What Are the Features of Tooling Hole in PCB?

If you’ve ever visited a PCB production facility, you’ll find that it’s filled with machines for the entire manufacturing flow. These machines turn a PCB manufacturing file into a physical PCB, and later, populate it with components. Precision is key to ensure that the final product is free from issues—PCB tooling holes design plays an important role in this. Besides size, you’ll also need to ensure that the PCB tooling hole isn’t plated. A non-plated hole is better in terms of accuracy compared to a plated one. Also, ensure that there is a solder mask expansion that slightly extends over the hole. In this passage, please check and read the content below for more professional information about tooling Hole in PCB.If you want to order PCB product, please check and custom your order online. What Are the Features of Tooling Hole in PCB? PCB tooling holes, or mounting holes, are circular openings made at the edge of a PCB. Tooling holes are non-plated, and they are used by machines to hold the PCB down for alignment. During the fabrication process, it’s imperative that the PCB be kept still and properly aligned for drilling. If the PCB is not kept still, it will be impossible to deliver precisely-drilled holes. When the fabricated PCB is sent for assembly, the tooling holes will be needed again if there are SMD components in the design. The machines will use the tooling holes for stencil alignment when applying solder paste and placing SMD components with the pick-and-place machines. It is important to note that PCB tooling holes should not be confused with fiducial markers. Fiducial markers are pads that are created on the PCB to provide a reference for optical pick-and-place machines. However, both are equally important when designing a PCB with SMD components. How to work with tooling Hole in PCB? Tooling holes will probably be one of the simplest features in your PCB, but they are critical for fabrication and assembly. There are three main points to consider when determining where and how to place tooling holes in your PCB: · Placement during panelization· Size and plating· Placement with fiducials How to process tooling hole in PCB? Usually, common sizes like 1mm, 1.5mm, and 2mm are acceptable tooling hole sizes for most manufacturers. If you’re unsure, make sure to consult with your PCB manufacturer. For uniformity, you’ll want to stick with a common size for all tooling holes on a PCB. Besides size, you’ll also need to ensure that the PCB tooling hole isn’t plated. A non-plated hole is better in terms of accuracy compared to a plated one. Also, ensure that there is a solder mask expansion that slightly extends over the hole. PCB fabricators use them for aligning the board during drilling and routing. Assemblers use them For alignment with stencils during solder paste printing, and for location on pick-and-place machines. They are used for alignment on electrical test fixtures. They may also be used as alignment holes in the final enclosure, often mating with small moulded plastic posts. What is the creation of tooling Hole in PCB design? If tooling holes are needed in the board for any manufacturing processes, the PCB contract manufacturer may request they be added to the design. Typically the CM will either use holes that are already on the board or add their own to the fabrication files. Creating the holes used for mounting hardware is a different matter, and they must be made with the correct design parameters to function as expected: · Location: The number of holes used for tooling and where they are located is dependent on what the circuit board and its components require. Component datasheets typically specify the location of these holes for the designer to include in their PCB footprints. · Preferred size: This again is dependent on the requirements of the components. Usually, these parts will use 4-40 or 6-32 screws, and the holes must be drilled to match the mounting hardware. If no system mounting holes have been included in the design, PCB CMs will recommend adding some holes with a generic size of 0.100 or 0.125 inches to give their clients mounting options for the future. · Plating: This is also dependent on the hardware’s needs that will be attached to the hole. For hardware that needs to be connected electrically to the board, the hole must be plated and connected to the appropriate net. Otherwise, a non-plated hole will be used. · Plane connections: A plated hole connected to either a power or ground plane must not be connected to any other planes to prevent shorting power and ground nets together. While CAD tools have net checking built into them to prevent this, incorrectly designed mounting holes may end up fooling design rule checks.Wanna know PCB knowledge? Check and read for more.

PCB Knowledge ⋅ 11/03/2023 16:35

What Are the Guidelines of Via Stitching in PCB Manufacturing?

