Plugging into PCBs and

Flex Circuits

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 Plugging into PCBs
and Flex Circuits
INSIDE

3 How to Build a PCB: Through-Hole or Surface-Mount?

By Duane Benson, Contributing Writer

7 A Brief Guide to Choosing PCB Connectors

16
By Majeed Ahmad, Contributing Writer

9 Key High-Speed Connector Layout Techniques

By Chang Fei Yee, Keysight Technologies
Learning about Printed Circuit Board Assembly
Contributed by Optima Technology Associates, Inc.

14 Flex Circuits: The What, Where, and Why

Contributed by Advanced Assembly
18 6 Tips for Choosing PCB Components
By Mahmoud Wahby, Senior Product Manager at National Instruments

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2
How to Build a PCB:
Through-Hole or Surface-Mount?
Should folks building small numbers of circuit boards use surface-mount
parts or should they stick with through-hole components that are so
much easier to handle and solder (not to mention see)?
By Duane Benson, Contributing Writer

I
spend my days and nights surrounded
by printed circuit boards (PCBs). I work
in a quick-turn assembly house by day,
and by night, I live in what sometimes
looks like an assembly house. As I write
these words, within eyesight, I have close
to a dozen PC boards of my own design,
maybe more. That being the case, I’m
often asked by people with a wide variety
of levels of experience whether they
should still use through-hole components
or if they should use surface-mount
technology (SMT) wherever possible.
Deep in the mists of time, when I first
put hot iron to solder, the primordial soup
had only recently been discontinued at
the local diner. In those days, we did have
a version of “surface-mount” assembly,

