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Rules of Thumb for PCB Layout
November 21, 2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: Less than a minute
The dictionary defines a “rule of thumb” as “a broadly accurate guide or principle, based on experience or practice rather than theory.”
Rules of thumb are often the foundation of a PCB designer’s thought process when tackling a layout. Ultimately, a product spec or design guideline will provide the detailed design guidance, but rules of thumb can help to provide the general guidance that will help to streamline the layout process and avoid design or manufacturing issues.
Here are some rules of thumb that the design team at Freedom CAD Services has established over the years.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the November 2024 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
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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.
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Rules of Thumb—Guidelines vs. Principles for PCB Design
11/26/2024 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonThe infamous "rules of thumb" are simple guidelines that help you make decisions based on experience, not exact facts. They’re like shortcuts we use because they work most of the time. For example, if you want to know if spaghetti is done cooking, a common rule of thumb is to grab a spaghetti strand and throw it against the wall to see if it sticks. I used to do that, except that instead of the wall, I used the ceiling, which drove my mother crazy.
Flexible Thinking: Rules of Thumb—A Word to the Wise
11/20/2024 | Joe Fjelstad -- Column: Flexible ThinkingIn the early days of electronics manufacturing—especially with PCBs—there were no rules. Engineers, scientists, and technicians largely felt their way around in the dark, making things up as they went along. There was a great deal of innovation, guessing, and testing to make sure that early guidelines and estimates were correct by testing them. Still, they frequently made mistakes.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
11/15/2024 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007We have quite a mix in this week’s must-reads. The November issue of Design007 Magazine was published, and you don’t want to miss Andy Shaughnessy’s column. This week, we also have a discussion of long-flex PCBs with CEE PCB’s Jerome Larez, and we revisit my forward-looking interview with Dr. Evelyne Parmentier of Dyconex. Jim Will gives us an update on the many things that have transpired in his first five months as executive director at USPAE. Finally, Happy Holden’s next installment of Happy’s Tech Talk looks into the weaknesses of CAD drawings by using a famous Escher print as an example. Happy is definitely one of a kind.