Tom Del Rosso wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message


Was it just one bad via on one board, or a whole bad batch? Philco
had a factory in Mexico that had lots of problems with consumer
electronics, and Delco made a MAJOR design mistake when they used
"Griplets" instead of plated through holes in a series of car radios.

What makes eyelets or griplets so much less reliable? Expansion? I don't
see a reason why they should break more than a connection to a lead does.

Of course they have the disadvantage of only connecting outer layers.


This was 30 some years ago, bu the Gripplets were supposed to be wave
soldered to the boards after installation into the blank board.
Vibration and heat cycling were blamed on making them intermittent. They
sent out a field service order to run a wire through every one of them,
bend it flush with the PC board and solder the wire to both sides of the
boards on every radio serviced, no matter the reason the radio was
pulled from a car. I think they were steel, and had fractured, If you
heated them without putting a wire through and bending it over, they
would fall out of the punched holes.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida