Thursday, 15 August 2013

It Pays To Use PCB Design Services

By Andrea Davidson


Modern technology is everywhere that you look. All of these items are powered by electrical energy, which in turn will pass through electronic components. These will operate in a variety of ways to cause the item to function as required. A business might have an idea for a new product, they might have thought about what they want it to do, but might not know how to achieve this electronically. This is where PCB design services come into the picture.

Deciding to operate in this way does come with several advantages. It means that a business doesn't have to set up such a department of their own. Using an external specialist firm takes away any need for this.

Quite often a lot of key issues will be decided during the first meeting. The business will have to fully explain what they want this new product to do, and how they want this to happen. They will also give an indication of how much room the circuitry will have to sit in, and whether there are weight constraints.

When confronted by space, or weight, limitations often the solution is to use something known as a surface mount printed circuit board. All this means is that the components are fixed directly onto the surface of one of these boards. They can utilise just one side of the board or both should the need arise. With the components being smaller, a smaller board can be made and so weight is also kept to a minimum.

Another common form of Circuit board is called a through board. These are often bigger, as the components themselves are larger. The body of the electronic component is on one side of the board, the component legs are passed through the board, and soldered to the metal tracks on the opposing side. These types will need more room, and are a little heavier.

Space is a critical factor, as mentioned earlier. The specialist team needs to know how big, or small, they need to make the circuit board. With the dimensions in hand the planning of the circuit can get underway. One initial concern that needs addressing is the location of the power source.

If a through board is used as an example, the power can be introduced to the metal tracks in one of two ways. Wires can be fed directly between the power supply and the relevant tracks. Or the board can be mounted directly onto a socket, and power fed in that way. Power moves along the tracks, should it meet a component leg it is then diverted in that direction, and will cause the component to operate.

The voltage itself might be limited, or increased, depending on the component and how it is connected. It could trigger an integrated circuit, or cause a relay to either open or close. As you can imagine the world of electronics can be difficult for the average person to understand.

As a consequence a lot of businesses do use specific firms who offer PCB design services for this reason. They are fully aware of how these components can be used to their full potential. Not only will they come up with a circuit which fulfills the client's wishes, but it will also be a cost effective as they can make it.




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