Many systems utilize a lot of power in their operation, and the circuit boards within these systems will need to conduct high current. However, if a board isn’t designed correctly for that level of current, it can fail either electrically or structurally. For example, a circuit board that doesn’t use enough metal to conduct the current through its power planes and traces may become too hot. This heat, if not distributed correctly, can affect the normal operation of components that are not designed for it. Eventually, the heat will create a domino scenario where more and more parts are affected, eventually resulting in the failure of the circuit board. If you are curious about Via Stitching in PCB manufacturing, please check and read the content below for more information about Via Stitching in PCB manufacturing.If you want to order PCB product, please check and custom your order online. What are high current concerns on PCB? Via stitching is run as post-process, filling free areas of copper with stitching vias. For via stitching to be possible, there must be overlapping regions of copper that are attached to the specified net, on different layers. Supported regions of copper include Fills, Polygons and Power Planes. Another example of the potential negative effects of high current on a circuit board is the physical failure of the board’s structure. The materials used in the fabrication of the raw circuit board will tolerate a lot of heat, but only up to a certain level. FR-4, which is the standard material used for PCB fabrication, has a glass transition temperature (Tg) rating of 130 degrees Celsius. Beyond that point, its solid form will become unstable and may begin to melt. Even before that temperature is reached, however, the heat may end up burning through any thin metal traces on the board, creating an open circuit like a blown fuse. To avoid these and other high current problems, care must be used in how these circuits are designed in PCB layout. What Are the Guidelines of Via Stitching in PCB Manufacturing? One of the important keys to routing high current circuits is to use a lot of metal. This can be done with wider traces, copper pours, and stitching vias. Stitching vias are used to join the routing of high current circuits on multiple layers of the circuit board. If a trace on one layer is insufficient to carry the amount of current that is needed, then the trace can be routed on multiple layers and stitched together with vias. If two different power layers have the same width trace on them for carrying the current, it will double the current carrying capacity helping to keep the board size smaller instead of having to space the trace out on a single layer. Stitching vias do have some concerns to be aware of though. The first is that the high current traces will also be conducting heat. The stitching vias will absorb this heat, but the heat still needs to be dissipated through a thermal via to an external layer of the board for cooling. The stitching vias don’t have to be large, but there have to be enough of them to conduct all of the current and heat without being overloaded. You also need to ensure that you have provided an adequate current return path in your design. In some cases, multiple traces and stitching vias end up taking the place that was needed for a current return path and create a current loop instead. Some other effective methods of conducting high current are to use wider traces and copper pours. If the traces aren’t wide enough to carry the current, there could be areas of high heat that could affect the board’s ability to provide the steady-state current requirements for the rest of the circuitry. This can impact the performance of other components as they push their maximum temperature constraints, and the entire board may fail to perform as intended. There are a lot of different tactics that can be used when planning for high currents in your PCB design, and your PCB contract manufacturer can help you work through the different options. What are the considerations of high current design on PCB? Removing solder mask It is an inexpensive or rather free method to increase the current capability of a trace, and a path can have its solder mask removed, which then exposes the copper underneath. Then additional solder can be added onto the trail, which will increase its thickness and bulk and lower resistance. It will then allow more current to be carried by that trace without increasing the trace width or paying extra for additional copper thickness. Using polygon pours under high current components. Individual components, such as large FPGAs and Processors, have extensive current requirements and many power pins. They also often come in BGA and LGA packages. A trick to get enough current to them quickly is to have square polygon pours right under the chip and then having Vias drop down and connecting to them. You can then click the polygon pour to a thick power traces. Using internal layers for high current paths If you run out of space for thick traces on the outer layers, it's often an excellent approach to have a solid fill in an internal layer and then using vias to connect to high current devices on outer layers. Adding copper bars for very high current In specific applications such as high power inverters and electric automobiles, the current can often be 100A or more. In such cases, it becomes pointless to use traces. A common practice here is to use solderable copper bus bars that solder onto a PCB's pads and then carry most of the high current. Since the bars are much thicker than traces on a PCB, they can easily take an order of magnitude larger draft than regular hints while having around the same width.Wanna know PCB knowledge? Check and read for more.

PCB Knowledge ⋅ 11/02/2023 17:17

What Is the Working Principle PCB CTI?

