When you need to make a circuit board, there are a number of different steps that you have to take. Once you have finally planned out the circuit and created the schematics, as well as tested it on a prototype board, you need to begin thinking about everything involved in the printed circuit board design. This is the process involved in laying out the circuit in the way it would be laid out in the real world.
This design process is always very important and if your printed circuit board is going to work effectively then this isn’t a process that can go wrong. If it does go wrong then it could result in you producing a low-functioning and unreliable printed circuit board. If you are concerned about this then you are in the right place as this article is going to go into more detail about the best tips and tricks that you should keep in mind when you are designing your circuit board.
Use the Right Products
One of the most important aspects to start with is to make sure that you are using the right products in order to put together your design and bring it to reality. There are a number of different programs available so it is important that you compare and contrast these in order to see which is most applicable to you. For instance a popular option is ORCAD Cadance so it’s a good idea to use it, but compare it to other PCB design products as well to ensure that it is the right product for you.
Don’t Rush in to Use the Autorouter
The majority of circuit board design software that you see is going to have some kind of autoroute feature in it, which will (as the name suggests), automatically do the routing for you. This might seem prosperous but it’s important you hold off and do a bit more research first. The tool of autorouting, though it can work, is not always necessarily a perfect replacement. There are only certain instances where it is appropriate for you to use the autorouter and these include the following:
- Once you have finally placed all of your components you are able to use the autoroute in order to check your completion rating. If your completion rating comes in at anything below 85% then you might need to make some adjustments to your component placing.
- You can use it in bottlenecks and other critical connection points which might often fall through the cracks whenever you are routing. It’s easy for you to identify these points when you use the autoroute feature.
- Finally, there are a number of potential problems that often arise when you are designing different components for your circuit board, and if you ever find yourself stuck, then turning to autorouting can often provide you with a bit of much-needed inspiration.
Make Sure Your Trace Width is Sufficient
It would be great if current-carrying copper traces on a regular printed circuit were enough, but a lot of the time, these traces actually have inherent electrical resistance. This means that when a current flows through some circuits, there is a drop in voltage which means that the overall power is dissipated and then heat is generated as well. You need to try and avoid any excess heat present within your circuit and in order to do this, you need to make sure that you have sufficient trace width.
Know The Specifications of Your Manufacturer
Before you get to work and lay down your first trace, you also need to find out what the specifications of your preferred manufacturer are. A lot of manufacturers provide their specifications on different websites, so these should be relatively easy to find. That being said, some don’t, and if this is the case then you can’t let any stone go unturned and as such you need to reach out to them so that you don’t end up with a printed circuit board that isn’t functional and doesn’t meet your specific expectations.
The different specifications that you are going to need to know about your manufacturer include the likes of trace width, the number of board layers, and then also trace spacing. All of these are incredibly important when ensuring that your design is going to be printed correctly and will work as a result. By finding out these specifications, you prevent the risk of frustration when you need to reroute the whole design at the very last minute.
