PCB is the acronym to Printed Circuit Board. A PCB is a carrier for the circuit's components and their electrical connections.
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Best One-Off DIY PCB Creation Technique
I have finally built up a lab to design electronics in. I have quite a few designs I would like to test. I have tried the printer toner/iron technique a few times but have found that I cannot create ...
53
votes
7answers
11k views
Decoupling caps, PCB layout
I guess I've been somewhat ignorant when it comes to the finer details of pcb layout. Lately I've read a couple of books that try their best to lead me on the straight and narrow. Here is a couple of ...
45
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9answers
8k views
Are solder fumes bad for me?
I do a fair bit of soldering (lead-free). Is breathing in solder/flux/paste fumes actually going to harm me?
Are cheap fume extractors worth buying?
31
votes
13answers
3k views
What are low cost circuit and PCB design software?
Do you know of any freeware or low cost circuit / PCB design software?
I know a few which I have listed below but I was wondering if there were more of its kind. Please mention the good features and ...
31
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5answers
5k views
27
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15answers
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How do you cut PCB?
I just spent about 20 minutes trying to cut through a PCB with a hacksaw. These things are really tough.
What is the correct tool to cut PCB material, and get a nice straight line?
I saw something ...
26
votes
3answers
1k views
Why does an antenna trace have this shape?
I'm wondering why an antenna has a board trace that follows a certain "squiggly" shape. This doesn't have to apply to only antennas; I'm sure that there are other components that have changing paths ...
24
votes
1answer
762 views
What's the purpose of this checkerboard pattern?
This gigabit Ethernet NIC has a checkerboard pattern out of copper etched on the PCB:
Each square is electrically isolated. What's the point of adding these? I guess that the PCB isn't filled with ...
21
votes
7answers
4k views
What's the simplest Linux capable board I could make at home?
I'd like to make a single board computer capable of booting Linux, with my low-tech garage tools (2 sided PCBs, reflow skillet, no plating through holes).
What's the simplest hardware design I could ...
19
votes
6answers
916 views
Can we build capacitors on a PCB board?
For the magnitude of nF or µF capacitors, I hope I can build them on a PCB board. The capacitor is like a two metal layer and something between them.
Is this possible?
Not buying the capacitor, ...
17
votes
8answers
828 views
How do you attack a new board?
You get your PCB back from the manufacturer. It is a new design, you have of course bread-boarded all the major parts, but you know there are going to be problems. There are just too many things that ...
17
votes
7answers
3k views
Why is there such a strong preference for 45 degree angles in PCB routing?
I've always wondered this: every single modern PCB is routed at 45 degree angle increments. Why does the industry prefer this so much? Doesn't any-angle routing offer more flexibility?
One plausible ...
17
votes
2answers
4k views
Standard PCB trace widths?
Is there a standard for the sizes of PCB traces?
That is are some 25 mil and others 10 mil or is can you choose your own?
I plan to run 400mA through some thicker traces, but less than 30mA for all ...
17
votes
2answers
687 views
Why wiggle nearby tracks on a PCB?
I've been reading an article (TheMagPi eMagazine) relating to the Raspberry Pi; "An ARM GNU/Linux box for $25."
In the article, page 17 at the bottom it shows somewhere where a track zigzags next to ...
17
votes
8answers
10k views
How to connect USB Connector shield?
How should I route USB Connector shield on PCB? Should it be connected to GND plane right where USB is placed, or should the shield be isolated from GND, or should it be connected to ground through ...
16
votes
7answers
1k views
SMD vs. Through-hole components in high vibration environments
This is more of a opinion question than a information question. I am designing some boards that will be working near decent sized actuators, so I ask you, what is more resistant a 0805 SMD or a 7mm ...
16
votes
8answers
5k views
Solid ground-plane vs Hatched ground-plane
So recently when i was routing a PCB , I came across the option to either fill/pour my ground plane with either solid or hatched copper. I've also noticed that the old arduino duemilanove also had a ...
15
votes
8answers
3k views
Advice on going from rat's nest to routed PCB
Can anyone offer any useful strategies on going from a rat's nest to a routed PCB?