If you are a beginner of PCB industry, do you know PCB CTI? Do you know how it works during the PCB manufacturing process? If you are curious about PCB CTI, please check and read the content below for more professional information.If you want to order PCB product, please check and custom your order online. Why to process PCB CTI? HVTR testing and other standard high voltage arcing tests are performed on dry, solid insulation materials. By contrast, CTI testing is performed with liquid applied to the board’s surface. The objective is to evaluate the resistance of the board’s insulation to tracking in the presence of contamination, which is more likely for industrial boards, especially when embedded in production equipment, as found in advanced industrial processing environments. The CTI is important as it provides a quantitative metric by which different materials can be compared and a selection made based upon its probability to withstand its intended environment. Moreover, the CTI can be used to determine creepage and clearance distances for your board’s design. When two PCB traces run in parallel, the dielectric material should not breakdown at any time and both traces should be able to carry current without any problem. The chance of dielectric breaking down and the traces having a direct short is very less. The dielectric ensures that resistance is present between the two traces. One of the primary reasons why the two traces might have leakage current is due to the impurities forming between traces, environmental conditions, voltage applied, and temperature. CTI is the measurement of the susceptibility of the PCB’s insulating material to the electrical breakdown. Mathematically, CTI is that voltage, which results in failure by breakdown after 50 drops of 0.1 percent ammonium chloride solution have fallen on the material. What Is the Working Principle PCB CTI? Comparative Tracking Index (CTI) is the extent to which the insulating material of the PCB can resist the unwanted current to flow between traces on the board. It is a measure of the ability of the PCB substrate to withstand any breakdown between two tracks on the PCB surface. It is used to assess the proportionate resistance of the PCB base material and helps calculate the high-voltage isolation values between the tracks. The CTI value is tested in accordance with the IEC-112 standard method "Test Method for Comparative Tracking Index of Substrates, Printed Boards and Printed Board Assemblies", which means that the surface of the substrate can withstand 50 drops of 0.1% ammonium chloride The highest voltage value (V) at which an aqueous solution does not form a trace of electrical leakage. According to the CTI level of insulating materials, UL and IEC divide them into 6 grades and 4 grades respectively. Copper clad laminates with low CTI values are prone to leakage tracking when used for a long time in harsh environments such as high pressure, high temperature, humidity, and pollution. Generally, the CTI of ordinary paper-based copper clad laminates (XPC, FR-1, etc.) is ≤150, and the CTI of ordinary composite-based copper clad laminates (CEM-1, CEM-3) and ordinary glass fiber cloth-based copper clad laminates (FR-4) It ranges from 175 to 225, which can not meet the higher safety requirements of electronic and electrical products. In the IEC-950 standard, the relationship between the CTI of the copper clad laminate and the working voltage of the printed circuit board and the minimum wire spacing (Minimum Creepage Distance) is also stipulated. The high CTI copper clad laminate is not only suitable for high pollution, It is also very suitable for the production of high-density printed circuit boards for high-voltage applications. Compared with ordinary copper clad laminates with high leakage tracking resistance, the line spacing of printed circuit boards made with the former can be allowed to be smaller. What are the testing options of PCB CTI? The Comparative tracking index is significant as it gives a quantitative metric by which materials that differ can be compared and a selection possible based on its chances to cope with its intended environment. Most especially, the Comparative tracking index can be adopted to ascertain clearance distance and creepage for your board’s design. Comparative Tracking Index Testing OptionsUL testing facility: The best option is by testing by anUl facility if testing is needed. The Comparative tracking index test can be carried out with the related surface tracking estimation.Facility for other testing facilities: There are several companies that can carry out testing of materials for you. The benefit here is that you are not mandated to acquire or have the equipment that is necessary or the environment that meets the standards’ requirements.In-Door: if your anticipation is on the need to carry out this type of testing regularly, the expenses might worth acquiring equipment and expertise to get it done whenever it is required. Additionally, you may make use of the result of past studies that are available, and that is compatible with your design. If accurately utilized, Comparative tracking index testing can assist you in picking the best materials, PCB layout, and coating that are protective for your industrial board.Wanna know PCB knowledge? Check and read for more.

PCB Knowledge ⋅ 11/01/2023 16:36

What Are the 3 Main Materials of Flexible PCB?

