Check shorted points on PCB using multimeter

Soldering is the process of mounting different components on PCB. Doing soldering is easy but tough when the points or traces get shorted at some points. You thoroughly have to check the shorted traces on PCB to avoid in hardware of your project. Shorting points generally occurs when you solder on General purpose PCB or Zero PCB or you are an amateur.

Any one can encountered by this problem of shorting the traces while soldering. You can avoid the shorting by checking it using multimeter. A Digital Multimeter is an electronic measuring instrument that combines several measurement functions in one unit. A typical multimeter may include features such as the ability to measure voltage, current and resistance. It can help you in testing your shorted traces on PCB.

Follow the simple and easy steps to find the shorted traces or soldered points on PCB:-

1. You must do soldering carefully and with using low soldering on components to avoid shorting. You can see the below image of soldering in which shorting can generally occurs.

2. If a circuit diagram is available, find the traces you marked as suspicious on the diagram. Observe if the traces should be separate or connected. In some cases traces are deliberately connected. Go through all suspicious traces and eliminate the ones that are connected in the circuit diagram. If a circuit diagram is not available, skip this step.

3. To check the Shorted points in the soldering, use multimeter. Here, I used digital multimeter for your convinces.

4. Insert the Black probe in common "COM" socket of a digital multimeter and the red probe in volt "V" socket.

5. Set the digital multimeter knob at the continuity test point. This position generally has a sign with several small parallel lines.

6. Touch both black and red knob to check shorting. On connecting both knobs, beep sound and values on multimeter starts changing indefinitely which is showing the shorting of the circuit.

7. Now, connect the leads or knobs on the suspicious points on soldering traces. It dose not matter which lead is connected to which point. If beep sound and multimeter displays indefinite values, it means the soldered points are short and you have to correct them.

8. If no indefinite values are displayed or no beep sound is heard, The circuit is correct and there is no shorting between those points.

9. Repeat the process with other traces on PCB also to know the shorting path between other points.

10. If a multimeter does not produces beep sound or does not display indefinite value on the screen, it means multimeter is not working properly or its battery is down. In that case, replace multimeter or its battery.