Inverter PCB Design: Creepage, Isolation and Thermal Paths An inverter board is where power electronics layout stops being forgiving. The board has to carry tens or hundreds of amperes, switch them in a few tens of nanoseconds, isolate the control side from the mains side, and dissipate the losses that…

White Solder Mask PCB: Where It Helps and Where It Hurts White solder mask is chosen for one reason above all others: it reflects light. That single property makes it the standard finish for LED lighting boards and for products where a bright, clean appearance is part of the design.…

Super Thick PCB: Heavy Copper Design and Fabrication Power electronics eventually reaches a point where the copper itself is the limiting component. A trace that carries tens of amps has to be wide enough that it neither drops excessive voltage nor overheats, and at some current level the answer is…

High-Frequency RF PCB: Materials, Impedance and Via Design A high-frequency RF PCB is not simply a normal board specified for a higher clock rate. Once the signal wavelength approaches the dimensions of the routing, the conductor stops behaving like a wire and starts behaving like a transmission line, and every…

PCB Selective Wave Profiling: Heating Just the Pins Modern electronics depend on boards that are assembled correctly the first time. Every product – a phone, a charger, a medical instrument or an industrial controller – relies on thousands of solder joints that must conduct current for years. This article explains…

HDI PCB: Structures, Processes and Design Rules for Dense Boards An HDI PCB, or high-density interconnect board, uses microvias and thin build-up layers to increase the number of connections that fit in a given area. The technology exists because component pitch shrank faster than conventional drilling could follow. A ball…

Wireless Router PCB: A Beginner Guide to Its Design A wireless router looks like a plastic box with a few antennas, but almost everything that determines whether it works well sits on a single board inside that box. A wireless router PCB has to carry a processor running at hundreds…

BMS PCB Design: Layout Rules for Battery Management Systems A BMS PCB is the board that measures, protects and balances a battery pack. It combines a high-current path, a precision measurement chain and a control section, and the three have very different layout requirements. Almost every design problem on a…

PCB Dispensing Adhesive: A Dot in the Right Place Modern electronics depend on boards that are assembled correctly the first time. Every product – a phone, a charger, a medical instrument or an industrial controller – relies on thousands of solder joints that must conduct current for years. This article…

PCB Jet Printing of Solder Paste: Paste Without a Stencil Modern electronics depend on boards that are assembled correctly the first time. Every product – a phone, a charger, a medical instrument or an industrial controller – relies on thousands of solder joints that must conduct current for years. This…