Flexible circuit is a technology developed by the United States for the development of space rocket technology in the 1970s. It is made of polyester film or polyimide as a substrate with high reliability and excellent flexibility. By embedding the circuit design on the thin and flexible plastic sheet, a large number of precision components are stacked in a narrow and limited space to form a flexible circuit. In this passage, we are providing all the details of flexible PCB. If you are going to learn more about flexible PCB and the usage of it, please check and read the content below for more information.If you want to order PCB product, please check and custom your order online. What Are the 3 Main Materials of Flexible PCB? 1. Insulating film The insulating film forms the basic layer of the circuit, and the adhesive bonds the copper foil to the insulating layer. In a multi-layer design, it is bonded to the inner layer. They are also used as protective coverings to isolate the circuit from dust and moisture, and to reduce stress during flexure. The copper foil forms a conductive layer. In some flexible circuits, rigid members formed of aluminum or stainless steel are used, which can provide dimensional stability, provide physical support for the placement of components and wires, and relieve stress. The adhesive bonds the rigid member and the flexible circuit together. Another material is sometimes used in flexible circuits. It is an adhesive layer, which is formed by coating adhesive on both sides of an insulating film. There are many types of insulating film materials, but the most commonly used are polyimide and polyester materials. Nearly 80% of all flexible circuit manufacturers in the United States use polyimide film materials, and about 20% use polyester film materials. Polyimide material is non-flammable, has stable geometric dimensions, has high tear strength, and has the ability to withstand welding temperatures. Polyesters have a melting point of 250°C and a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 80°C, which limits their use in applications that require a large amount of end welding. In low temperature applications, they exhibit rigidity. Nevertheless, they are suitable for use in products such as telephones and other products that do not require exposure to harsh environments. 2. Conductor Copper foil is suitable for use in flexible circuits. It can be electrodeposited ( for short: ED) or plated. Electrodeposited copper foil has a shiny surface on one side and a dull matte surface on the other side. It is a flexible material that can be made into many thicknesses and widths. The matte side of ED copper foil is often treated with special treatment to improve its bonding ability. In addition to its flexibility, wrought copper foil also has the characteristics of hard smoothness. It is suitable for applications where dynamic deflection is required. 3. Adhesive In addition to the adhesive used to bond the insulating film to the conductive material, it can also be used as a cover layer, as a protective coating, and cover coating. The main difference between the two is the application method they used. The cover layer is adhered to cover the insulating film to form a circuit with a laminated structure. Screen printing technology used for adhesive coating. Not all laminate structures contain adhesives, and laminates without adhesives form thinner circuits and greater flexibility. Compared with the laminated structure based on adhesive, it has better thermal conductivity. Due to the thin structure of the adhesive-free flexible circuit and the elimination of the thermal resistance of the adhesive, which improves the thermal conductivity, it can be used in working environments where flexible circuits based on the adhesive laminate structure cannot be used. What are the advantages of flexible PCB? The advantages of multi-layer circuit boards: high assembly density, small size, light weight, because high-density assembly, reduced wiring between components (including parts), thereby increasing reliability; can increase the wiring layer, and then increase design flexibility; It can also form the impedance of the circuit, can form a certain high-speed transmission circuit, can set the circuit, the electromagnetic shielding layer, and can also install the metal core layer to meet the functions and needs of special thermal insulation; easy installation and high reliability. Disadvantages of multi-layer PCB board (unqualified): high cost and long cycle; high reliability inspection method is required. Multilayer printed circuit is the product of electronic technology, multi-function, high speed, small volume and large capacity. With the development of electronic technology, especially the wide application of large-scale and ultra-large-scale integrated circuits, fine lines appear in the direction of high-density, high-precision and high-number change of multilayer printed circuits. What are the applications of flexible PCB? The PCB industries and applications in which flex PCBs can be used are diverse. Hence, we are focusing on a few major industries and applications. Electronics:LaptopsCamerasCalculatorsPrinter HeadsFlip Cell PhonesComputer Keyboards Manufacturing:Robotic ArmsSensoric EquipmentProcessing MachinesBar Code EquipmentHuman Machine Interface (HMI) equipment Automotive:Air Bag SystemsAntilock BrakesGPS SystemsEngine Controls Medical:PacemakersHearing AidsHeart MonitorsExercise Monitors Others:ResistorsSatellitesCapacitorsTower LightsLCD FabricationLight and Motion systemsWanna know PCB knowledge? Check and read for more.

PCB Knowledge ⋅ 10/31/2023 16:30

What Are the Advantages of In-circuit Test of PCB?

ICT, is a test system composed of individual probes designed to make contact with the test points on your assembled printed circuit board. This will check for assembly defects as well as the functionality of the board. Each net of your board should have a test point on it for testing, which means that a test fixture could contain thousands of probes. In this passage, we are going to tell you all basics about In-circuit test in PCB manufacturing. If you are curious about the professional knowledge of In-circuit test in PCB manufacturing, please check and read the content below for more information.If you want to order PCB product, please check and custom your order online. What are the advantages of In-circuit test? In a like manner to all technologies, ICT has its downsides and upsides. Even though the advantages of ICTs offset the disadvantages, knowing the advance’s expectations is crucial. ICT has some significant advantages that have been the reason manufacturers opt for it for centuries. They include: · In contrast to the AOI and flying probe testers, it can test the ball grid array assemblies (BGAs).· Straightforward interpretation: the ICT system quickly locates the faultiness and presents it to you in a matter of minutes. You may not need professionally skilled personnel to proceed with the interpretation.· Fast/ Time-effective: it roughly takes 1 minute in comparison to a flying probe tester that may take about 25 minutes. Being short is in regards to contacting all the board’s test points at once.· Easy program generation: an ICT tester is effortlessly programmed. In that, you can take files from the PCB outline to make the essential program. It can test functionality as well as assembly defects as ICT systems can handle complex testing methods.· Cost-effective: The high speed helps in quick recovering of the expense of setting up the fixture and program. It is especially true when considering boards that you assemble in large volumes.· ICT platforms: The testing platform for ICT is available in both Windows and UNIX OS, making it universal.· The testing can carry out several tests without applying power to the Device Under Test (DUT). It ensures a safe test and protects the board from any damage.· Coverage: For manufacturing defects, it has high failure coverage. A more straightforward explanation for the increased range is the board’s complexity. What Is the Basic Equipment for PCB In-circuit Test? Even when ICs fail, one of the major reasons is static damage, and this normally manifests itself in the areas of the IC close to the connections to the outside world, and these failures can be detected relatively easily using in-circuit test techniques. Some in-circuit tester are able to test some of the functionality of some integrated circuits, and in this way give a high degree of confidence in the build and probability of operation of the board. Naturally an in-circuit test does not give a test of the functionality of a board, but if it has been designed correctly, and then assembled correctly, it should work. In-circuit test equipment consists of a number of elements: In circuit tester: The in circuit test system consists of a matrix of drivers and sensors that are used to set up and perform the measurements. There may be 1000 or more of these driver sensor points. These are normally taken to a large connector conveniently located on the system Fixture: The in-circuit test system connector interfaces with the second part of the tester - the fixture. In view of the variety of boards this will be designed specifically for a particular board, and acts as an interface between the board and the in circuit tester. It takes the connections for the driver sensor points and routes them directly to the relevant points on the board using a "bed of nails". Software: Software is written for each board type that can be tested. It instructs the test system what tests to perform, between what points and details of the pass / fail criteria. What defects are identified in In-Circuit Testing? What accounts for the immense popularity of ICT? Its comprehensive test coverage is the prime reason. Compared to other ways of testing, ICT tests each component on a board, one at a time. The method tests the following in a printed circuit board. · Component spacing, lead spacing, land sizes, and component sizes· Component markings· Soldering and process issues· Shorts between traces and/or component leads· Open circuits (“opens”) where electrical continuity should exist· Values of resistors in the circuit· Jumpers/switches in correct location/setting or not· Presence/absence of passive components· Presence/absence of active analog components· Misoriented analog components· Misoriented digital components· Capacitance and inductance values· Wrong or missing components· Solder bridges· Short circuits Wanna know PCB knowledge? Check and read for more. 扩写 总结 问答 伪原创

