First Time Circuit Board Design Tips

Circuit board design is a very daunting task for any new designer to overcome. While it may seem complicated on the outside, there are a ton of tips that can be picked up from looking at how good circuit boards are designed. Board design is an art as well as a science and can be mastered relatively simply by understanding what the true function of the circuit board is.

Preparation and Design

A good board design starts with just that, a design. The design, schematics, Book of Materials, and other documents created and turned over to production in a timely manner ensures the quick turnaround and deployment of the prototype and finished product. Often times, PCB designers neglect to properly change one or the other and that can cause confusion among the PCB manufacturers as to what the true design is or what the Book of Materials actually calls for.

Major Components First

The major components should be placed on the board first. These include connectors, switches, mounting holes, LED’s, heat sinks, and any other item that requires an external connection. The parts that connect with each other should generally be placed next to one another, minimizing trace lengths. When designing the PCB, settings should ensure that the pieces are laid out in a grid and are at least 0.05” in between them in order to prevent the parts from physically touching. All of the pieces of the PCB should only be placed on the top side of the board. Putting the major components with the polarities facing the same direction throughout will help with making the board function as designed.

Placing Traces

There are many types of traces that need to be placed in the circuit board. Placing power traces, ground traces, and signal traces right ensures that the power supply is well connected and well grounded. The power and ground traces need to be placed at least 0.010 for the lowest amperage. It can be as high as 0.150 for the more powerful amps. Also, it is common to bend these traces at a 45-degree angle. When a 90-degree angle is required, two 45 degree ones with a short leg in between is common practice. In the design phase, preparation is important along with the right placement and having all the changes done in a timely manner.

Checking Work

When designing circuit boards, constant checking and changing of work is something that is of paramount importance. The design often includes a lot of complex parts and pieces put together by a complex grid and change often comes with a correction in voltage or a change in focus. Having the work checked by more than one person is also important.

Circuit board designs are often complicated and involve many parts and pieces to the circuit. The major components and the traces between them have to be designed in an exacting manner with the right amount of space so that the circuit works seamlessly and fulfills its purpose.