Search Results

New designers and engineers may suffer from missing the forest for the trees. In this scenario, they become so laser-focused on solving a particular problem that they fail to account for how the solution fits into the overall design landscape. I recall a project where I spent ages pouring over datasheets for a pulse width…

All but the simplest boards today utilize multiple layers to accommodate increasingly dense interconnections or smaller board areas. Four-layer PCBs are exceedingly popular and pose little additional processing difficulties for manufacturers; further layer counts are also easily achievable. However, the presence of multiple conductor layers means manufacturers must be aware of these layers’ linear and…

In recent years, I’ve grown to love making stovetop popcorn. Cooking on the stovetop is not much more complicated than throwing it in the microwave, with one wrinkle: storage. Since I like to buy my popcorn kernels in bulk, I must be aware of their age and moisture content, as both affect the cooking time…

Printed circuit board fabrication and assembly relies on various metals for conduction, soldering, anti-corrosion, and other material properties that ensure high performance and reliability. The nature of these in-demand metals (not just exclusive to electronics manufacturing) makes them ripe for exploitation in some areas of the world. Many businesses have focused on internal and inter-organizational…

While designers place components and route circuits on multiple layers, manufacturers have to fuse the disparate layers of the board into a single, continuous product. High heat and pressure cause board laminate material to flow throughout the crevices of the design and encapsulate the board shape; this process is reversible (sometimes destructively so) under certain…

Printed circuit board designers must communicate the manufacturing intentions of a project so that there aren’t any problems in building the board. To do that, consider all ways to ensure that data in PCB design documentation is as straightforward as possible. In the layout, designers must balance the circuit’s optimal needs against the board’s constraints…