PCB Knowledge ⋅ 10/30/2023 14:37

What the Essential Considerations Are of Reflow PCB?

How do you know which type of soldering to use and when? It may depend on a variety of factors, such as pad shapes, the amount of time you have, component orientations, type of printed circuit board and more. In some ways, wave soldering is more complex. Issues like board temperature and time the board spends in the solder wave need careful monitoring. Failure to create the right wave soldering environment is much more likely to lead to board defects. In this passage, if you are looking for more information about reflow PCB, please check and read the content below for professional knowledge.If you want to order PCB product, please check and custom your order online. What the Essential Considerations Are of Reflow PCB? Reflow soldering is the most popular and widely used method of connecting surface mount technology (SMT) components to a printed circuit board (PCB) . The process is focusing on creating acceptable solder joints by pre-heated components, which provides the opportunity to melt the solder without causing damage by overheating. In order to create an appropriate reflow profile, thermocouples are connected to a simple assembly (often using high-temperature solder), in different locations to measure the range of temperatures across the printed circuit board. Proheat- During this phase of the process the printed circuit board, components and solder are heated to a specific dwell or soak temperature, with the main aspect, which is not to be heated too quickly (usually no more than +2 degrees a second). Fast heating could cause component defects such as solder paste slattering or cracks. Soak- This is the part of the project in which it ensured that the components have reached the required temperature before entering the next reflow stage. The soaks last no more than 60 to 120 seconds, depending on the type of assembly. Reflow- In this general stage, the temperature in the oven is increased above the melting point of the solder paste, forming it into liquid. The time in which the solder is held above the melting point temperature is important to ensure that the "wetting" occurs between the printed board and the components. The time is about 30 to 60 seconds and it should not exceed to avoid the creation of brittle solder joints. Another thing that you should know is that the peak of the temperature has to be strictly controlled as many of the components could fail if they are exposed to excessive heat. On the other hand, it is important for the temperature to be high enough in order to achieve the desired results. If the reflow profile provides insufficient heat, it will result in bad solder joints which is one of the most common defects. Cooling- It is not healthy to heat the assembly fast, here would be the same. Make sure to never cool down the assembly too rapidly as it could lead to malfunctions. The recommendation here is to keep the rate of cooling above 3 degrees a second. What are the basic solder components? After the printing of a circuit board, the first step in reflow soldering is the application of the solder to the board. The paste must be applied only to the relevant areas of the circuit board. In this stage, accuracy is key. For this reason, a paste mask is essential when applying solder. The paste mask is a stencil to be placed on the PCB. (You can read more about the solder paste printing process here) It indicates the areas for solder application. Some mass production systems utilize both a solder mask and paste machine for a more automated process. After the direct application of solder to the specified areas of the board, it is time to put the components in place. This requires the use of a pick and place machine. The technology removes the need for a laborious and lengthy manual process. Pick and place machines allow for rapid, highly precise application of the electrical components to the circuit board in a repeatable process. Following placement, the natural adhesive of the solder paste temporarily holds the components in place. This allows for the secure transfer of the components to the oven. Reflow soldering VS wave soldering As mentioned already, an infrared lamp is used to heat the air and melt the solder in the reflow soldering technique. The board is passed through a tunnel or reflow oven where it is heated in a controlled manner. In this, you apply the solder paste only over the areas (contact pads) where you want to assemble the electronic components. Failure to create the right wave soldering environment is much more likely to lead to board defects. You don’t need to be nearly as concerned about controlling the environment when you’re utilizing reflow soldering to fabricate your printed circuit boards. However, even with that being the case, wave soldering tends to be faster and cheaper than reflow soldering. In more than a few cases, it’s the only practical way to solder a board. Reflow soldering is typically used in smaller-scale manufacturing products that don’t require a method amenable to fast, cheap mass production. Keep in mind that you may be able to use both reflow soldering and wave soldering for certain situations. You might reflow solder parts on one side and then wave solder them on the other. Also, you can always manually solder or hand solder PCB components, but this will rarely be a good approach if you have access to one of the mechanical methods of soldering. Manual soldering would only be an alternative to reflow soldering, but reflow soldering is still far superior.Wanna know PCB knowledge? Check and read for more.

