Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Elementary, Mr. Watson: The Art of the PCB

After finishing the statue of David, Michelangelo—Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance—was asked how he had created such a beautiful work of art. He said, “The sculpture was already complete within the marble block before I started my work. I merely had to chisel away the superfluous material.”

After decades of being in the industry and seeing countless designs, it’s still amazing to see the exceptional beauty of a well-done PCB design. For designers, each PCB begins as a blank canvas; not knowing what the final product will look like, we walk a fine line between engineering and artistry, often producing fascinating results.

There is a uniqueness to every PCB design. If I gave the same schematic to 10 individuals and asked them to complete the design, I can guarantee that each designer would come up with something different. This is a result of blending each person’s understanding of engineering requirements with their own touch of artistry. From the very start of a project, there is a “flow” to the circuit in the schematic. With signals, best practice is to go from left to right, from inputs to outputs. With the powers and grounds, we move from the top down to the bottom. Seeing how different people interpret this process always makes me geek out a little, because in a PCB, we can clearly see evidence of the artistic tendency. There is a stunning beauty to the multi-layered colors and the various details of connections and features, such as length tuning, impedance matching, etc. It indeed can only be described as art.

Figure 1: Each engineer brings their own unique blend of practical expertise and artistic flair to PCB design.

It’s Not About the Degree
Some wrongly believe that to break into the PCB industry, you must have a degree of some kind—usually in electrical engineering (EE). Because of the lack of designers, electronics engineers have indeed been pulling double duty with PCB designs. But in fact, there is no set pathway into a PCB career; designers can come from any background. I started as an electronics technician fixing military systems; great designers come from all different fields. Some of the best designers I’ve had the opportunity to see and work with don’t have a degree.

I am not belittling those with degrees; as a college professor, I love higher education. But having a degree is not a necessary requirement to break into the industry and do an outstanding job. I’ve noticed that the individuals most often attracted to this industry tend to come from different artistic areas. I could (but won’t) name some of the many designers I can think of who are renowned artists. One specific person, who was my instructor and mentor when I started my career, is now a famous and excellent sculptor, and another is an expert musician. Yet another I know started out as a landscape painter. There is a definite correlation between artistic individuals and PCB design, because in its basic form, designing a PCB requires a balance of engineering and art.  

Engineering the Design
Much of a PCB is driven by design guidelines, such as design rules, requirements, physics, chemistry, and several other sciences. We don’t have any control over these constraints; these are simply rules that must be followed. Countless decisions throughout the process, all tailored to the fit, form, or function of the project, come from the science side of design.

For example, if you intend to have a trace carry a specific current, it must be a minimum size and have a set clearance from other items. Is the trace a microstrip (external) or stripline (internal)? So many details and decisions are necessary to place just a single trace. As for design requirements, you cannot ignore them; otherwise, you’ve placed a fuse in your PCB that will pop the first time you power up the board. Considering the engineering side of any design is essential if you want to ensure a working PCB.

For example, if I was building a house, all the various intricacies of my house’s design would be documented in a series of architectural plans. Those plans would outline every detail, down to the type of tiles in the master bathroom. Those details would even show what the finished house will look like. That is not the case with a PCB.

The Artistry of the PCB
Those finer details come into the picture when we’re faced with that blank canvas that is the start of every PCB design. As mentioned earlier, each PCB design is unique; the artistic side of the process comes into play when engineers come up with creative solutions to meet those rigorous practical constraints. As an instructor, I find that this is a difficult concept to teach first-time designers. Like painting, you can teach theory and techniques, such as the contrast between shadows and tones, but individuals create masterpieces primarily through experience (and a bit of talent).

Often, new designers understand decisions as binaries—black/white or correct/wrong. It can be difficult for new designers to grasp ideas that aren’t dictated by guidelines or rules, the kinds of decisions left up to the designer to solve the puzzle in their way. In other words, teaching new designers how to participate in the creative side of PCB design can be challenging.

I believe that the relationship between the creative process and the designer is why many designers refrain from using the automated tools in ECAD software. A great example of this is in the number of designers who don’t use autorouting when designing. Of course, this is a complex issue, but I believe it gets at the foundation of why we do what we do. The enjoyment of “solving the puzzle” and being part of the artistic side of designing a PCB, of participating in the creative process, is a distinguishing feature of the true PCB designer.

A great PCB design uses both the engineering and artistic input of the designer, which means that being able to identify between the two is essential. Also, it’s important not to be too hard on yourself at first. Designing a PCB requires skills and abilities that must be developed over time. Like Michelangelo, where others see a formless block of marble or a blank PCB, you’ll see a masterpiece of innovative technology that improves people’s lives. A talented designer can visualize and see solutions in a PCB design that go beyond the engineering side into the artistic. By visualizing what you want to do and chipping away at the rough edges, you’ll reveal a beautiful work of art and engineering.

As we conclude another year and embark on a new one, I want to express my appreciation to each of you. I wish you Happy Holidays and my best wishes for the new year.

John Watson, CID, is a customer success manager at Altium.

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