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but it involved the use of only Fahnestock
clips, solder lugs, and point-to-point wiring
on the surface of a pine board.
Today, surface-mount assembly involves
copper pads on the surface of the PCB,
parts that don’t have leads going through
the PC board, and robots that can place
tens of thousands of these tiny parts per
hour.
Fig. 1: Fast surface-mount assembly machine.
Image: Duane Benson.
4
Now, 48,000 placements per hour are
great if you need to sell a million phones
a month, but what about those of us who
might need 1,000 boards for an early-
stage startup, 100 units for a hobby
business, or just one or two boards for a
one-off design? Should folks like that still
look at surface-mount parts, or should
we stick with tried-and-true through-hole
components that are so much easier to
handle and solder (not to mention see)?
I personally advocate more use of
surface-mount components. I do realize
that doing so complicates things and that
some parts are only available in through-
hole packages. Sometimes the mechanical
strength of a surface mount is not sufficient
for the weight of the component or the
stress that will be put on it. In those cases,
I would definitely use a through-hole or
through-hole/surface-mount hybrid.
A list of occasions when you might wish to
use through-hole components is as follows:
• Very large parts like transformers,
relays, and capacitors that either don’t
have a surface-mount equivalent or that
require the extra mechanical strength
provided by through-hole connectors
• Connectors that will be under a lot of
mechanical stress
• If you aren’t comfortable seeing and
handling small surface-mount parts
• You just prefer through-hole
• You’re only building a few boards and/
or you’re using components that are
already in your possession
Beyond the above points, there are a lot
of good reasons to design your PC board
around surface-mount components despite
their small size. First, a lot of the newer and
most advanced components simply aren’t
available in through-hole packages. If you
want to stick with through-hole only, you’re
eliminating many of the newest and most
versatile parts.
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Fig. 2: Surface-mount (left) versus through-hole (right)
MCU boards. Image: Duane Benson.
The through-hole board on the right in
Fig. 2 is one of the first PCBs that I had
made at a commercial fab shop. The
surface-mount board on the left has the
same functionality, plus a motor controller
and USB connectivity. I hand-soldered the
parts on both boards. The motor driver
chip that I used isn’t available in a through-
hole package.
In past years, most chips would be
available in a variety of sizes from a
5
0.1-inch-pitch through-hole dual in-line
package (DIP) to whatever was the smallest
through-hole package at the time. With so
much competition today, coupled with a
wide variety of specialized components,
the cost of supporting so many variants is
becoming a significant factor. Many chip
companies are adjusting to these market
conditions by consolidating on the most
usable, smaller packages.
Microchip Technology still does a really
nice job of providing the same parts
in 0.1-inch-pitch DIPs down through
super-small 0.5-mm-pitch QFN or BGA
packages, but who knows how long this
will stay? I’ve seen a lot of new power
components — like LiPoly chargers and
Class-B amps — that are only available in
QFN or BGA packages. Some high-speed
components are going that way, too.
Tiny IoT devices and the proliferation
of mobile computing is a big driver in
this trend. A 3 × 3-mm part can be used
both in a tiny IoT device and in a big
desktop system. By comparison, a 20-pin
through-hole part — or even a not-much-
smaller SOIC — can only be used in the
desktop unit but not in the IoT device, so
manufacturers may decide to make only
the smaller part. You may be able to find
through-hole breakout boards for some of
these components but not all.
Surface-mount components are almost
always less expensive than their through-
hole counterparts. It stands to reason
that a component that uses significantly
fewer raw materials would cost less, and
this rule holds true for many electronics
components, especially passives. At
Digi-Key, through-hole and surface-mount
resistors both tend to start at $0.10 each,
but by the time you buy 100, the surface-
mount components are half the price.
The size issue also helps with component
storage. In Fig. 3, I’ve got a few less than
500 surface-mount parts in the wound-up
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Fig. 3: Surface-mount (left) versus through-hole (right)
components. Image: Duane Benson.
strip. Compare this to the space consumed glasses), and something to rest a wrist on,
by the handful of through-hole capacitors
on the right.
Board real estate is an important
consideration as well. You can either stuff
more surface-mount functionality into the
same PC board area or you can reduce the without specialized equipment (it can be
board size and save on fab costs.
If you’re ever planning on building in
volume, starting with surface-mount is
the way to go. This way, you won’t need
6
to redesign your board between your
prototypes and production. This can be a
big time and money saver.
The big question, however, is cost.
Doesn’t it cost a lot more to use SMT
because you need to contract out the
assembly work? Well, any time that
someone is doing work for you, it’s going to
cost money, but the equation is a little more
complex than that.
Most people, with some patience, a
good magnifier (or high-power reading
can hand-solder down to 0603 or 0402
packaged passive parts. Some people
have even figured out how to hand-solder
QFNs and BGAs. Below a certain point,
however, handwork just isn’t practical
done, though).
If you are working on a hobby project,
you’ll need to stick to things that you can
hand-solder yourself, get a toaster oven set
up, or find a shop that caters to low cost
rather than high reliability. When what you
are doing starts to become a business,
then time equals money, at which point you
can trade off the two factors depending on
your needs.
The bottom line is that, if you prefer
through-hole parts, then by all means
use them. There’s no shame in it. Just
understand that some of the newest and
most capable parts may not be available to
you. I personally recommend using surface-
mount parts whenever possible. g
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A Brief Guide to Choosing
PCB Connectors
Find out the key design considerations related to the electrical
and mechanical merits of PCB connectors
By Majeed Ahmad, Contributing Writer

A
relentless increase in data rates
is turning the PCB connector
landscape upside down. And the
clean transmission of signals via PCB
traces is becoming more critical while
data speeds in servers, switches, routers,
and storage devices hit the roof.
So how do we enhance I/O connections
on the board? Here are a few connector-
related design parameters that matter a lot
in the creation of efficient PCB designs.
Form factor
First and foremost, a small connector
footprint simplifies the PCB design, lowers
the cost, and reduces the transmission Image: TE Connectivity.

