[rescue] Sun Kit Needed for EE Student Here

[Don Y]

wa2egp at att.net wrote:
>>    I have an Indy motherboard that had a surface-mount cap go south
>> (as in crack open and stink) that made the entire board inop.  I found
>> the failure "by nose" -- quite literally -- the crack in the cap was
>> just about too small to see (and certainly too small to notice on a
>> quick visual inspection).  There was some discolouration, so that
>> should have been a hint.
>>
>>    In any event, I suspect that if I replace it I'll have a good
>> spare motherboard.  I just haven't gotten around to it yet....
> 
> I should have said a chip ceramic capacitor.  There are some "chip"
> electolytics.  But still, it is rare.  I have burnt out chip 
> resistors.  They use them as fuses on some boards.  It's funny
> how many bad components you can find by smell and touch.  

<grin>  When fixing *old* pintables with power supply shorts,
the common technique is to replace the fuse for the failing
supply voltage with a *nail*... and wait for smoke!  (it is
an unnerving process...)