Thursday, October 17, 2013

A Brief Guide To PCB Design Services

By Catalina Nielsen


The world seems to be getting more and more reliant on electronic gadgets. They seem to be everywhere, some bigger than others, but they all have an impact on the way that people live. If you were to take a peek inside one of these devices you would see electronic components stuck to a board. It all looks very confusing, which is why businesses make use of PCB design services.

For those who might not know those 3 initials mean printed circuit board, and when you look at one it is easy to understand why, when designing them, it is always preferable to utilize professional bodies. On its own the board is of a simple laminate structure, and will be available in a range of sizes and thicknesses. The size is determined by where it is due to fit in the equipment.

From this point a template can be formed as the designers now know the physical size that they will be working to. Not only that, they will also know where the mounting holes will be positioned on the board. Another thing that they will be looking for is how they will apply power to the board to actually operate the circuit.

There are two basic forms of circuit boards, one is known as surface mount and the other is known as through board. Components on the surface mount type board are much smaller, and therefore more components can be placed in a limited area if the electronic application is more complicated. As they are smaller they also weigh less which might be beneficial if weight is a factor.

The through board is probably the most common form of circuit board that a person will come across. On there the components have metal legs which are passed through the board. The legs are the soldered to metal tracks which cross the reverse side of this circuit board. These metal tracks are there to direct the power to set points.

As soon as the board version has been decided then the circuit itself can be drawn up. The client will need to ensure that the designers know all of the operating aspects of the equipment. Two master diagrams are produced alongside each other, there is a schematic drawing and a wiring drawing.

When everything has been worked out to satisfaction a prototype can be constructed. The schematic diagram is printed on the side of the board without the metal tracks. This enables the technician to know which component is meant to be positioned where. Once the board is fully assembled it can then be tested to ensure that it works as required.

Creating the circuit can be an intensive process, which many feel is best left to the professionals. As a consequence businesses, rather than struggle with something attempted in house, will make the most of PCB design services. Perhaps the next time you use any electronic device you will have a slight idea about how it came to be.




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