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losses while making the connection from
Point A to Point B. Here, a small contact
pitch makes the connector slimmer
and, thus, facilitates smaller boards and
backplanes.
For instance, connector receptacles
can be mounted in parallel with a smaller
pitch distance and, subsequently, the
small receptacle footprint facilitates the
connector size reduction. The smaller width
of the receptacle is especially useful when
multiple connectors are positioned on a
single PCB side by side.
Signal losses
The insertion losses are becoming critical
with an exponential rise in data rates. So
how to overcome the insertion losses?
The internal structure, as well as contacts
inside the connector, play an important role
in improving signal integrity and minimizing
insertion losses.
The connector can also enhance the
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instrumental in overcoming signal losses. For
example, some PCB connectors come with
pre-loaded springs to prevent unintended
cable removal.
And then there are connectors that
integrate the wire-termination unit and
Image: Samtec.
cable clamp into a single plug shell.
signal interface by improving the airflow and
channel impedance. Mechanical strength
A flexible, robust, and durable connector
EMI and ESD shielding design means that it can withstand cable
The shield against electromagnetic pull, heat, shock, vibration, and other
interference (EMI) and electrostatic external forces. The PCB connector’s
discharge (ESD) is becoming more crucial mechanical strength also ensures proper
at higher data rates. Here, physical mating and connection security.
envelopes, as well as special mounting and The connector manufacturers facilitate this
termination mechanisms, play a significant vital requirement with signal contacts that
role in ensuring protection against the EMI are pre-loaded, positioned, and protected
and ESD effects. in individual slots to ensure appropriate
connector alignment and mating. The
Cable termination connector suppliers are also using active
It’s the transitioning point at which the cable latches, weld tabs, and board locks to ensure
is terminated with the connector, and it’s complete and secure mating. g
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Key High-Speed Connector
Layout Techniques
By Chang Fei Yee, Keysight Technologies
T
his article discusses the essential
considerations of mounting connectors
on PCBs. These aspects include the pin
assignments for signals and grounds, stubs
due to the pins of a through-hole or press-fit
connector, and impedance mismatch caused
by the surface-mount pads of the connector.
A connector is one of the transmission-line
elements along a multiple-board signal path
between the transmitter and receiver. Therefore,
it is crucial to select and mount the connector in
99
a manner that best suits the system design.
Pin assignment for signals with respect
to ground
High-speed serial signal pairs can be routed
to connector pins as shown in Fig. 1, where
inverting (S–) and non-inverting (S+) are assigned
to two adjacent pins. Furthermore, a signal pair
is segregated from another by ground (G). Such
pin assignments prevent mode conversion from
differential to common. As a result, the risk of
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inter-pair crosstalk and common-mode
noise coupling is minimized.
Fig. 1: Pin assignment on connector for high-speed
serial signal pairs.
Effect of connector pin stubs
When a through-hole or press-fit connector
is used, it’s important to make sure
that the pin length does not exceed the
PCB thickness. A stub exists when the
connector pin is longer than the PCB
thickness. With reference to a 3D model
using Keysight EMPro shown in Fig. 2,
a press-fit connector with a 145-mil pin
length is mounted on top of a PCB with
45-mil thickness. Assuming that a signal
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pair is routed on the bottom layer of the
PCB, a 100-mil pin stub results. This
pin stub has a negative impact on signal
transmission as the bandwidth or resonant
frequency of the signal path is inversely
proportional to the pin stub length and
impedance discontinuity or mismatch.
The relationship between the channel
bandwidth and pin stub length is governed
by Equation 1. The longer stub intensifies
the impedance mismatch, which, in turn,
decreases the channel bandwidth.
Fig. 2: 3D model of connector pin stub using Keysight
EMPro.
fo = resonant frequency (Hz)
c = speed of light (12 inches/ns)
stub_length (in inches)
Dkeff = effective dielectric constant
The effect of a pin stub on signal
transmission is studied by observing
differential insertion loss (SDD21) and
time domain reflectometry (TDR) of a 3D
transmission line model constructed using
EMPro. A differential pair of 100 Ω enters
the press-fit male connector with various
stub lengths (0 mil, 50 mil, and 100 mil)
on PCB #1 and exits the press-fit female
connector without stubs on PCB #2. The
trace length on each PCB is 0.5 inches and
medium loss material is used as substrate.
The plots of SDD21 and TDR are shown in
Fig. 3. The model with a 100-mil stub has
20-Ω impedance mismatch and 11-GHz
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Fig. 3: SDD21 and TDR plots reflecting the effect of pin stubs.
resonance. Meanwhile, the model with a
50-mil stub has 14-Ω impedance mismatch
and 17-GHz resonance. Once there is
no pin stub, the impedance mismatch is
reduced to 10 Ω and resonance extends
beyond 18 GHz.
There are several ways to reduce or
remove pin stubs on a PCB. When dealing
with a soldered through-hole connector,
stubs can be reduced by manually trimming
the pins, as illustrated in Fig. 4. On the
other hand, when dealing with press-fit
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Fig. 4: Stub reduction by trimming pins.
Fig. 5:
Cross-sectional
view of a press-fit
connector on a
thicker PCB with
a blind via.
types, always try to use a connector with
pin lengths shorter than the PCB thickness
and route the high-speed signal on the
layer as close as possible to the tip of the
pin or bottom of the PCB with blind or
backdrilled vias, as illustrated in Fig. 5.
Effect of SMT pads
Connector SMT pads contribute to
impedance mismatch on the transmission
line. Once a signal pair with narrower
traces reaches the SMT pads with wider
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copper, the strip capacitance of this
segment is increased, as governed by
Equation 3, which, in turn, leads to the
dip of characteristic impedance of the
transmission segment, as governed by
Equation 2. This scenario is known as
a capacitive discontinuity, and it causes
signal reflection and degradation. To
mitigate this negative impact, a cutout —
the same size as the SMT pad and right
beneath it — is inserted on the ground
plane on Layer 2 so that the SMT pad
is referenced to ground on Layer 3. This
technique increases d, or the distance
between the SMT pad and its reference,
which, in turn, balances out the effect
due to the wider copper of the pad and
minimizes the impedance mismatch.
However, d shall not be increased too
much where strip inductance overrides
capacitance and leads to the increase of
impedance or inductive discontinuity, as
governed by Equation 4.
12
C = strip capacitance (in pF)
L = strip inductance (in nH)
Zo = characteristic impedance (in Ω)
ε = dielectric permittivity
w = width of SMT pad
l = length of SMT pad
d = distance between SMT pad and
reference plane underneath
t = thickness of SMT pad
To observe the effect of an SMT pad
and reference plane cutout on signal
transmission, a 3D model illustrated in
Fig. 6 is constructed in EMPro. A signal
pair of 100 Ω (6-mil trace width and
1.2-mil thickness in single-ended mode)
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enters the SMT pad of the female
connector on PCB #1 and exits the SMT
pad of the male connector on PCB #2.
Each SMT pad is 12 mil wide. The trace
length on each PCB is 0.5 inches and
medium loss material is used as substrate.
Meanwhile, the substrate thickness
between the top and second layer is 4
mil. A cutout is inserted on Layer 2 right
beneath each SMT pad. Various d are set
and results are compared.
With reference to SDD21 and TDR plots Fig. 6: 3D model of SMT connector on PCB with ground plane cutout in Keysight EMPro.

