A component, such as a resistor, capacitor, or jumper wire, tacked onto a printed circuit board after initial assembly to correct a mistake or modify a circuit. These modifications are typically soldered directly to pins, vias, or scraped traces rather than proper pads. They are common during the bring-up phase of a prototype but are not acceptable in final production hardware.
The regulator was oscillating, so I had to add a barnacle capacitor across the output pins to stabilize it.
Also heard as
- bodge
- kludge
Related terms
Bodge wire
Wire soldered onto an assembled board to fix a design error by joining points the copper failed to connect.
Dead bug
Mounting an IC upside down with its legs in the air and wiring straight to the pins, like an insect on its back.
Rework
Removing and replacing parts or fixing joints on an assembled board to correct defects or make changes.
Blue wire
Rework jumper wire on a board, named for the blue insulation often used, and the verb for adding one.