To help designers create functional and manufacturable circuit boards, the PCB design software creators will include a variety of design rules and constraints in their tools. The appearance and use of these constraints will vary quite a bit from tool to tool, but their purpose is always the same, to help you to design a better circuit board. Here are some ideas on how to set up and work with these rules.
Over the past several years, our confidence in the quality of the parts used has been violated by counterfeit parts’ proliferation on the market. The flood of counterfeits has required extra diligence in sourcing electronic components to ensure that what is purchased is the real McCoy and will work as expected when installed on a PCB. Here are some tips on how to ensure the components you are working with are genuine.
A circuit board can be the recipient of EMI unless preventative measures are taken in its design. The PCB you design can also create EMI with other electronics if you don’t take the same precautions. This article will look at some of these precautions and how to avoid electromagnetic interference in PCB designs.
The circuit boards we design also require extra effort when laying them out for high-speed circuitry. Sensitive nets must be routed according to specific high-speed rules and many other high-speed design requirements that must be followed. These include everything from how the schematic is organized to the placement of the components. We will look at all of this as we discuss the high-speed routing techniques to help you cross the finish line with your next PCB design.
Counterfeiting problems in electronics go far beyond batteries, extending all across the industry. Not only do these pseudo parts potentially damage the quality of the products that they are used in, but they are also a severe drain on the legitimate component industry. The best defense against a problem like this is to expose it and discover ways to prevent its spread. Here is information on counterfeit electronic components and what you can do to protect yourself.
Printed circuit boards are also coated or plated for their protection, and often this is done with a surface finish of solder or some other material. Not only does this help to protect the exposed metal on the board from corrosion, but it helps with component soldering. These aren’t the only plating processes used to fabricate a circuit board. Here is a more in-depth look at the different PCB plating processes used during circuit board manufacturing.
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