
    • A: A 'Battery Charger' is an electronic circuit which will generally be associated with a particular type of rechargeable battery. Once connected, it restores the electrical charge back into the cells of the battery in a controlled manner and maintains a 'fully charged' condition.

    • Q: What is a '24v UPS Module'?
    • A: 'UPS' stands for 'Uninterruptable Power Supply'. A '24v UPS Module' is an electronic unit which maintains a constant 24v power supply to an essential system (such as one for fire protection in a building). This protects the system from electrical mains supply failure which would otherwise cause it to stop working altogether. It achieves this by incorporating rechargeable batteries, a Battery Charger circuit, fault condition monitoring, power switching and associated management circuitry.

    • Q: What is a 'Junction Box'?
    • A: A 'Junction Box' is an enclosure which facilitates the connection of electrical circuits in a safe manner. It is often sealed from the outside environment.

    • Q: What is a 'Test Facility'?
    • A: A 'Test Facility' is an electronic system designed and built to accept and carry out a Functional Test on a newly manufactured device in accordance with a published test specification.