PCB Knowledge ⋅ 10/27/2023 16:07

What Is the Basic Information of PCB Capacitor?

We can then have discrete capacitors alongside the PCBs capacitor, which may serve as lumped capacitors that you can use to create a distribution system for your design. If you are going to learn more information of PCB Capacitor, please check and read the content below in this passage. If you want to order PCB product, please check and custom your order online. What Is the Basic Information of PCB Capacitor? PCBs can behave like capacitors because a capacitor can be made up of 2 metal objects separated by a non-dielectric material. So the combination of PCB tracks, pads, components, and pins should form a capacitor capable of destabilizing frequency oscillation. Also, closely ground planes and power provide the required decoupling capacitance. It is possible to use capacitors on the edge of your PCB; all you need are two copper planes to act as capacitors. Compared to a battery, the capacitor is quite simple, as it does not produce new electrons, but it only stores them. Here, we'll learn what a PCB capacitor is, what it does and how it can be used in electronics. Inside the capacitor, the terminals are able to connect two metal plates that are separated through non-conducting, or dielectric substance. It is simple to make capacitor from two aluminum foil pieces along with a piece of paper. It isn't a good capacitor for the storage capacity but it works fine. What are the types of PCB Capacitor? Many types of capacitors are out there, and each of these is available with certain features or drawbacks making it better for a few applications compared to others. Ceramic CapacitorsThese are among the most common capacitors out there. In size and capacitance these are quite small. Ceramic capacitors larger than 10�F are not easily available. Surface mounted ceramic cap can commonly be found in tiny 0402, 0603 or 0805. Through-hole caps generally appear similar to small bulbs, with 2 protruding terminals. Super CapacitorsWhen you're looking for capacitors that are made for storing energy, you don't have to look further than super capacitors. All these caps are designed uniquely to have higher capacitances, in farads range. Other CapacitorsMore than 80% capacitor types are ceramic and electrolytic capacitors, and super capactiors are only at around 2% usage, but they're good!). Another common type of capacitor is film capacitor, which can feature parasitic losses (ESR) for making them deal with high current. How does PCB Capacitor work? Capacitors are well-known passive components found in circuits. They are similar to the resistors. Capacitors help in storing electrical charge. They also offer different options. This depends on the design of a circuit. The capacitance has to do with the measure of the energy or charge, which can be carried by the capacitor. When capacitors are in their basic form, they are made of two plates, with an insulator between them. This insulator is the dielectric. Capacitors are of different types. They are composed of different dielectric materials, and can be utilized for several purposes. The measurement of capacitance is in Farads. This unit is a fairly large one. This is why it is used generally in microfarads or picofarads. Also, capacitors may also be non-electrolytic or electrolytic. The former may be connected in whatever direction possible in the circuit. For the electrolytic capacitors, you have to install them on the circuit in the right orientation. One of the leads is positive, while the other is negative. The placing of the electrolytic capacitors may not allow your circuits to perform properly. It may even make them pop. Capacitors may have different applications. One of their critical roles can be found in digital electronics. Here, they protect the microchips from any noise. Due to the fact that the whole charge they carry can be dumped quickly, often they are utilized in lasers and flashes coupled with capacitive sensing and circuit devices. Circuits having capacitors usually display behaviors that are dependent on frequency. This is why they can be utilized on circuits, which amplifies some frequencies. You can add capacitors either in parallel or in series, just like resistors. However, the calculation is the direct opposite of that of the resistors. The connection of components in series has one node in common. Also, both nodes are shared anytime the connection is in parallel. The resistors connected in series should be added together, if you want to get the total value of the resistance. Also, capacitors having parallel connection should be added, if you need the total value of the capacitance.Wanna know PCB knowledge? Check and read for more.

PCB Knowledge ⋅ 10/26/2023 16:13

What Are the 5 Main Solutions of Intelligent PCB?