(I'm using Eagle and aiming to make single/double sided PCBs at home)
Drawing the schematic is fine, but when it ...
15
votes
8answers
1k views
Pre-programming surface mount ICs
I'm trying to set up a PCB with an atmega168 and no programming header. I intend to use a serial bootloader (there is a ft232 on the board) to reprogram but I am wondering about the best way to ...
15
votes
4answers
7k views
What kind of glue should I use for PCB-mounted components to avoid vibrations?
I want to protect the PCB-mounted components from vibrations. What kind of glue/substance should I use?
What are the most prone to failure components due to vibrations?
14
votes
2answers
388 views
Why are copper tracks orange-gold?
I have in front of me a raw PCB. The surface mostly has three colors: dark green, orange-gold and white.
As I understand, the green is resist, the orange-gold is copper, and the white just the silk ...
14
votes
7answers
3k views
Best methods to fix broken tracks
I've made a couple of PCBs which need the odd few 10 mil tracks, but are mostly 20/30 mil. Unfortunately the etching process isn't fantastic and there are numerous breaks in the traces, most of them ...
14
votes
8answers
1k views
How can I successfully make a PCB at home?
I have tried several times, unsuccessfully, to manufacture a PCB at home. A lot of the other questions are about improving PCB performance and such, but I can rarely, if ever, even get the ink to ...
14
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3answers
1k views
How do I determine the area of copper needed on a PCB to provide adequate heatsinking for a power SMD MOSFET?
I am planning to use the IRFR5305PBF Power MOSFET (http://www.irf.com/product-info/datasheets/data/irfr5305pbf.pdf) to switch on a load. I have determined that I need an external heatsink with Rthsa ...
13
votes
4answers
837 views
Soldering PCBs directly together
I am attempting to replace an old PLCC32 part that was directly soldered to the board with a new part of undecided form. We will definitely need an adapter as we have not been able to find a PLCC32 ...
13
votes
4answers
2k views
Standard PCB Layout Book
Are there any good references on advanced PCB design/layout/routing? There seems to be a large wealth of circuit design books, books about RF PCB design, and books dealing with high-speed digital ...
13
votes
1answer
657 views
What is this squiggly trace for?
It's on pin 14, which is the master clock input (MCLK) of a WM8761: Low cost stereo DAC. I'm guessing it's meant to act as a small inductor? But why would you want that on a clock input?
13
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1answer
591 views
PCB layout questions for MCU breakout board
I'm attempting to route a board that is, essentially, a breakout for the LPC23xx/LPC17xx MCU. I've never routed anything approaching this complexity before, and I have a few areas of concern. I know ...
12
votes
9answers
730 views
Have a look at my PCB design and tell me how I can improve
Here's the current design for Super OSD Lite, an open hardware project to bring a low cost on screen display to the masses. The price target is $71 to $90.
bigger image
There are components on the ...
12
votes
4answers
2k views
Sizing a trace on a PCB to carry 2.5 amps
I need a trace on my PCB to carry up to 2.5 amps (average) current, with 5-6 amp spikes (it's going to a switch mode power supply.) How wide should the traces be? I've got a trade off between ...
12
votes
12answers
2k views
Recommended PCB houses / Assemblers
Can anyone recommend a good place to go making PCB's? I'm particularly interested in places that also offer assembly, because this makes SMD parts an option.
GoldPhoenix is an option, but not the ...
12
votes
6answers
619 views
Is it safe to design board at fab houses minimum trace width?
I am working on my first board to have professionally fabricated. Right now I am planning on using seeed studio mainly because they are the cheapest I have found. 10 5cmx5cm boards for $10 is pretty ...
12
votes
2answers
689 views
The best stack-up possible with a four-layer PCB?
I'm designing a 4 layer PCB and I know that the standard stack-up is
Signals
GND
VCC
Singals
(GND and VCC can be switched depending on the layer with more signals)
The problem is, I don't ...
12
votes
5answers
3k views
Is there a common netlist format?
