Some Pointers To Better Printed Circuit Board Layout
This is a topic that has grown closer to my heart over the decades that I have been designing and laying out printed circuit boards. The issue came up because a company I was doing contract work for has been outsourcing their layout work with the result that the final product left much to be desired. Electrically all the correct points were joined up but mechanically, aesthetically, technically it was a disaster. There was a gaping void between knowing the functionality of a particular design and routing accordingly and this particular design where the the individual that routed the pcb clearly had no idea about either the functionality or the final operation of the design.
There are many elements to laying out a printed circuit.
* Make sure you have the correct pcb size according to the chosen enclosure. This may have to take into account that there might be a number of different boards that have to mechanically connect and electrically relate to each other.
* Make sure that all the components have been correctly specified, specially their physical sizes and pin spacing
* The input and output connectors must be correctly specified for the appropriate voltage and current.
* The positions of the i/o components relative to the enclosure must be carefully measured and placed. This includes not only the electrical i/o but also the visual components if lcd screens, 7 segments displays, LED's, pushbuttons etc are being used.
* Plan the high current paths because bad planning can lead tracks that are too narrow, too long or too close to sensitive components.
* Plan the high frequency paths taking note of proximity to ground planes and metal surfaces. Lengths of track can also be a critical factor when rf paths are being layed out.
* Plan the power supplies blocks as careless planning can lead to noisy power supplies with subsequent interference and malfunctioning of the rest of the circuit. Rather take your time now than have to redo a board several times because of hasty component placing the first time round.
* Place all the components before starting with a layout. If the components have been placed properly, laying the tracks can be quick and painless. Sometimes I do a provisional layout to see how particular paths will look but the bulk of the routing I do when all the components have been placed.
* Plan the horizontal and vertical routing paths on double sided boards carefully as this allows for the possibility of denser routing if required.
I have found that as I have grown older I have become more patient with my layouts regarding them as personal works of electronic art. A finished product needs to be a thing of beauty and not just be functionally correct. All good layouts naturally spend most of their time with the positioning of the components with the connecting up taking a lesser proportion of the time. Planning, as with anything in life, is the most important part of the layout project. One item I have not mentioned and that is the role of auto routers. I am not a great fan of auto routers and cannot recall one board in the last 20 years that I have auto routed and sent out to the pcb manufacturers without extensive tidying up and usually scrapping the entire auto route and starting again. I know there are cost implications but I have found that I rate satisfaction with a routed board much higher than speed of routing.
Related Tags: printed, circuit, pcb, board, layout, tracks, component side, solder side, router, components
Marc Jarchow 46 year old entrepeneur providing MODular ElecTRONics solutions for the Professional (custom instruments for your business), Educator (can be used as a training aid), Entrepeneur (can be packaged with your logo) and Hobbyist (make your own home based products) using low cost modules to create whatever application you have in mind. All items available at www.modetron.com
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- Free Internet Security Software from Google
Selecting the internet security software for your computer can be a daunting task for most home user - Home Key Logger - Track Computer Activity
What goes through your mind when you think about a home key logger? Do you think about a rogue progr - Computers and Electronics Have Changed The Way We Live
You push the on button and your monitor screen springs to life. Next, you use your mouse to bring up - What PacketShaper Can Do For You?
What is PacketShaper?It is an application-intelligent traffic management system which delivers predi - Key Logger Software for Your Computer
One thing that many of us are concerned about is the safety of our children and what happens when th - Keep Your PC Healthy With Computer Tips & Tricks
Everybody just has to have a computer these days. Life without a computer is unimaginable. I am sure - Antivirus - What is a Computer Virus?
Before understanding what a computer virus is, it is necessary to understand what a virus in when it - Gibberish Spam Email - Why Do Spammers Send It?
We have all seen many spam emails that just make no sense. They contain pure gibberish in the subjec - Your Children And The Internet - 5 Tips To Keep Your Children Safe While They Are Online
If your children are on the Internet you may be concerned about their safety. We hear stories regula - How To Compare Residential VOIP Offerings
Many people are turning to VOIP phone for several different reasons, the biggest reason being cost.
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Experience the new Microsoft Zune and Future Technology with Bill Gates at CES Keynote
After the demonstration of Windows Vista by Bill Gates at the CES keynote, Robbie Bach, President of - Internet Connection Sharing in Windows XP
This articles explains in detail how to set up a small network at home so you can share your Interne - Nortel VPN Client Overview
The Nortel VPN Client creates the secure connection for VPN users into a private network. Once you l - Computer Phobias
Years ago around the end of January I would develop Chinophobia (fear of snow). Maybe it was becaus - Why Someone Stole My Mobile Phone
Not so long ago my mobile phone was stolen. I kept asking why I was the one who got targeted, especi - CCTV: the story continues
CCTV – Closed Circuit Television – for some time at least has been used by various gover - iPod Stuff: How To Set Your iPod's Alarm Clock
The good thing about the iPod alarm clock feature is that you can wake up with the tune of your favo - Office printers: introduction to technology and types
With every bit of information transfer and manipulation going digital these days, almost the entire - Computer hardware simplified
Computer Hardware is a comprehensive term which refers to all the physical parts of a computer inclu - Cordless phone technology: a brief history
Cordless Phones – as the term suggests – is a phone sans any cord. Instead the handset c