1. Digital models should be established in smart factories in terms of general design, procedure and layout and simulation should be carried out. Besides, digital management should be implemented during the whole procedure from planning, manufacturing to operation. 2. Digital 3D design and technology should be applied to carry out product/technology design and simulation. Verification and optimization should be done through physical detection and test. Product Data Management (PDM) should be set up so that product design and technological data will be integrated. 3. Numerical control rate of manufacturing equipment should exceed 70% and information mutual communication and integration should be achieved between key technologies and equipment including top-grade numerically-controlled machine tools and industrial robots, intelligent sensors and control equipment, intelligent detection and assembly equipment, intelligent logistics and storage equipment. 4. Production process data collection and analysis system should be founded to make production process data automatically uploaded including production schedule, field operation, quality detection, equipment status and material transfer with visual management achieved. 5. Manufacturing Execution System (MES) should be established in the factory in order to reach all management functions including planning, dispatch, quality, equipment, manufacturing and energy efficiency. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system should be also established so that enterprise management functions can be achieved including supply chain, logistics and cost.If you want to order PCB product, please check and custom your order online. What are the options of Intelligent PCB design? The first step in power supply is to choose the type of power supply you wish to use for your device. Unregulated power supplies are a down-and-dirty option for converting AC power from a wall outlet to a DC voltage. The output from these supplies will contain a ripple waveform as the output is not smoothed with a regulator. Modern applications use a regulated power supply, where this ripple is minimized. There are two principal options for regulating DC output from power supplies: using a linear regulator or a switching regulator, which is sometimes called a switch-mode power supply. These types of power supplies pass the DC output from a full wave rectifier to a regulation circuit, which smooths the ripple waveform that is superimposed on the desired DC output. These regulators can also be used to directly regulate a DC power source like a battery. Linear regulators have very low noise, but they tend to be bulky due to the use of heatsinks or other active cooling measures required for thermal management. The significant heat dissipation in these power supplies is responsible for their low efficiency. In contrast, a switched mode power supply provides much higher efficiency over a broad current range, allowing these power supplies to take on smaller form factor. However, these power supplies use a PWM circuit to smooth and regulate the output voltage, which requires the use of an active switching component (normally a MOSFET). This means that the system radiates strong EMI, and the output will contain spikes due to switching noise. This switching noise can appear as a ringing signal on the output (i.e., conducted EMI), and this noise needs to be filtered from the output. How to process the Intelligent PCB design? This section describes the design of the IAPIS and the system architecture is shown in Figure 2. In the proposed system, there are three modules to achieve the objectives of identifying the key factors in PCBA and optimizing the machines’ parameter settings. The three modules are: (i) a data collection module (DCM); (ii) a failure analysis module (FAM); and (iii) a machine setting optimization module (MSOM). In the proposed system, DCM functions to collect the essential data from the PCBA process and expert perception to facilitate the data analytics process. In order to improve the PCBA process performance, FAM plays a role to determine the critical process parameters through the investigation of the NG types, while MSOM is developed to optimize the process parameters obtained in the FAM. By setting the optimized process parameters, the process performance in term of yield loss can be enhanced, resulting in better quality of the PCBA process. Considering the above studies, the rapid development of approaches to improve the productivity and process performance has continued in recent years. In the era of smart manufacturing, the above concerns can be effectively addressed by means of emerging technologies and techniques. The selection of k-means clustering to investigate the critical parameters in the PCBA process is appropriate and the selected parameters can be used to formulate effective experimental studies. Consequently, the structured system architecture can be established, as described in the next sections.Wanna know PCB knowledge? Check and read for more.

PCB Knowledge ⋅ 10/25/2023 15:58

What Are Front-end Simulation and Evaluation in PCB Industry?

