Thursday, 2 October 2014

basic constraints

basic constraints pcb designing

Hello....

There is lot of issues in PCB Design,most of them can be understood by experience....for beginner point of view these are PCB layout Basic guidelines

>It is often a good idea to have made a prototype circuit using point-to-point construction or wire wrap, as you will have solved certain basic issues to do with component selection.

>Consider physical constraints on the assembled board's size and heat dissipation requirements; choose your heat sinks if needed.

>Consider carefully the physical size of the components you are laying out; the circuit schematic doesn't tell you this. Equivalent components often have different packages.

>How do the components attach to the board? Are they surface mount components? or do they require holes, screws, washers, etc?

>Are there mechanical parts directly mounted to the board? eg: switches or variable resistors?

>How will the board mount in its container? What stresses (shock, strain, shear) will there be upon it and upon components?

>How will the board connect to its power source? What other connectors will be required (e.g: signal inputs, outputs)?

>Use construction paper and a pencil and sketch the board in its actual size; or use component layout software that includes information about the component outlines.

>Decide appropriate widths for each of the signal traces; this depends on the current each trace is expected to carry.

>Decide whether you will have a single-layer board, 2-layer, or multi-layer based on the circuit complexity and fabrication costs.

>Begin by placing component outlines, then by placing signal traces; leave a little room around each for tolerances.

>For a single layer board, spend more effort to avoid having traces cross each other; play with component placement or run traces underneath components; sometimes a jumper wire is needed.

>In 2-layer and multilayer boards simply run the traces on different layers, and use plated-through holes to jump from one layer to another.

>Try to predict and avoid assembly errors: where there are multiple components of the same kind, or where pins have a polarity (eg: electrolytic capacitors), try to place them in parallel and orient the positive pin in the same direction.

>If your PWB design software has a DRC (design rule check), use it.

If u r designing PCB layout with RF circuits on a 2-layer or multilayer board these are some helpful guidelines....

>Identify the critical parts of the circuit and lay them out first.

>Have one of the layers act as a continuous ground plane.

>If signal traces are constant width and height above the ground plane, and are properly terminated, then their characteristic impedance is more well-behaved and may be calculated.

>Avoid sharp corners.

>Keep signal traces and component leads as short as possible.

>Inputs and outputs should be far apart, so that RF energy will not leak back from output to input. stages should line up, rather than snake around.

>Decouple the RF parts of the circuit from the DC parts of the circuit.

>Shield AF and IF components from RF components.

Monday, 15 September 2014

PCB Basics
PCBs stands for printed circuit boards. They are called “printed” because you print your circuits out onto the copper. With the design printed, you then either mill or etch your prints into the copper. The general process is actually quite complex, especially with quality control considerations and efficiency measures implemented in large fabrication houses. However, the process can be simplified into manageable steps such that home fabrication is possible. We will also be skipping a ton of steps, just because some of the more complicated features such as silkscreen and multilayer (more than two layers) is impossible at home. But I digress, here’s what you need to know about the PCB itself.
The surface of the PCB has several features. You will probably notice right away, when picking up any typical PCB, that the majority of the surface is covered with green stuff. This is called the soldermask, and it is a dielectric (insulator). It actually has several specific tasks. First, it is there to prevent corrosion, as the oxygen in our atmosphere is quite toxic to the copper on the top and bottom layers. Next, it has the job of preventing accidental shorts from occurring. The exposed copper is very vulnerable to paper clip drops and loose screws. Best to cover it up with green stuff that won’t conduct.

The next thing you will notice are the tiny lines that run across the surface of the board (albeit covered in green). They are the copper that reside on top of the PCB. This is how electrical connections are created from one electronic element to another. The term used to describe these lines is “signal trace” or just “trace”; they describe the trace that a copper takes from one point to another. Next, there are the pads. These are exposed bits of metal covered in tin (through electroplating). They are exposed so that the pins on your ICs and your resistors can be soldered onto the board. The tin does not oxidize, but is still conductive. This property protects the underlying copper, while still allowing an electrical connection to occur to the component being soldered. A plus side is that the metal tin is a major component in modern solder, such that the flow of the solder is facilitated by the tinned pads. Lastly, the colored letters and markings seen on top of the soldermask are called the silkscreens. They are aptly named since the markings are applied to the soldermask through a silkscreen process. It is essentially a stencil made with a thin membrane, onto which colored ink is applied. This layer allows the PCB designer to label the components, and indicate switches and functionality.

However, there are things underneath the surface that cannot be seen with the naked eye, but play a key role in the functionality of the board. Below is an example of a 4 layer PCB, typically very cheap to manufacture.