Circuit Board Prototype
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Printed circuit board prototype or prototype circuit board is one the most important part and tool for any engineer in electronics and PCB manufacturing and assembly. Prototype Printed circuit board or PCB Prototype is extremely important starting for design to finished electronic product, gadget or appliance. Circuit board prototype allows the user to test a given design to find out it will work or not. This way he can debug and rectify any error. This is also very useful before mass production.
Without circuit board prototype, there always remains a risk with the mass production of electronic circuit boards and related products. In complex circuit boards, a slight mistake can be very expensive and time consuming to rectify. A faulty circuit board design can make it difficult for electronic components to solder on to the board and it is also very difficult to point out the point of error on the circuit board.
Therefore, it is wise to design a circuit board prototype prior to actual production in order to avoid any future risk. Here I will explain circuit board prototype process and how you can make your own custom circuit boards. You will also find several other articles related to circuit boards and electronics assembly and manufacturing.
What is a Printed Circuit Board (PCB)
Most electronic equipment and products have circuit boards. Circuit boards or Printed circuit board or Printed Wiring Board (PCB / PWB), is board made out of non-insulating and highly heat-resistant insulating material such as fiberglass. These boards are also called substrates.
A substrate or board may have only one single layer (Single-Layer Circuit Board) or more than one layer (Multilayer Circuit Board). A conductive metal such as copper is used to make conductive pathway or traces to facilitate flow of electricity. Once these conductive traces are etched on the substrate, it is termed as “Printed Circuit Board”.How to make a PCB
Making Your Own Circuit Boards: Circuit Board Prototype
When designing a new circuit, you need to draw a circuit board schematic prior to making a circuit board prototype. A circuit board schematic will help you to debug and fix any mistake that you may have made. If your circuitry on the circuit board is simple, you may use proto boards that are quite simple and easy to understand. In case you want to design a complex and customized circuit board, you will have to make a prototype board.
Circuit Board Layout Editor
To start making a circuit board prototype, you need a circuit board layout pattern. For this, you use a layout editor.
A circuit board layout editor is basically software to draw a layout of the circuit board with all of the traces and points where electronic components will be soldered on the board. The PCB layout will look like a diagram. A pcb layout software allows you to edit the layout until you get exactly what you want.PCB Routing
PCB drilling
How circuit boards are made
How to make a circuit board
Making a circuit board involves several complex process.
Photoengraving: Under this process a mask or photomask is combined with chemical etching to subtract the copper areas from the circuit board substrate. The photomask is created with a photoplotter design using a CAD PCB software program. Photomasks are also created using a laser printer. Lamination: Multi-layer printed circuit boards are made up of multiple layers consisting of several thin etched boards or trace layers and are bonded together through the process of lamination.
Drilling: Each layer of the printed circuit board requires the ability of one layer to connect to another; this is achieved through drilling small holes called "VIAS". Drilling is mostly done with the use of an automated computer-driven drilling machine.
Solder Plating: Pads and lands where electronic components are to be soldered on the circuit board are plated to allow solderability of the components. Bare copper is not easily solderable. It requires the surface to be plated with a material that facilitates soldering. Earlier lead based tin was used to plate the surfaces, but with RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) compliance enacted newer materials such as nickel and gold are now used for plating. Testing the Circuit Board: Prior to assembly of electronic components on to the board, it needs to be tested. This testing can be done nails tester, flying probe tester are other computer-operated circuit board testing equipments.Printed Circuit Board Design Rules
PCB Design Rules
| |
|---|---|
Layer Process
| Standard Size
|
Minimum trace/space
| 7 mils
|
Minimum via/hole size
| 14 mils
|
Minimum pad for plated hole/vias
| 26 mils
|
Minimum plated slot
| 32 mils
|
Minimum Soldermask Clearance
| 4 mils
|
Minimum Silkscreen Clearance
| 4 mils
|
Minimum Silkscreen line width
| 6 mils
|
Minimum board copper/edge margin
| 10 mils
|
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