Practical Matters: Circuit Boards and Debugging

Abstract

We will review the basic information that one needs to design and understand circuit boards. The reason we are doing this is so that when we get into concepts like transmission lines and ground bounce, we can use examples from the world of circuit boards.

Homework

• 1. Consult online sources and find the layer stack for a four-layer circuit board (copper layers on top and bottom, power and ground planes in the middle) that is 63 mils thick. (This is a standard four-layer circuit board.)

• 2. What does 1-ounce copper mean?

• 3. A co-worker shows you a resistor that is a very small rectangular shape. Is it through hole or surface mount?

• 4. What are the steps in designing a circuit board?

• 5. What are the steps in manufacturing a circuit board?

• 6. Define the following circuit-board terms:

  • (a) Trace

  • (b) Plane

  • (c) Via

  • (d) Through hole

  • (e) Surface mount

  • (f) Solder mask