PCB Design-General Guidelines.doc

Generic PCB Development Process As shown in the process flowchart in Fig 1, PCB design activities begin with the functional and physical partitioning of a system. Partitioning is a critical process step because the decisions made at this point will affect all downstream design and production activities. Fig. 1 1. Partitioning entails: Identifying the major functions of a system/product and how they are linked to each other Selecting the circuit technologies and component types required to implement the functions Grouping the functions together that are most closely related to each other Estimating the amount of circuitry required for each group Allocating the circuitry to individual PCBs based on available circuit board area, as defined by physical constraints Confirming that the circuitry will fit as allocated and the PCB will be producible by performing a test placement and doing a preliminary interconnection capability analysis Performing a preliminary physical design analysis (thermal, vibration/shock) to ensure that the PCB will function properly in its intended environment 2. PCB Requirements Definition - After circuitry has been allocated to an assembly, the specific operational requirement of that assembly should be identified, parametrically defined, and documented. This set of physical and circuit specifications becomes the basis for defining the PCBs design characteristics and will be used as the criteria for verifying its performance. 3. Circuit Design - A detailed circuit design is then developed, resulting in the creation of a schematic diagram that identifies all electronic components required to implement the PCBs functions and describes how they are to be interconnected. The schematic also specifies the circuit interfaces between the PCB and the rest of the system/product. 4. PCB Layout - Layout is usually performed with use of CAD tools, which may als