PCBgogo

Designing a matching printed circuit board (PCB) can be a challenge for many electronics enthusiasts. To help ease the process, Circuit Cellar and Elektor editors compiled a list of tips for laying out components, routing, and more.

When compactness is not a major consideration and the boards will be assembled by hand, through-hole components are the better choice. In this case you can use the pins of these components as “vias.”

On the other hand, surface-mount components can save a whole load of drilling on self-made PCBs. They make it simpler to achieve objectives such as minimum length for traces , minimal area inside trace loops, etc.

The orientation of components should consider not only simplicity of assembly but also the need to test the circuitry afterward. This is the time to remember the need for test points!

The place for switches, press buttons, plug-in connectors, LEDs and other user-interface components is outside the enclosure. Anything requiring subsequent access should be on the front panel of the case.

Components that require assembling with the right polarity should all have the same orientation.

Manual routing is preferable to using the autorouter. The latter has its uses nevertheless for discovering bottlenecks and other critical points.

When routing, never even think about giving up! Many PCBs appear “unroutable” at the outset, yet after a while it turns out you have plenty of space to spare.

If you’re not satisfied with your efforts, it’s better to go back a step or two rather than just muddle onwards.

Complete the routing for each of the functional groups of the circuit first. Link the groups together only after you have finished this stage.

Short traces are better than long ones. High impedance connections are more sensitive to interference and for this reason require to be kept as short as possible.

Where traces form a loop, their surface area should be kept to an absolute minimum.

Decoupling capacitors must be located as close as possible to the switching element that needs to be decoupled.

Traces carrying signals should be routed early on (first the short ones, then the long ones). Except, that is, when the power supply traces are particularly critical.

Bus lines should be routed alongside one another.

Separate analog circuitry from digital whenever possible. On multilayer boards arrange traces carrying signals so that one of the layers hosts the vertical traces and another one accommodates the horizontal ones.

If possible, reserve one layer or side exclusively for a continuous ground plane. Only in exceptional situations, e.g. with high speed op-amps, is this undesirable.

Keep traces carrying heavy currents well away from sensitive pickups, sensors and so on.

Beginners should take special care with mains and high voltages!

Ground and earth traces require exactly the same consideration as the power supply traces. Electromagnetic interference can be minimized by keeping the power and ground traces parallel (or better still arranged over each other on either side of a double-sided board).

Bends should be no more than 45°. Sharp angles between the traces and the pads are also to be avoided.

Observe PCB manufacturers’ requirements without exception in order to avoid unpleasant surprises later.

If you are using software for checking conformity to specifications, carry out these checks regularly at each design phase.

A border of 0.12' (approximately 3 mm) around the edge of the PCB should be kept entirely clear of components.

If components are to be inserted by machine you must provide at least three location marks.

Don’t forget the holes for fixing screws or pillars!

Don’t skimp on text markings on the PCB: indicate polarity, voltages, on-board functions, part designation, design date, version number…

Check not just twice but three times that all components will actually fit the PCB!

Leave time at the end of the process for tidying up and optimizing.