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Rules of Thumb: Design007 Magazine, November 2024
November 11, 2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: Less than a minute
Rules of Thumb
Rules of thumb are everywhere, but there may be hundreds of rules of thumb for PCB design. They’re built on design formulas, fabricators’ limitations, and tribal knowledge. And unfortunately, some longtime rules of thumb should be avoided at all costs. How do we separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak?
In the November 2024 issue of Design007 Magazine, we delve into rules of thumb—which ones work, which ones should be avoided, and when it’s time to “do the science.” As our contributors point out, rules of thumb are a great place to start—a default position—but designers should have a good understanding of the mechanics that these rules are built upon.
Suggested Items
Are Our Stackup Rules No Longer Valid?
12/19/2024 | Cherie Litson, EPTAC MIT CID/CID+Are the stackup rules we used to follow no longer valid? It depends on what you’re designing. Electrical rules change depending on your circuit. Fabrication rules change depending on which fabricator you’re working with. Today, we just have more options, and sometimes, cost is a bigger rule than anything else. If you search online for information about layer stackups, trace widths, and hole sizes in PCBs, you’ll find a variety of resources.
Global PCB Connections: Following DFM Rules Leads to Better Boards
12/18/2024 | Jerome Larez -- Column: Global PCB ConnectionsAs a PCB field applications engineer, ensuring smooth communication between PCB designers and fabricators is one of my frequent challenges. A critical part of that dialogue is design for manufacturing (DFM). Many designers, even experienced ones, often misunderstand or overlook important DFM considerations. They may confuse design rules with manufacturing minimums, leading to technically feasible designs that are difficult or costly to produce. In this column, I will clarify some common DFM guidelines and help designers understand the difference between “design rules” and “minimums” while sharing best practices that will simplify the production process and ensure the highest quality PCB.
Happy’s Tech Talk #35: Yields March to Design Rules
12/12/2024 | Happy Holden -- Column: Happy’s Tech TalkUltra high density interconnect (UHDI) has many forms, structures, and alternatives, so capturing all the variations and reducing them to design rules has required some departures from traditional IPC design standards. In this column, I’ll be discussing the IPC UHDI design guidelines and standards. The fundamental question is: “Do you need HDI or microvias?”
If You Can Define It Right, You Can Design It Right
12/05/2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007Design engineer Chris Young is known for his optimized design process. As lead hardware engineer with Moog Space and Defense Group and owner of Young Engineering Services, Chris collects data like it’s going out of style, and he leaves nothing to chance. With that in mind, I asked Chris to discuss his views on rules of thumb—which ones work, which ones should be avoided, and how rules fit ideally into the PCB design process.
PCB Layout Rules of Thumb for Consideration
11/25/2024 | Patrick Davis, Cadence Design SystemsJust because a “rule of thumb” is usually based on experience instead of precise facts doesn’t negate its value. For instance, when I told my kids that a good rule of thumb was not to back-talk to their mother, they discovered very quickly how accurate my advice was once they crossed that line. There are a lot of rules of thumb that we rely on daily, including those that apply to PCB design.