Army revamping circuit card repair
Experts at the U.S. Army Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pa., are testing a new two-level circuit card repair process that Army officials say detects relatively minor problems such as corrosion damage to power and channel switches, and can save the Army hundreds of dollars per card. "Before this mission began, it was standard practice for Fort Bragg to throw away about 200 of these items a year," says George Helring, circuit card assembly program production controller at Tobyhanna. "They cost about $1,054 each. Our cost to fix them is $220 and we turn them around in about five days." Tobyhanna experts are repairing cards from the Army Forces Command and 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. They are working on cards from communications and electronics equipment in the AN/PRC-216 radio, AN/ALQ-144 electronic warfare set, AH-64 attack helicopter, and UH-60 utility helicopter. - J.K.
