ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
ENGG2800 / METR2800
PCB Design: Tips, Guidelines, and Resources
by Donald Cook
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
Realistically, PCB design cannot be taught in a lecture. Instead, I have created this set of slides to be used as reference material for you.
Altium provides fantastic tutorials that are well written and deliver all the information you need. The very first tutorial is: Getting Started with PCB Design [Link]
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
Terms & Acronyms
PCB Printed Circuit Board
Tracks Form components. the connections between
Pads Used to make connections between your component and the track with solder.
Layers - Everything is drawn on a layer, layers can have different physical properties. Example layers are: Top layer, bottom layer, Top overlay, bottom overlay, Mechanical 1, Keep Out.
Plated Through Holes (PTH) Drilled holes that are plated with conductive material (usually copper).
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
Terms & Acronyms
Footprints A collection of pads and outlines which describe an individual components physical layout on a PCB.
Design Rules Rules specified by the designer to ensure PCB integrity (more on this later).
Vias Used to make connections between different layers of the PCB.
Silkscreen A protective layer over the top of the board, makes soldering easier.
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
FAQ
1. Should I use metric or imperial?
2. Who manufactures my PCB? 3. What size drill-holes should I be using? 4. What size should my tracks be? What sort of clearance should I have between tracks? 5. The tutors tell me Auto-route is the Devil, is this true? 6. Help! I cant find a footprint for my component!
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
1. Should I use metric or imperial? Remember: Metric measurements are in (milli)meters, imperial measurements are in thou (thousandths of an inch).
For Team Project PCBs we have decided on the following important rules.
1000mil/thou = 1 inch 1000mm Drill Holes USE METRIC! Anything else Either
(More on drill holes later)
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
2. Who manufactures my PCB? We currently use PCBfast (based in Melbourne)
Website: [Link]
Most of our design requirements are copied directly from their website; while a few design requirements are simply to speed up turn-around time (for your benefit).
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
3. What size drill-holes should I be using? Drill bits are available in tool sizes with 0.05mm increments from 0.2mm to 3.0mm and 0.1mm increments from 3.1mm to 6.3mm. PCBFast Website. 0.4mm 6.00mm for PTH (Plated Through Hole). PCBFast Website
BUT
15 tool sizes per standard manufacturing panel - PCBFast Website. How does this affect me?
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
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3. What size drill-holes should I be using? If a panel to be manufactured has more than 15 different hole sizes, then the COST increases and possibly even the LEADTIME. So try to use as few as possible (within reason). Suggested Hole Sizes
(From the ENGG2800 Website) Part Vias IC Legs, TO-92 Transistors, 1N4148 Diodes Suggested Hole size 0.6mm 0.9mm
Resistors/Capacitors/ and many other components Diode Legs (1A, eg 1N4004), IDC connectors, TO-220 transistors Diode Legs (3A, eg 1N5404), many connectors
0.8mm 1.0mm 1.25mm
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PCB Design
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4. What size should my tracks be? What sort of clearance should I have between tracks? A track should not be narrower than the minimum manufacturing limit. However, it is recommended that for simple designs you should stick to 12thou (0.3mm) as a minimum. Minimum 8 thou track/space. PCBFast Website. Thicker tracks are needed if you want to carry significant current. Thin tracks will get hot, and cause voltage drops if significant current flows. For your projects, theres no harm in using larger tracks. See the website for track width recommendations.
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
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5. The tutors tell me Autoroute is the devil!
Using Autoroute is a design decision of your own to make.
Using Autoroute is a lazy option (you should be spending more time learning how to create PCBs, not less).
Would you trust Microsoft Word to automatically format your reports? Donald Cook.
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
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6. Help! I cant find a footprint for my component!
MAKE YOUR OWN
(More on this soon)
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
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General PCB Design Tips
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
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PCB Design Tip 1: LABEL YOUR PCB
Include your TEAM NUMBER & COURSE CODE Put it on Top Overlay
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PCB Design
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PCB Design Tip 2: Be careful with your power nets
Place decoupling caps near microcontrollers and other ICs, to help reduce noise on your power-supply line. How much capacitance? If the datasheet dont specify an amount, start with 10-100nF, then measure your supply-line using a CRO.
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PCB Design
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PCB Design Tip 3: Orientate polarised components sensibly
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PCB Design
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PCB Design Tip 4: Where did that component go?
Make use of the PCB filter
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PCB Design Tip 5: Make sure you draw a PCB border on Mechanical Layer 1
OTHERWISE YOUR PCB MAY BE REJECTED!
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
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PCB Design Tip 6: Make sure you turn on all USED layers when you submit your PCB for manufacturing!
OTHERWISE YOUR PCB MAY NOT BE MANUFACTURED CORRECTLY (MISSING VIAS, TRACKS, ETC)
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PCB Design
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PCB Design Tip 7: Dont use tracks at right angles, they are a common point of failure when the board is being routed.
Bad!
Good!
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PCB Design
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PCB Design Tip 8: If you make mistakes on your board, it is possible to correct them with PCB hacks.
Cut tracks with a sharp knife.
Bridge tracks/pads with fly-wire. File/cut your board down to size. Wear a mask. Drill new mounting holes (if you forgot them!).
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
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PCB Design Tip 9: Use oval shaped solder pads instead of circular pads.
Difficult to solder!
Easy to solder!
ENGG2800 / METR2800 Team Project II
PCB Design
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PCB Design Tip 10: Use long solder pads for surface mount devices.
Difficult to solder!
Easy to solder!
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PCB Design Tip 11: Learn how to use the Bill of Materials tool!
You can keep track component details such as: Part Manufacturer Supplier (and cost)
Supplier order number
Datasheet URL
etc
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PCB Design Tip 12: Spend lots of time setting up your PCB rules!
Eg Set your Power Nets to have a minimum track width of 18mil.
Set your ground plane to have a larger
clearance constraint than usual.
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PCB Design Tip 13: Make sure you check the PCB manufacturing rules!
Or your board will not be manufactured!
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PCB Design
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PCB Design Tips
Use a sensible number of drill-hole sizes. (Consolidate with other teams).
Dont forget mounting holes!
If your PCB has a background layer, delete it! Take your time (and allocate a lot of it). You cant do a PCB design the night before a batch is due.
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NUMBER ONE PCB DESIGN TIP
PRINT YOUR PCB TO SCALE AND PLACE COMPONENTS ON TOP OF YOUR PRINTED PCB.
