In reviewing a VME Single Board Computer product that had flash memory access failures, it was found that there were non-captive traces extending past the edge of the component circuit card. These traces had come into contact with each other (shorted together). When these traces were separated, the flash memory failure was eliminated and the SBC became fully functional. Please see images below.
The questions here at Aitech Defense Systems are:
1) Are these traces test points for use in component production?
2) Are these traces present on new parts or is this non-captive traces issue due to handling during production?
3) Are there there any manufacturer's recommendations for handling / protecting these traces during installation or rework?
4) Are the non-captive traces possibly due to a manufacturing issue? If so, has this been addressed by the manufacturer?