in Fig. 7, a cutout with moderate d (10-mil

d for 12-mil SMT pad width) is necessary
to mitigate the capacitive discontinuity
and insertion loss. A further increase in d
intensifies the inductive discontinuity and
insertion loss. g

References:
1. Bogatin, E. (2003). Signal Integrity — Simplified. Prentice Hall Pearson
Education.
2. Vicich, B. (March 3, 2016). Bandwidth demand drives connector design.
EDN. Retrieved from https://ubm.io/2MENd7l.
3. Samtec connectors. Retrieved from https://www.samtec.com.
4. ERNI connectors. Retrieved from https://www.erni.com.
5. Texas Instruments. High Speed PCB Layout Techniques. Retrieved from
https://bit.ly/2MIuvMk. Fig. 7: SDD21 and TDR plots reflecting the effect of SMT pad and reference plane cutout.

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13
Flex Circuits:
The What, Where, and Why
You may think of flex circuits as a product that you buy — which is true — but more formally, the term “flex circuit” refers
to the type of technology that allows for the mounting of electronic devices and circuits on flexible substrates
Contributed by Advanced Assembly

What advantages of traditional PCBs with the

Flex circuits are known by many names:
flex boards, flex PCBs, flexible circuit
boards, flexible printed circuit boards,
and, more officially, flexible electronics.
The term “flex circuit” refers to the
type of technology that allows for the
mounting of electronic devices and
circuits on flexible substrates. Simply
put, a flex circuit is a flexible computer
board. Flex circuits offer the same
added benefit of flexibility and vibration
resistance.
Its most important attribute, however, is
the capability of a flex circuit to undertake
three-dimensional configurations, which
is compelling designers and engineers
alike to adopt flex circuit technology.
Where
Flex circuits can be found in almost any

