Radar System PCB: A Beginner Guide to Design Radar is one of the few applications where the printed circuit board is part of the radio itself. At the frequencies involved, the wavelength is comparable to the dimensions of the board, the traces behave as transmission lines with measurable loss, and…

PCB Sampling Plan for Outgoing Quality: How Many to Check Electronics manufacturing has become a discipline of small details. Solder paste volumes, placement accuracy, temperature profiles and inspection limits all add up to the final result. This guide looks at PCB sampling plan for outgoing quality from the perspective of…

PCB Control Chart in the Shop: Watching the Process Breathe Electronics manufacturing has become a discipline of small details. Solder paste volumes, placement accuracy, temperature profiles and inspection limits all add up to the final result. This guide looks at PCB control chart in the shop from the perspective of…

PCB Corrective Action Closure: Making Sure It Stays Fixed Electronics manufacturing has become a discipline of small details. Solder paste volumes, placement accuracy, temperature profiles and inspection limits all add up to the final result. This guide looks at PCB corrective action closure from the perspective of a PCBA factory…

Surface Finish Comparison: ENEPIG, OSP, Immersion Tin and HASL Surface finish selection is one of the few decisions that affects fabrication, assembly and field reliability at the same time. There are six common options, and each is the right answer for a specific combination of pitch, storage period, assembly method…

Microwave PCB Materials and Fabrication: A Practical Overview A microwave PCB is defined by controlled electrical properties rather than by a frequency label. At microwave frequencies, the laminate’s dielectric constant, the loss tangent and the roughness of the copper all contribute to insertion loss, and the geometry of every transition…

Server PCB: Architecture, Materials and Manufacturing Requirements A server PCB is a large, high-layer-count board that must deliver enormous current to a processor and move data at rates that leave very little margin in the channel. It is fabricated in small volumes compared with consumer products, and the tolerance for…

PCB Assembly Drawing Notes: Words That Prevent Questions Electronics manufacturing has become a discipline of small details. Solder paste volumes, placement accuracy, temperature profiles and inspection limits all add up to the final result. This guide looks at PCB assembly drawing notes from the perspective of a PCBA factory floor,…

HDI PCB Prototyping: Microvia Stackup and Design Rules HDI PCB prototyping is the stage where a dense design is proven on real laminate before tooling and volume commitments are made. A prototype run has to answer three questions at once: can the microvia stack be drilled and filled reliably, does…

ENIG PCB: Immersion Gold Thickness and Black Pad Control An ENIG PCB uses electroless nickel followed by immersion gold to protect copper pads. The nickel layer does the real work: it is a hard, solderable barrier that stops copper from diffusing into the joint, while the gold layer is only…