The Designer’s Guide to PCB Solder Defects
During the inspection process you notice that some passive components aren’t sitting quite right. It seems as though they have pivoted up to stand at attention on one of the two pads that they should
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PCB Fabrication Techniques
As a PCB designer, it can be tempting to leave the details of the manufacturing process up to the fabrication house. However a little understanding of the manufacturing process upfront can help...
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Everything you need to know about drilling PCB mounting holes
Mounting holes seem simple enough—they let you mount your PCB to an enclosure or a surface. Simply pick a screw size that makes sense for the size of your board and the surface you wish to mount...
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Barcodes In Manufacturing
Barcode technologies also add value to manufacturing processes. The ability to tie large amounts of data to an object via a small code or chip allows for greater accuracy in the manufacturing process.
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Backdrilling in PCB Manufacturing
Plated through holes (PTH) are great. They electrically connect two or more layers together, and serve as convenient connecting points for traces and components throughout a multilayer PCB.
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What Is Bare Board Testing?
There’s a point in manufacturing where you’ve got a decision to make. Do you start assembling your bare PCB or electrically test its connectivity for opens and shorts?
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Notes On Schematic Capture
There once was a time when it was common for the PCB Designer to also capture the schematics. I’m not trying to say that the EE’s came along and broke everything.
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Early Stage Design Considerations of Starting a PCB Project from Scratch
There’s nothing quite like the smell of hot solder on a Sunday afternoon, tinkering in your basement as you bring a new electronic concept to life. PCBs are the foundation of modern electronics.
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What are the different types of solder?
Solder on a PCB can be thought of as connective tissue. It serves as the conductive glue that sticks components to substrate and brings continuity to the circuit board.
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Real-Time Design for Manufacturability
Post-design DFM checks are too late. Even if you’re able to find a mistake, you’re going to lose hours, days, even weeks adjusting your design.
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Notes From the Board Room - On Dimensions
The easiest method is called datum dimensioning where all you do is establish the center of the universe at some point and call it zero-zero. Extension lines...
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What Is PCB Panelization and Why Is It Important?
So you’ve just sketched up the perfect PCB design. You carefully laid out your components and traces to allow for optimal EMI/EMC and thermal considerations. You even made sure your board fits.
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Real World (Unexpected) Examples of a Multi-Board PCB System
What do reusable rockets, self-driving cars, and the blockchain have in common? Besides breaching major milestones in the last 3-5 years, they are all stellar examples of how advancements...
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