Four Common Mistakes That Can Be Solved With PCB Prototype Assembly

When it comes to business and the speed at which products are being developed and sold to an increasing number of consumers, it?s understandable to want to spend the least amount of time on the PCB prototype assembly and more time on the finalized product?s design. However, although PCB prototype assembly takes away time that could be going to design services, it?s necessary to assemble a prototype so the mistakes won?t be caught during the finalized circuit board assembly. After all, nearly 70% of issues regarding surface assembly quality is caused by printing technique that failed to consider printed boards, PCB design, or quality of components.

Here are some common, and fatal, mistakes to avoid when assembling PCB can that be easily noticed and handled during PCB prototype assembly:

Copper Thickness

During PCB prototype assembly, be sure to take into consideration the thickness of the copper. Copper is often requested to be a thickness of one ounce. However, the copper thickness on the final circuit board is often between one and two ounces as one ounce cannot competently plate the holes in the circuit board.

Landing Patterns

When utilizing PCB design components, the schematic symbol and PCB landing pattern must be drawn manually unless the designer is using libraries found in PCB design software packages. While mistakes caused by manual labor may be a quirky characteristic of woodshop design, they can be fatal if made in the PCB landing pattern. Be sure to check during the PCB prototype assembly that the landing pattern is on point in order to avoid misalignment during the soldering process.

Antenna Layout

One of the most common mistakes with PCB finalization is the layout of the antenna when using a product that will be utilizing wireless technology. In order to properly connect the antenna and the transceiver, they have to match in terms of complex impedance — usually at 50 ohm. Also, make sure that a matching circuit is between the antenna and the transceiver in order to ensure working impedance.

Trace Length

In order to ensure the speed of high-speed signals, the routing of high-frequency crystals should have paths that are short and straight. Having trace paths that go on for too long can impede on the speed of the product?s signals, especially when your product uses external data with their microprocessor.

These common PCB mistakes can be easily found and corrected with the use of a prototype. Despite the fact that PCB prototype assembly takes time, it?s far easier to correct the mistakes found on a prototype to ensure the quality of the final product than it is to disassemble the product to fix a mistake.