Off-Grid Academy UK
OGA-ENG-105 • Enterprise & Critical Infrastructure Track

Repair Your Own Electronics: Board-Level Fault-Finding, Soldering, Bench Power & Component Replacement Workshop (OGA-ENG-105)

Stop throwing away dead inverters, solar chargers, radios, and boiler control boards. Learn how to hunt short circuits safely with a 0–30V current-limiting bench power supply, test capacitors and MOSFETs, and replace blown components using our 8-Pack Component Bundle.

Option A: Self-Paced Online Course (£129)

10 Hours Self-Paced HD Workbench Video Labs + PCB Fault-Finding Flowcharts

  • 4x Step-by-Step Board-Level Diagnostics & Soldering Modules (10 hours HD camera overhead bench views)
  • Printable Switch-Mode Power Supply (SMPS), Solar MPPT & Inverter Fault-Finding Flowchart Binder
  • Direct companion parts list mapped to our Single-Box 8-Pack Electronics Component Bundle (EOD-CMP-154)

Option B: Online Material + 2-Day Weekend Electronics Repair Bench Workshop (£545)

All-inclusive UK residential training (2 Days / 2 Nights)

  • Full Online Video Workshop access + 2 nights private accommodation & all meals
  • 2 days at a fully equipped ESD electronics bench (Hakko FX-888DX, 0–30V 5A Bench PSU, 50MHz Oscilloscope, Hot-Air Rework & LCR/ESR Analyser)
  • Bring up to 2 dead household or off-grid appliances/boards from home to diagnose and repair with instructor guidance
  • Take-home Master 8-Pack Electronics Component & Board-Repair Bundle (EOD-CMP-154 — £89 value included)

Module-by-Module Curriculum & Practical Labs

REP-M1: Safe Current-Limited Bench Power-Up & Short-Circuit Hunting (0–30V / 0–5A CC/CV Protocol) (2.5 hrs)

  • Why plugging a suspect circuit board into mains or a high-amp LiFePO4 battery vaporises copper tracks—and how Constant-Current (CC) limiting on a 0–30V / 0–5A bench supply prevents damage
  • Voltage injection fault-finding: dialling in 1.0V–5.0V at 100mA–300mA to locate shorted ceramic capacitors, reverse-polarity diodes, and blown voltage regulators
  • Discharging 400V primary switch-mode filter capacitors safely before touching a board

Hands-On Lab: Power up 3 faulted power supply and controller boards using a current-limited 0–30V 5A bench supply and isolate the shorted rail without burning a single trace.

REP-M2: Testing Resistors, Bulging Electrolytic Capacitors (ESR), Inductors, Diodes & MOSFETs (2.5 hrs)

  • Why 60%+ of failed power supplies, boiler PCBs, and solar chargers are caused by dried-out high-ESR 105°C electrolytic capacitors—even when the top isn’t visibly bulging
  • Using an in-circuit ESR / LCR analyser and multimeter diode-drop mode to test radial inductors, Schottky rectifiers, and N-Channel power MOSFETs (gate-source / drain-source shorts)
  • Selecting exact replacements from your 8-Pack Component Bundle (E24 1% metal-film resistors, 105°C low-ESR electrolytics, MLCC ceramics, radial inductors, and TO-220 MOSFETs)

Hands-On Lab: Audit a dead 12V/230V inverter and switch-mode charger board, log every out-of-spec capacitor and shorted MOSFET, and pull the matching replacement parts from the 8-Pack Bundle.

REP-M3: Through-Hole & SMD Desoldering, Pad Rescue & Clean Component Replacement (2.5 hrs)

  • Temperature control (350°C leaded vs 380°C lead-free), tip geometry, rosin flux chemistry, and clearing multi-layer ground-plane through-holes cleanly with desoldering braid and vacuum pumps
  • Removing and replacing multi-pin DIP ICs (NE555, LM358, PC817 optocouplers) and installing machined DIP sockets so future swaps take 10 seconds
  • Repairing lifted copper pads and broken PCB traces using enamelled jumper wire and UV solder mask

Hands-On Lab: Recap a switch-mode power supply, replace a blown TO-220 MOSFET on an aluminium heatsink with fresh thermal transfer compound, and socket a replacement DIP controller IC.

REP-M4: Oscilloscope Waveform Verification & Live Equipment Recovery Lab (2.5 hrs)

  • Using a 50MHz portable tablet oscilloscope and signal generator to verify clean 5V/12V DC rail ripple (<50mVpp), 555/PWM gate-drive square waves, and audio/RF signal paths
  • Load-testing repaired boards over 60 minutes and documenting thermal hotspots before returning equipment to household service

Hands-On Lab: Verify gate-drive waveforms and output ripple on your repaired boards using the FNIRSI 50MHz oscilloscope and sign off your workbench repair log.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the delivery options and UK fees for Repair Your Own Electronics: Board-Level Fault-Finding, Soldering, Bench Power & Component Replacement Workshop (OGA-ENG-105)?

Repair Your Own Electronics: Board-Level Fault-Finding, Soldering, Bench Power & Component Replacement Workshop is available as a self-paced Online Digital Course (£129, 10 Hours Self-Paced HD Workbench Video Labs + PCB Fault-Finding Flowcharts) or as an all-inclusive Online Material + 2-Day Weekend Electronics Repair Bench Workshop (£545) at our Peak District, Welsh Borders, or Cotswolds centres.

What certification and practical lab skills will I complete in OGA-ENG-105?

Graduates earn the Off-Grid Academy Board-Level Electronics Diagnostics & Repair Certificate after completing 4 practical engineering modules with Recommended Tethered Repair Bench Ecosystem: EOD-CMP-154 (Master 8-Pack Component Bundle), EOD-ENG-053 (Hakko FX-888DX Digital Soldering Station), EOD-ENG-155 (Tenma 0–30V 5A Regulated DC Bench Power Supply + LCR/ESR Tester), EOD-ENG-037 (Brymen BM869s True-RMS Multimeter), and EOD-ENG-038 (FNIRSI 2C53P 50MHz Tablet Oscilloscope & Signal Generator)..