PCB simulations begin in the schematic capture phase of a design project, where SPICE simulations are used as part of circuit design. SPICE simulations are important for evaluating system-level electrical behavior, but they are also useful for circuit optimization as part of the design process. Schematic capture software with a built-in SPICE simulation package can help you stay productive while you work through some of the basic simulations needed to evaluate electrical behavior.If you want to order PCB product, please check and custom your order online. SPICE packages that are used for front-end engineering and simulations are designed to perform a specific set of analyses: · DC sweeps, where input DC voltage is swept through a series of values and the voltage and current at other nodes are monitored· Transient analysis, or time domain mixed-signal simulations; this is the fundamental time-domain simulation· AC sweeps, or frequency sweeps, where the frequency of an AC signal is varied in time· Parameter sweep, where a specific set of component parameters is swept across a range of values· Pole-zero analysis, where stability conditions and transient oscillation frequencies can be visualized in a single graph Some schematic capture programs with integrated SPICE engines can be used with more advanced simulations, such as noise analysis and thermal analysis. What are the common problems of circuit simulation in PCB manufacturing? While SPICE circuit simulators can tell you whether or not the circuit concept will work, the actual physical layout of the circuit still needs to be refined for the circuit board’s maximum performance. The circuit analysis for these refinements also used to require time-consuming and expensive testing of prototype circuit boards. However, design engineers can analyze from within the design tools while the board is still being laid out. ImpedanceImpedance analysis must be done before layout to determine the trace widths for the layer stackup of a circuit board. To control the impedance of high-speed transmission lines, it is essential to carefully calculate the board dielectric materials and width and the width and spacing of the traces. Some CAD tools also offer impedance checking during layout to confirm that the transmission line traces being routed are maintaining their target impedance values. Impedance analysis is important for combatting reflection and other signal integrity problems. High-speed timingDDR (Double-Data Rate) and other high-speed routing topologies depend on accurate trace lengths to support the timing requirements of their circuits for the best performance of the board. Many of these trace lengths also need to be matched to prevent one line from being faster than another, and the CAD tools will analyze the routing and report any problems. CrosstalkWhen a strong signal overpowers a weaker signal due to its proximity, it can result in the weaker signal mimicking its behavior instead of accomplishing its task. This condition is known as crosstalk, and it can create signal integrity problems that will degrade the board’s performance. Crosstalk analysis is an essential layout tool that designers should be acquainted with and regularly use. Return pathsThe clear return path of high-speed signals on the reference plane is another essential signal integrity check to minimize the amount of electromagnetic interference (EMI) the board is generating. Return path analysis tools can tell layout designers immediately if their boards will potentially generate too much noise. Power integrityWhen laying out a circuit board, it can be very easy to miss small details in the design, such as a power pin not having enough metal for a robust connection. Although there may be enough metal to pass the design rule check, in reality, there isn’t enough to support the amount of voltage that the pin will conduct. Power integrity analysis tools can give the designer immediate feedback during layout and determine which pins need a stronger connection to satisfy the power requirements. Design rule checksAlthough not considered an “analysis” tool, a designer should always check the layout’s basic design rules and constraints before sending it out for manufacturing. Circuit board fabricators and assemblers often find simple errors that should have been caught in design but weren’t because the rules were either not set up correctly or not used at all. Thankfully the design rules in today’s CAD systems are very comprehensive and often include a 3D display and checking for a complete object clearance verification.Wanna know PCB knowledge? Check and read for more. 扩写 总结 问答 伪原创

PCB Knowledge ⋅ 10/24/2023 16:51

How Does 3D Printing PCB Components Assist Fabrication?

The PCB design process is fraught with complexities. Though many established machines, toolsets, and other devices are used in manufacturing, sometimes it may be necessary to design something fast. When devising temporary material solutions, 3D printing offers a great advantage due to its low cost of operations and flexibility when the design is likely to be in a state of high flux. Even at the prototyping stage and small production runs, operators stand to gain from a multitasking solution that frees up specialty machinery by filling in on small or unique jobs. Some additional benefits that 3D printing can offer to operations:Wanna know PCB knowledge? Check and read for more. Simplicity and Automation: A 3D printer operates without requiring user input beyond setting runtime parameters and general observation. Compared to larger and more complex pieces of equipment where misuse could lead to serious damage to operators, the risk factors for a 3D printer are quite low. Speed and Flexibility: Compared to some of the more intensive machining tools, 3D printers are exceptionally fast, and pieces are easy to edit and scale as design needs evolve. Utility: Operators can quickly design and produce supporting parts for PCB manufacturing, even those that may otherwise be unforeseen or tricky to implement with standard tooling. The overarching boon of 3D printing is adaptability – users can enjoy flexibility from design to production with easy-to-build 3D models that support the overall manufacturing process. In general, 3D printed pieces related to PCB are parts with very low tolerances. They are unlikely to survive to final production due to their role as a transitory process within fabrication. However, 3D printed parts may survive to final assembly, and it’s not hard to see why: as an inexpensive, effective, and highly modular design stand-in, 3D printed components represent a fantastic option for any fabricator. Designing and Producing Enclosures with 3D Printing Enclosures can be seen as one of the products that 3D printing can successfully replicate with some pronounced advantages. Primarily, it may introduce an out-of-house process, allowing fabricators enhanced control of their design process while shortening turnaround time from days to hours. Plastic-based PCB enclosures operate similarly to the more expensive aluminum enclosures. The Faraday cage function is an exceedingly important role, but 3D printing can swap out filaments for different material properties. This feature could be used to design a mesh insert inside the greater thermoplastic enclosure for shielding properties or an embedded solution where the metallic properties are directly deposited into the enclosure. As the technology continues to grow and develop, new design allocations can isolate beneficial properties without sacrificing the many wonderful features that make 3D printing an asset for PCB design.Wanna know PCB knowledge? Check and read for more.

PCB Knowledge ⋅ 10/23/2023 16:24