Electroplating Additives in PCB Copper Deposition Plating is the step that turns a pattern of isolated copper features into a connected circuit, and it is the step most likely to be blamed when a board fails an electrical test. Copper that is missing inside a hole, or present where it…

Ground Current Paths and Second Harmonic Distortion An amplifier datasheet can promise distortion figures in parts per million and still perform badly on a real board. The reason is usually not the device but the copper underneath it. High-current output stages deliver large, rapidly changing currents into a load, and…

PCB Ionic Contamination Specification: What Buyers and Engineers Should 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 ionic contamination specification from the perspective of a PCBA…

Layer Stackup Design: One Layer to Eight Layers The stackup is the foundation of the whole design and the one decision that cannot be repaired later. A routing mistake can be fixed with a patch or a rework, an impedance error can sometimes be trimmed with a resistor, but a…

PCB Design Principles for EMI Suppression Electromagnetic compatibility is not a layer of varnish applied at the end of a project. It is a set of physical decisions taken during layout, and by the time the board is fabricated the opportunity to influence most of them has passed. Two coupling…

PCB Corrosion Testing of Finished Assemblies: A Practical Manufacturing Guide 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 corrosion testing of finished assemblies gives you…

PCB Thermal Shock Versus Thermal Cycling: Design and Assembly Considerations 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 thermal shock versus thermal cycling from the perspective of…

PCB Thermal Cycle Test Chamber Setup: Heating and Cooling 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 thermal cycle test chamber setup gives you a…

PCB Solder Ball Shear Test: A Practical Review for Manufacturing Teams 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 solder ball shear test from the perspective of…

Copper Flooding: Mesh or Solid, and How to Handle Ground Islands Filling the empty area of a board with copper is one of the oldest habits in layout, and like most habits it is sometimes applied without much thought. A pour is not decoration and it is not a free…