PNNL

Abstract

Moisture is a key contributor to a variety of electronic system failure modes. These failure modes range from corrosion to surface flashover on printed circuit boards due to moist surface contaminants. One particularly challenging aspect of moisture-induced failures is the intermittent nature of the problems. As a result, troubleshooting can result in the removal of parts that subsequently retest as acceptable. This can generate a large volume of suspect parts, and can significantly increase the consumption rate of spares. In outdoor environments, or wet indoor environments like wash-down areas, best practices for moisture protection of electronic systems begin with the design of the enclosures and penetrations, and end with the design and configuration of the electronic components. Several of these best practices are presented in this article.