Hipot Testing of PCB Assemblies: Process and Standards A hipot test applies a high voltage across an insulation barrier and checks that no significant current flows. It is the standard way to verify that the isolation built into a product is actually present after assembly, and it is one of…

FR4 versus Polyimide PCB: Material Comparison FR4 and polyimide are the two materials most designers meet first, and they are often treated as competing options for the same job. In practice they solve different problems: one is a rigid structural material with good electrical behaviour and a low price, and…

PCB Heatsink Pad on An Insulated Metal Board: Joining the Two Metals 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 heatsink pad on an insulated…

PCB Ceramic Substrate Comparison: Choosing the Base Material 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 Holes Explained: Plated Through Hole, Via and Mounting Hole A finished board is covered in holes of several different kinds, and confusing them is a common source of layout and manufacturing mistakes. Each type exists for one purpose, has its own plating requirement and its own set of rules.…

PCB Aluminium Board Insulation: The Thin Layer That Matters 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 aluminium board insulation gives you a practical advantage…

PCB Tolerance and Dimension Rules for Prototypes Most disagreements between a designer and a fabricator are not about capability but about default values. The designer assumes a tolerance, the fabricator assumes a different one, and the difference is discovered when a connector does not fit or a panel will not…

Via Plugging: Tenting, Filling and Process Choice Once a board carries surface mount devices, the vias stop being a detail and become an assembly requirement. A hole that is open, or that traps solder, produces a defect that shows up as a short or a void rather than as a…

Industrial Control Board Layout Standards An industrial control board is judged on three things: the chipset it is built around, the way the layout and the routing have been handled, and the quality of the parts and the laminate. Of those three, the layout is the one a buyer can…

Designing a Wearable GPS Tracker Board A wearable tracker for a child or a pet is one of the harder small boards to design. It has to receive a satellite signal that arrives at roughly minus one hundred and thirty decibels, transmit through a cellular network with a power amplifier…