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of the high-tech devices in our world today,
such as wearable electronics. This includes
wearable oxygen sensors, skin patch
delivery devices, and a number of personal
training and athletic gadgets.
Aside from wearable electronics,
cameras, GPS units, and smartphones
also use flex circuits. Growing industries
like LED lighting and solar panels use flex
circuits due to its ability to conform to
virtually any shape.
Flex circuits are so versatile that they
also found their way into both military and
aerospace applications. Having thermal
stability and chemical-resistant properties,
they are a great choice for satellites, upon
which worldwide connections are highly
dependent.
Due to the simplicity of its assembly and
interconnection cost savings, radar systems
use a lot of flexible circuits. Night vision
applications and laser gyroscopes use flex
circuits as well.
15
Why
Today, flex circuits are one of the fastest
growing interconnect solutions available.
And it’s easy to see why, with all of its
advantages:
• Flexibility
• Thinner than traditional PCBs
• Reduced weight and saves space
• Better heat dissipation
• Influences the aesthetics of the product
• Easier installation and repair
The major difference, and advantage,
of using flex circuits over traditional
PCBs is their element of flexibility. This
flexibility allows the boards to conform to
3D configurations, which could have a
significant influence on their mechanical
enclosure for aesthetics, weight, space,
assembly, and cost. A well-designed flex
circuit can be lightweight, robust, easy
to install, and suitable for a variety of
applications. g
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Learning about Printed
Circuit Board Assembly
This article will improve your knowledge about
PCBA and talk about how the methodology works
Contributed by Optima Technology Associates, Inc.

M
any of you may have heard
the term “printed circuit board
assembly” (PCBA) and thought,
What is that? This write-up is meant to
shed some light on the subject.
The complete procedure of fabricating
electronic devices is a long and
complex one. The beginning point for all
electronics is the material — silicon or
any other semiconductor.
Through numerous long and costly
clean room procedures, these “wafers”
are converted into “smart” electronic
microprocessors and chips. These
chips cannot carry out anything, per
se, and want to be incorporated onto a

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printed circuit board (PCB) so as to be able
to carry out something in the end (such as
operate your PC or phone).
Now, there are many firms that develop
these chips as well as sell end items.
Nevertheless, these firms can’t afford to
buy all of the devices needed to assemble
their chips onto PCBs so as to develop
their end product.
This is what PCBA firms are for. These
electronic manufacturing firms have a
good deal of surface-mount technology
(SMT) lines and provide printed circuit
board assembly services to other firms
that are not interested in carrying these
themselves.
stencil. This is typically the binding
material of the gadgets to the PCB.
2. Surface-mount technology
pick-and-place assembly. This
is the core of every PCBA line.
This procedure consumes all of the
individual chips and precisely puts
them over their designated position
on the PCB.
3. Through-hole curing. After placing
the chips onto the etching paste, the
boards experience a conveyor oven to
liquefy the etch and bind the chips to
the PCB.
5. AOX and AXI. These procedures are
important for verifying that no errors
have been made throughout the
assembly procedure.
6. Reworking if required. In case
any errors or faults are discovered,
some equipment could be reworked.
Reworking comprises heating the
board or equipment and removing it
from the PCB so that a replacement
can be put in its stead. g

The PCBA procedure comprises several 4. Conformal coating. A few boards

steps: need a defensive lacquer coating.
1. Solder-paste printing. In this Conformal “selective coating” machines
procedure, the first solder paste is quickly and precisely offer a layer of
printed onto the PCB employing a safeguard coating on the PCB.

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6 Tips for Choosing
PCB Components
All of the examples in this article are developed using the NI Multisim
design environment; however, the same concepts apply when using
different EDA tools
By Mahmoud Wahby, Senior Product Manager at National Instruments

1 Think about component footprint

decisions.
Throughout the schematic drawing phase,
consider footprint and land pattern decisions
that will need to be made in the layout phase.
See the following suggestions for things to
consider when making component choices
based on part footprints.
Remember that footprints include both the
electrical pad connections and the mechanical
(X, Y, and Z) dimensions of the part. This
includes the body outline of the part as well as
the pins that attach to the PCB. When selecting
components, consider any housing or packing