Is there a common netlist format that is portable between different schematic/pcb/EDA/CAD tools, and if so where is the format or reference so I can implement it?
If not, does each package implement ...
12
votes
3answers
69 views
How do I create a permanent application from something prototyped with Arduino?
Part one of a three part series on transitioning from Arduino to a plain AVR microcontroller and minimum supporting components (part two, part three)
I've built up a project on my Arduino Uno to ...
12
votes
3answers
589 views
Is connecting two GND planes with vias a standard practice?
I've been studying the Arduino Uno layout and noticed that there are about 40 vias that connect the GND polygons on the top and bottom. Here's a picture with the vias circled:
Is this a standard ...
12
votes
4answers
763 views
What are the advantages and disadvantages of thinner PCB thickness (<1.6 mm or 0.063'')?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of thinner PCB thickness (<1.6 mm)?
My approach:
Better capacitance interplane and better power decoupling.
Better track-plane coupling.
Problems with ...
12
votes
4answers
2k views
High PCB copper thickness: What are the pitfalls?
We need to carry high currents on a PCB (~30Amps sustained), so we are likely to order our PCBs with high copper thickness. So far we've only used 35 microns in our designs, so 'high thickness' for us ...
12
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5answers
3k views
Plated Through Hole at home?
Is it possible to make PTH (Plated Thorugh Hole) at home?
Can somebody explain the procedure?
12
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1answer
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Competing PCB Crystal layout recommendations
This is related to this question: How's my crystal oscillator layout?
I'm trying to layout a 12MHz crystal for a micro controller. I've been reading through several recommendations specifically for ...
11
votes
5answers
436 views
Conductive object to raise 6mm height off PCB
I am designing a PCB where I expect to have a certain part assembled at the edge of each board (blue in the picture below).
However, this part needs to be at connected/soldered at a height of about 6 ...
11
votes
9answers
829 views
Safety of making PCBs
I've been making a few hobbyist PCBs at home and note that the photoresist developer and ferric chloride etch solutions are both pretty nasty chemicals that come with all kinds of warnings.
So I've ...
11
votes
9answers
5k views
Looking for a good freeware/open source PCB design software equivalent to Altium
I am familiar with Altium PCB design software in my workplace.
But thats an expensive suite to maintain. Is there any decent enough free software which I can use at home for my pet projects? I have ...
11
votes
9answers
2k views
Do you layout in mil or mm?
I have been using 10 mil trace with 10 mil spacing. The PCB vendors quote that they like traces down to 7 mil. But then I ran across a PDF showing how to fan out a QFP to get all the signals ...
11
votes
4answers
2k views
How to carry high current on PCB
I need to pass high current on some part of my circuit. I used an online PCB track width calculator to see that required track width is about 5mm and minimum clearance is 1mm, which makes it about 7mm ...
11
votes
6answers
626 views
What are some 'gotchas' of high-frequency board design?
I'd like to design a PCB for an analog loop controller.. something with an A/D, D/A, and processor on board. (Either DSP or FPGA, I haven't decided.) Since this should modulate analog signals at 10 ...
11
votes
7answers
5k views
Which PCB software has the best autorouter?
I know that lots of people out there feel that autoroute results are not useable.
I find that the autorouter is a good way to get a good placement. I use eagle. I do a basic placement, autoroute ...
11
votes
2answers
903 views
Termination resistors: are they needed?
For a project I'm designing, I'm using an IS42s32800 (TSOP) SDRAM with an LPC1788 (QFP) microcontroller. On the PCB I have 4 layers with a ground plane right below the top signal layer and a VDD plane ...
11
votes
6answers
4k views
What's the best way to protect a board from corrosion in a hot/moist environment?
Some of my projects need to live outside for long periods. Sometimes, moisture gets into the enclosures. That means that a circuit board might be sitting around in contact with water for hours on ...
11
votes
1answer
254 views
Solder Mask Color Code
Is there standard that recommend guidance of particular colors of solder mask?
A while back I was told by a local assembler that BLUE typically indicates the circuit is ROHS compliant. Yet my Google ...
