Sensor Interface Layout: Protecting Low Level Signals A sensor that produces a few millivolts is competing with a board full of switching currents. The layout decides how much of the board’s noise reaches the measurement, and the countermeasures are geometric rather than electrical. What Makes a Low Level Signal Vulnerable…

Flux Activity and Activation Temperature in Soldering Flux is the part of the soldering process that does the chemistry. It removes the oxide layer from the metal, keeps the surface clean while it is hot, and lowers the surface tension so that molten solder can spread. How well it does…

PCB V Score Depth: Cutting Most of the Way 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 V score depth from the perspective of a PCBA factory…

PCB Tab Routing Design: Leaving Bridges 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 PCB tab…

PCB Reference Designator Rules: Naming the Parts 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 reference designator rules from the perspective of a PCBA factory floor, covering…

PCB Serpentine Routing: Folding the Trace 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 serpentine routing from the perspective of a PCBA factory floor, covering using serpentine…

Replacing Leaded Inductors With SMD Parts Safely Moving a design from leaded inductors to surface mount parts is a routine step during a cost reduction or a mechanical redesign. A leaded inductor needs a hole, a manual insertion step and a taller mechanical envelope, while a surface mount part can…

Capacitor Package Sizes And SMT Process Compatibility Choosing a capacitor package is often treated as a question of size alone, but the package also has to survive the placement and soldering process that the board will go through. A part that is electrically correct can still cause defects if its…

ESD Protection Devices: Selection and Placement A protection device that is not on the board, or that is on the board but a centimetre from the connector, provides much less protection than its data sheet implies. The selection and the placement are one decision. What the Device Must Do The…

Test Limits and Guard Bands: Setting an Acceptance Window A test limit that is set equal to the design specification will fail good units. The measurement has its own uncertainty and the process has its own spread, and both must be accounted for before a limit is written into a…