Blog Archives Page 2 of 4 | Bay Area Circuits

An Expert’s Guide to PCB Surface Finishes

February 28, 2021
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Applying the surface finish is one of the last steps of manufacturing a printed circuit board. The surface finish on a PCB is typically applied after the soldermask process and is designed to prevent oxidation of the remaining exposed copper, …

Time & Money Saving Design Rules: Insights from a Fabricator

January 31, 2021
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As a PCB fabricator we’re frequently asked, “What are your basic design rules?” Typically what designers are looking for are some guidelines to follow when designing a PCB layout, though this could mean a variety of things. Over the years …

Understanding Controlled Impedance: Measurement Techniques

December 31, 2020
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One of the most common examples of controlled impedance is the cable that connects the antenna to your television. That cable may be a coaxial cable consisting of a round, inner conductor, separated from the outer cylindrical conductor commonly called …

Cost Determining Factors When Quoting PCBs

November 30, 2020
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Customers and/or buyers who are relatively new to the printed circuit board (PCB) industry may sometimes be confused as to how a particular project is priced by the fabricator. In this post we’ll demystify the factors used by fabricators to …

Surface Finish Characteristics & Applications for Printed Circuit Boards

October 31, 2020
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Surface Finish Considerations The PCB Surface Finish you select may be the most important material decision you make for your electronic assembly. The Surface Finish you select will influence the cost, manufacturability, quality, and reliability of the final product. Just …

ENEPIG Plating Guide: Guide To Evolution of PCB Finishes

September 30, 2020
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The evolution of technology manufacturing is always moving towards a higher level of complexity. Newer designs have to be lighter, faster and smaller with every iteration of the next device. Not only do we continue to move towards more complex …

Choosing Optimal Trace Width: Guide for The PCB Design

August 31, 2020
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A factor to consider when designing single-layer and multi-layer PCBs is trace width. As with other design factors for PCBs, requirements for a good trace width can impact the size and layout of a PCB. Reducing PCB size may reduce costs, but there’s still a need to ensure you have sufficient...

Mastering The Printed PCB Design: Secrets for Excellence

July 31, 2020
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Designing for excellence requires a disciplined approach of keeping the reliability of the PCB at the forefront of the design process. The performance of the PCB isn’t of much consequence if the board fails prematurely due to low-grade components or unaccounted for peak current...

10 Tips to Ensure PCB Assembly Success

June 30, 2020
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As a bare printed circuit board manufacturer, we’ve written extensively on topics related to ensuring that the PCB fabrication process goes smoothly. But what about the PCB assembly process? What steps should be taken to ensure a high-quality, cost-effective outcome?

Optimizing the PCB Manufacturing: Ensure Correct Files

May 31, 2020
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You’ve completed a PCB design and are ready to send the design to be manufactured. But the file export process isn’t always straightforward, and, depending on the PCB manufacturer, specific requirements may vary. Here are some helpful design file guidelines...

ENIG or HASL? A Guide to Surface Finish Comparisons

April 30, 2020
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If you’ve ever had a circuit board professionally manufactured, you have likely been asked your choice between HASL and ENIG surface finishes. From solderability to cost, these two finishes can’t possibly be more different. While some engineers have a tried and true favorite, you may be left...

High Temperature PCB Design Considerations

March 31, 2020
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Printed Circuit Boards are indispensable electronic devices, but sometimes engineers are faced with temperature constraints that force them to think outside the box. In this article, we will be giving a high-level overview of designing a high temperature circuit board, and along the way we will...

Tips for Working with PCB Assembly Houses

February 28, 2020
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You’ve prototyped a circuit board and you want to bring it to market. What’s next? Well, aside from choosing a high quality manufacturer to fabricate your PCB, you'll also need to select a vendor to assemble the components to the board. While choosing the an assembly house may seem daunting, we'll share a few tips to make sure your next project goes smoothly.

Single-sided or Double-sided PCBs?

January 31, 2020
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Fundamentally, single-sided and double-sided printed circuit boards serve the same purpose. Both serve as catalysts for electrical connections between components, however there are some key differences that set them apart from each other. More specifically, they differ in the costs associated with production and development processes, as well as ampacity differences.

Resources for Learning Electronic Design

December 31, 2019
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Whether you’re a professional design engineer, an electrical engineering student, or an electronics enthusiast/hobbyist/maker, it pays to never stop learning. Fortunately, this is the information age and there’s no shortage of resources available to learn about electronics design. There are many other great electronics design resources available and we thought we’d share a few of our favorites.

Creating a Successful Multilayer Printed Circuit Board

November 30, 2019
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Printed Circuit Boards today face an ever-increasing demand in capabilities including high speed, low weight, higher component density, miniaturization, and more. Multi-layer PCBs can help meet those increased demands. A multi-layer PCB is created from two or more PCBs stacked together, although they are not simply laid one on top of the other.

Guide to Manufacturing The Best Printed Circuit Boards

October 31, 2019
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We’ve written extensively on topics related to ensuring that the PCB manufacturing process goes smoothly, but today, we’re going to take a higher-level view of the process, from idea to ready for manufacturing, and offer up our recommendations on steps to follow to ensure the desired outcome is achieved.

Tips for Including Fonts & Graphics on a PCB

September 30, 2019
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As PCB aesthetics continue to grow in importance, we’re manufacturing more designs with specific fonts and graphics as a part of the PCB’s silkscreen layer. But if you’re not following the process we’re about to describe, don’t be surprised if things don’t turn out quite the way you expect!

ITAR Compliance and Printed Circuit Board Production

August 31, 2019
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The U.S. Government requires all manufacturers, exporters, and brokers of defense articles, defense services or related technical data to be ITAR compliant. An increasing number of companies are requiring their supply chain to be ITAR compliant based on the use of the end product even though they may not be engaged in the “export” of the product or its technical information.

Secrets of a Fabrication Drawing

July 31, 2019
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Essential to the success of any printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing project are the detailed notes included in the fabrication drawing. While the design files (typically Gerber or ODB++) contain the most basic structure and outline of the board design, it is the fabrication drawing that tells the manufacturer the specific details about a board that make it unique.