The document discusses printed circuit boards (PCBs), including what they are, why they are used, and how they are designed and manufactured. A PCB contains conductive tracks that connect electronic components embedded in a non-conductive substrate. PCBs make circuits portable, reliable, and compact compared to wire wrap or point-to-point construction. Designing a PCB involves using EDA software to lay out the circuit schematic, place components, route wires between them, and generate manufacturing files to produce the board. The manufacturing process and costs can vary depending on the board size and urgency needed.

1. Printed Circuit Board
Daniel Miller
Joe Quesada
Justine Lazo
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http://saturnpcb.com/pcb_services.htm

2. Overview
• What is a PCB?
• Why use a PCB?
• How do I make a PCB?
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3. Printed Circuit Board

Circuit connects components through board

Made of alternating layers of conducting and
insulating materials
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http://www.seilpcb.co.kr/products/images/2_1_img5.gif

4. Why PCB?
• Features
• Surprisingly Affordable
• Highly reliable
• Compact
• Drawbacks
• Requires more layout than other board types
• Higher initial cost than wire wrap or point-to-
point construction
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Breadboard_complex.jpg

5. PCB Design Steps
1 Design the circuit
2 Place the components
3 Route the wires
4 Manufacture
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6. EDA Software
• PCB design software package
• Design the circuit (Schematics editor)
• Place the components (PCB editor)
• Route the wires (Autorouter module)
• Examples:
• EAGLE
• ExpressPCB
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7. Schematic Capture

Pin in/outs

Components

Interconnections

Easily Readable

High-Level Block
Diagram
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All pictures of schematics and EAGLE screenshots from http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/108
and http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/109

8. Placement of Components
• Rat’s Nest
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9. Placement of Components
• Place big components first- e.g. microcontroller
• Place components in separate functional groups
• Put a ground plane under all components
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10. Signal Routing Component Placement
• Surface mount
• Top and bottom planes
• Minimal routing area
• Through-hole mounted
• All components on same side
• Reduces routing area on all planes
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http://www.ehow.com/how_8306661_solder-mini-components.html
http://blog.amal.net/?p=188

11. Signal Routing
• Traces are wires connecting components
• Traces can be routed through multiple layers
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12. Vias and Pads
• Vias are connections between layers
• Pads are copper areas for pin connections
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13. Manufacturing Files
• Gerber Files
• Industry standard file format to describe circuits
• Generated by PCB design software
• Contains all necessary info to manufacture a
circuit board (Traces, Pads, Silkscreen, etc.)
• Drill Files
• Describes the location and size of holes
• Zipped with Gerber files and sent to manufacturer
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14. Viewplot Check
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15. Cost Estimate
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•www.pcbfabexpress.com

16. Cost Estimate
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•www.sunstone.com

17. Summary
• PCBs allow for portable and reliable circuits
• Designed in EDA Software
▫ Design the circuit
▫ Place the components
▫ Route the wires
▫ Manufacture
• Price varies based on size and urgency
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18. References
• http://saturnpcb.com/pcb_services.htm
• http://www.seilpcb.co.kr/products/images/2_1_img5.gif
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Breadboard_complex.jpg
• http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/108
• http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/109
• http://www.ehow.com/how_8306661_solder-mini-
components.html
• http://blog.amal.net/?p=188
• http://www.pcbfabexpress.com/preview_specs.jsp
• http://www.sunstone.com/products-services/quickturn-
proto-boards/pricing.aspx
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