Hi everyone,
I'm an electrical and electronics engineer with hands-on experience in field service for medical devices and industrial systems. I'm currently looking for a serious, in-depth training course (preferably in the US or Europe) that focuses on advanced PCB/component-level fault-finding and repair — ideally something that lasts several weeks, not just a 3–5 day workshop.

Here’s what I’m specifically looking for:

A course that teaches how to diagnose and repair faulty PCBs without any prior knowledge of what the board does

Practical, hands-on training using real faulty boards

Focus on signal tracing, use of oscilloscopes, thermal imaging, curve tracers, multimeters, and reverse-engineering techniques

No emphasis on IPC soldering/assembly — I'm not working on the production floor, but in advanced repair and analysis

Ideal duration: 3–6 weeks

If anyone knows of a professional-level course, or has personal experience with a training center that offers this kind of instruction, I would greatly appreciate your recommendations.

Thanks in advance!

 

I would check with community colleges that offer a program for EE technician. One might have such a course. Likely a full semester though.

 

Check the classified ads in your newspaper (if you still get one). A friend of mine decided to move to a tiny town in the Sierra-Nevada mountains and determined that the community needed a refrigeration repairman. He found an evening course in the want ads and soon he was living in the mountains having the time of his life.

 

Here’s what I’m specifically looking for:

A course that teaches how to diagnose and repair faulty PCBs without any prior knowledge of what the board does

Practical, hands-on training using real faulty boards

I believe no such course exists.

The first thing any repair person would want to know is what is the board supposed to do.
Along with that, we would want to know the make and model of the appliance. Having circuit schematics greatly enhances any chance of a successful repair.

Failing any of the above, the next best option is a working duplicate, fully functional.

The one piece of test equipment that I am aware of that allows blind trouble-shooting (with dubious efficacy) is the Huntron Tracker.