The C3 is unique among electronics cleanliness testers. It remains the only tester on the market that indicates whether a specific, critical area of a PCBA is clean. 

Simply select the components and/or areas of circuitry that are most sensitive and prone to contamination-related performance and/or reliability issues and test a small (0.1 in2) area. The C3 quickly provides feedback as to whether potentially detrimental residues, frequently from manufacturing processes, are present.

Ease of Test

Once critical areas have been identified to test, the operator simply slides a new, single-use, test cell into the steam head and manually moves the head on the articulated arm into place over the test area. The weight of the arm and steam head seals the test cell on the test surface. The operator then starts the automated test sequence. In 7-10 minutes the operator knows whether the tested product area is an area of cleanliness concern. The C3 can be used right in the manufacturing area.

At the conclusion of the test, the cell can be easily removed with the help of the cell ejector on the head. The test sample in the cell, efficiently extracted from the small, test area through the use of steam, can be further laboratory analyzed to identify any particular contaminants present and in what concentrations. The entire test is simple and easy for the operator, and the result is not operator dependent. Use of the Foresite single-use test cells and extraction solution avoids cross-contamination of the sample.

C3/C.I.

The C3/C.I.™ model has a dedicated, integral, mini PC operating on MS Windows, a 16” widescreen LCD monitor and a full-size, waterproof keyboard with touchpad. Thus, data and test parameter entry is easy for the operator, with minimal training. The test progress and test result graphics are clearly displayed on the large color screen. Test data memory is large (2GB) and can be easily downloaded via USB, WiFi or Bluetooth®.

The C3/C.I. calculates and displays the C3 Corrosivity Index™ (C.I.) for the completed test and the C.I. limit for the test. The C.I. is an indicator of the cleanliness of a test site analyzed by the C3. The index is calculated by dividing the maximum current seen during the test by the elapsed time of the test. The operator can choose to graph and display the C.I. for a group of tests (a particular product or test site). The index provides a single test result value that can be plotted over time to track trending in product cleanliness – the lower the C.I. the less likely a tested product site will suffer performance problems due to the presence of a detrimental ionic residue.

Learn more about the C3.