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restrictions on both the top and bottom
sides of the final PCB. Some components
(such as polarized capacitors) may have
height clearance restrictions that need to
be considered as part of the component
selection process. When initially starting
a design, consider drawing a basic board
outline shape and placing some of the larger
or critically placed components (such as
connectors) that are planned to be used. In
19
this way, a quick virtual rendering of the
board (without routing) can be visualized
to give a relatively accurate representation
of the relative positioning and component
heights of the board and components. This
will assist in ensuring that the parts will
fit inside the packaging (plastic, chassis,
mechanical frame, etc.) after the PCB is
assembled. Invoke the 3D Preview mode
from the tool menu to review your board.
Land patterns show the exact pads
or hole shapes on the PCB to which
the part will be soldered. These copper
patterns on the PCB may also contain
some basic shape information. The land
patterns need to be sized correctly to
ensure proper soldering and to ensure
proper mechanical and thermal integrity
of the connecting parts. When designing
the PCB layout, consider how the board
will be manufactured or, if hand-soldered,
how the pads will be accessed. Reflow-
soldering (solder paste that is melted in a
controlled oven) can handle a wide variety
of surface-mount devices (SMDs). Wave-
soldering is typically used to solder the
backside of the board to fix through-hole
components but can handle some SMD
parts placed on the backside. Often with
this technique, any bottom-side SMDs will
have to be orientated in a special direction
and may need to have pad modifications to
be soldered in this way.
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Image: Thomas Bresson via Wikimedia Commons.
Component choices can change
throughout the design process. Choosing
which parts should be plated through-
hole (PTH) or surface-mount technology
(SMT) early in the design process can
assist the entire planning of the PCB.
Consider part costs, availability, part area
density, and power dissipation among
other things. From a manufacturing
perspective, SMD components are typically
less expensive than through-hole parts
and are typically more readily available.
For small to medium prototyping projects,
20
larger SMDs or through-hole parts may be
preferred to facilitate hand-soldering and to
facilitate better pad and signal access for
troubleshooting and debugging steps.
If a footprint is not available in the
database, it is common to create a custom
footprint from within the tool.
2 Use good grounding practices.
Make sure the design has sufficient
bypass capacitors and ground planes.
When using ICs, make sure appropriate
decoupling capacitors are used near the
supply to a ground location (ground plane
preferably). Appropriately sized capacitors
depend on the application, the capacitor
technology, and the frequencies involved.
When bypass capacitors are placed
across the power and ground pins and
located close to the appropriate IC pins,
a circuit’s electromagnetic compliance
and susceptibility performance will be
optimized.
3 Assign virtual parts footprints.
Run a bill of materials (BOM) to check
for virtual parts. Virtual parts do not have
footprints associated with them and will
not be transferred to layout. Generate
a BOM and review all of the virtual
components on the design. The only
entries should be power and ground
signals as these are considered virtual
parts and are specially handled in the
schematic environment and not the
ayout. Unless used solely for simulation
purposes, parts that are shown in the
virtual section should be replaced with
parts having footprints.
4 Ensure that you have complete
BOM data.
Check for adequate data in the BOM
report. After running the BOM report,
review it and work on populating any
incomplete part, vendor, or manufacturer
information for all of these parts.
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 Resources

5 Sort reference designators. In some cases, ICs with floating pins

To assist in the sorting and reviewing of may not correctly operate within the
the BOM, ensure that reference designators specifications. Usually, the operating
New Products

Introduction to Precision Machine

Technology
are contiguously numbered. specifications for an IC are valid only if the
parts or other gates within the same part Introduction to Pin Receptacles

6 Check spare gates.

Typically, all of the spare gates should
have the inputs connected to a signal to
are not operating in a saturation condition
in which the inputs or outputs are near
or at the power rails of the component.
Introduction to Spring-Loaded Pogo
Pins & Connectors

prevent the inputs from floating. Make sure Simulation would typically not catch this Introduction to Machined Pin, Board
you review any spare or forgotten gates situation as simulation models generally Interconnects
so that unwired inputs can be adequately do not connect multiple sections of an
Introduction to Mill-Max Press-Fit
connected if required. In some cases, if the IC together for modeling the effects of a Technology
inputs are left to float, the whole system floating connection. g
may not function properly. For example,
consider a dual op-amp used in a design.
If only a single op-amp is used in a dual-
section IC part, it is suggested that either
a single-section IC be designed in or, for
the unused portions, a ground be placed
at the input and an appropriate unity gain
(or otherwise) feedback network be placed
with the amplifier to ensure the correct
functionality of the part.

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