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Top 3 Fatal Mistakes Made With PCB Designs

 1. Insufficient Width of High Power Traces

When designing a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), one must consider the current that the traces will need to carry. If a PCB trace needs to house currents greater than 500mA, the minimum PCB trace width threshold may not be sufficient. This is because the trace width plays a crucial role in determining the amount of current it can safely carry without overheating.

The location of the trace also matters. A trace located on an outer layer of the PCB can carry more current than an internal trace of the same thickness. This is due to the superior airflow and thermal dissipation of external traces. In other words, external traces can cool down faster because they are exposed to air, which helps dissipate the heat generated by the current flow.

The width of the trace also depends on the amount of copper used for that layer. Copper is the primary conductor material used in PCBs, and its amount is measured in weight per square foot. Most PCB manufacturers offer various options for copper weight, ranging from 0.5 oz/sq.ft to 2.5 oz/sq.ft. The greater the copper weight, the wider the trace, and the more current it can carry.


2.Incorrect Antenna Layout

In the realm of wireless devices or products that utilize Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), the layout of the antenna on the PCB is of paramount importance. This is because the antenna is the component that sends and receives the wireless signals, and its performance can significantly affect the overall performance of the device.

One of the key aspects to consider in the PCB layout of the antenna is impedance matching. Impedance is a measure of how much a circuit resists the flow of current. It’s crucial to ensure that the impedance of the antenna matches that of the transceiver to maximize power transfer between them. This is known as impedance matching.

Impedance matching requires two main components. The first is a microstrip line with the correct impedance, typically 50 Ohms, which connects the antenna and the transceiver. A microstrip line is a type of electrical transmission line used to convey microwave-frequency signals. It consists of a conducting strip separated from a ground plane by a dielectric layer known as the substrate. The impedance of the microstrip line is determined by the relative permittivity of the substrate and the dimensions of the strip and the substrate.


3.Fault In Landing Patterns

Almost every PCB CAD software includes libraries of components. These libraries include the schematic symbol and PCB landing pattern for each component, as long as you stick with theses libraries you shouldn’t run into any sort of issue. But, if you use a part outside of these libraries then you have to draw the circuit symbol and the PCB landing pattern by hand. It’s easy to make mistakes, especially on the landing pattern. For instance, if the pad to pad spacing is off by as little as a fraction of a mm, the pins won’t align properly making soldering impossible.


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