Sometimes our electrical connections need to be solid, but temporary; or, it is subjected to enough vibration to undo it; or, we need to make or break many connections at once, all over the board. In those cases, the usual combination of sockets, plugs, and cables may not be ideal, so we might consider spring-loaded […]
Tools and tips for good copper distribution Evenly distributed copper across layers, and choosing symmetrical buildups (stackups), are two important ways for avoiding PCB manufacturing quality issues, and problems during component assembly. We explain below why that is. Copper thickness and planarity (within tolerances) are two important PCB quality criteria. When copper is unevenly distributed […]
The IPC-A-600 guideline describes the acceptance criteria for printed circuit boards that function as a benchmark used by manufacturers and their customers. This set of rules is intended to ensure that flawless shipped PCBs and the electronic devices or equipment that they are part of function reliably. The IPC-A-600 describes minimum requirements that trained professionals […]
Perhaps you have asked yourself: Why are printed circuit boards green? We have the answer. Is there something you’ve always wanted to know? Or do you know an interesting story about PCBs that we could share with our community? Then write to us! Enjoy reading. Why are PCBs Green? The most commonly used base material […]
Perhaps you have asked yourself: Why are printed circuit boards green? The most commonly used base material for printed circuit boards is FR4 and is made from an epoxy resin and glass fibre. Epoxy resin is a light, almost transparent matt yellow colour which deepens with increasing thickness. The printed circuit board, on the other […]
The shortage of materials has worsened further; there is no relaxation in sight. That’s why the everyday heroes are our purchasing staff. For weeks, our team has been giving its all to bring in the electronic components so that we can deliver your PCB assemblies as quickly as possible. We explain the unprecedented situation on […]
Electronic components are increasingly difficult or even sometimes impossible to source. The only way to help overcome this situation is to use our Parts Reservation service. See our article below. Even with these challenges our production will continue throughout the summer and our customer support team will be available and ready to help when you […]
Components, connectors, cases, cables, modules, and other things that get attached to our PCBs may require space that isn’t a simple round drill hole. For those special gaps we create cutouts. Let’s first define what we’re talking about because there’s no industry consensus on some of these terms. We can distinguish between two types of […]
Because our heart beats for the European electronics industry, we are involved in Working Groups, the Promotion of Young Talents and are actively involved in Electronics Community Events. It is very important for us that we share our knowledge and use it to support you. In this newsletter, we have also compiled tips and tools […]
When we design a PCB we think of its final thickness in discrete values: 0.2mm, 0.8mm, 1.55mm, 2.4mm, and others. But the reality is that we will almost never get a PCB back with those exact thicknesses. Here I will discuss why that is, the many factors that affect boards’ final thickness, the tolerances we […]
All functional circuit boards have tracks that guide electrons from one place to another in order to complete a circuit that ― hopefully! ― does what we want. These tracks have length, resistance, capacitance, and inductance with a magnitude that depends on their physical attributes, relationship to other conductive and non-conductive materials nearby, and the […]
Conductive carbon ink is added to a finished PCB in order to provide a robust and long-lasting electrical interface with another mechanical component, such as a key or dial. It does that in two main ways: it raises the shallow copper contact above the surface of the PCB; and, it protects the PCB contact from […]
