Trace Width and Current: Calculating the Right Copper Sizing a trace for current is one of the few layout decisions with a closed-form answer, and it is also one of the most frequently skipped. A trace that is too narrow will heat up, increase its resistance, heat up further, and…

Mixed Signal PCB Design Guidelines Boards that contain both analog and digital circuits are the most common source of difficult layout problems, because the two halves of the design want opposite things. Analog circuitry measures small continuous signals and needs a quiet, stable reference. Digital circuitry switches state abruptly, draws…

DC-DC Converter Layout and Routing Guidelines A switching regulator converts voltage efficiently because it never operates the pass device in its linear region. The cost of that efficiency is a node that switches between the input rail and ground at hundreds of kilohertz to several megahertz, and every trace connected…

PCB Any Layer HDI Stackup: Vias Wherever Needed 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 any layer HDI stackup from the perspective of a PCBA factory…

PCB Via Filling for Stacked Microvias: Filling the Hole 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 via filling for stacked microvias from the perspective of a…

PCB Rework of A Coated Board: Working Through the Film Buyers and engineers often focus on the finished product and forget the production line behind it. In practice, most field failures can be traced back to process decisions made during assembly. Understanding PCB rework of a coated board gives you…

PCB Recoating A Repaired Area: Repairing the Film Buyers and engineers often focus on the finished product and forget the production line behind it. In practice, most field failures can be traced back to process decisions made during assembly. Understanding PCB recoating a repaired area gives you a practical advantage…

PCB Coating Coverage Under Components: Getting Under the Part 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 coating coverage under components from the perspective of a PCBA…

STM32 Core Board PCB Design: Rules and Layer Planning A microcontroller core board looks simple: one large device, a handful of passives and a connector that breaks out the pins. In practice it is one of the harder boards to lay out well, because the processor is fast, the power…

PCB Coating Adhesion Testing: Will It Stay On 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…