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Newer PCB Materials

Newer PCB Materials If you are hearing about the newer, higher density HDI-PCBs used by Apple called SLP, and their processes like SAP, or uSAP or mSAP (Semi-Additive Processes) recently, these are the printed circuits that are getting down to 30 micron and 25 micron (1 mil) traces and spaces. HDI is now estimated to be over 250 million square meters produced per year-and still growing! But SAP is not NEW! We used it early in the 60’s and 70’s when we were making Read Article

Learning Statistical Analysis

Learning Statistical Analysis and Statistical Tools I don’t have to tell anyone that times are tough! When they’re tough like this, you don’t like to waste what money you have earned—it came dearly! That’s when design choices come to mind. Any bad choices go to the bottom line; so what are some of the tools to help improve decision making? Statistical choices and probability come to mind. Design trade-offs have always been difficult to predict in printed circuits. Those uncontrolled factors can Read Article

Reading Impedance Profiles of High Speed Backplanes

Reading Impedance Profiles of High Speed Backplanes Impedance remains a confusing topic in the signal integrity community. By definition, impedance is the ratio of voltage to current. That doesn’t really paint a clear picture to anyone. Getting more specific, the term impedance can mean several things. Step response of broadband reflection coefficient in ohms Impulse response of broadband reflection coefficient in ohms Time domain Z-parameters Frequency domain Z-parameters Signal Integrity Read Article

On Shaky Ground—the Arguments Against Copper Pours

The Copper Ground Pours Problem in PCB Designs Arguments Against Copper Ground Pours in PCB Design Recently on the SI-List, aka the SI Reflector, (see note at the end of this article) there’s been a spate of activity around the topic of copper ground pours and whether they are advantageous in a multilayer PCB implementation. There were arguments on both sides of the question. One person said a ground fill pour reduces EMI, another stated that it balances the copper and makes the board less Read Article

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OnTrack Newsletter: Student Hackers, Crosstalk and Design Blogs - August 2019

OnTrack Newsletter: Student Hackers, Crosstalk and Design Blogs - August 2019 OnTrack Newsletter August 2019 VOL. 3 No 4 Major League Hacking Fuels Students Passion for Engineering To bridge the gap between theoretical university-level electrical and computer science education and the kind of practical hands-on experience young engineers need and crave, Jonathan Gottfried co-founded Major League Hacking (MLH). In this interview Jonathan shares the inspiration behind MLH and talks about the impact of the hundreds of Read Article

Trip to the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel

Trip to the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel My name is Piotr Lazarek and I’m a second-grade student of the secondary school “Filomata” in Gliwice. My passion for physics, informatics and new technologies has resulted in an innovative project; an autonomous vehicle which measures concentration of different elements inside soil. I dedicated two years of my hard work to designing and creating a prototype of the device. I’ve already posted an article about my work, so if you’re interested in Read Article

How Do the Seamless Transfer and Use of PCB Design Data Improve Workflows?

How Do the Seamless Transfer and Use of PCB Design Data Improve Workflows? Introduction One of the more thrilling events in track and field is the 400 Meter relay race. Understand, I don’t run; rather I enjoy watching. However, the most critical part of every race is the transferring of the baton to the next runner. I was watching a race some time back where one team was way ahead of the others and was coming around the final turn for the last hand-off. But, THEY DROPPED THE BATON, and they ended up losing. How Read Article

PCB Design - It is a Team Sport

PCB Design - It is a Team Sport Introduction A poem by John Donne is the source of a phrase we are all familiar with: “No man is an island.” Although he was speaking of how human beings do rather poorly when isolated from others and need to be part of a community to thrive, this principle is especially true when it comes to the PCB Design process. That no single person—or better said, roles—are involved in the PCB design. I would contend that for any PCB Design to be a success Read Article

Solving Component Library Errors During PCB Layout Reuse

Solving Component Library Errors During PCB Layout Reuse With the right PCB design package, you can even reuse layouts for these old cell phones I recently bought a new computer after data on my old hard drive started to “magically” become corrupted. Once I broke into my new computer and transferred my data over, I became worried I wouldn’t be able to reuse my old data. When it comes to simpler things like text files or images, you’ll have no problems; you can immediately reopen and reuse these files Read Article

77 GHz Radar for Automotive PCBs: Routing and Signal Integrity

77 GHz Radar for Automotive Radar PCBs: Routing and Signal Integrity Technology moves quickly these days, and automotive radar has transferred from primarily operating near a 24 GHz to a 77 GHz wavelength shortly after its introduction into new vehicles for object detection. Recent regulation changes have allowed the transition to 77 GHz, which provides a number of benefits. Shorter wavelengths facilitate wider bandwidths, and provide better resolution, smaller device form factors, and longer range. This band just Read Article

Automotive Telematics System Design

Automotive Telematics Systems Design In 2015, the cost of the electronics in a new car surpassed the cost of raw steel for the first time in history. We shouldn’t be surprised; the increasing number of electronic systems placed in cars over time made this change in cost structure inevitable. As cars become more autonomous, more connected, and include more creature comforts, this trend is only going to continue. After the OnStar system was popularized by General Motors in the 1990s Read Article

Relative Permittivity of PCB Substrates: High-k or low-k dielectrics?

Relative Permittivity of PCB Substrates: High-k or low-k dielectrics? The relative permittivity of water makes this pencil appear bent If you’ve paid attention to refraction, then you know something about the physics of relative permittivity. The semiconductor industry has managed to continue scaling to smaller technology nodes by using materials with high dielectric constant (so-called high-k dielectrics), but can you see similar benefits in your PCB with similar substrate materials? What about the use of low-k Read Article