Circuit board design is a complicated process with many steps to a complex assembly of parts on a small scale. As such, mistakes can arise from circuit board design problems. The design of a circuit board is often changed before the assembly begins, but there are some that are not detected until after the process has started. Failing to get these board design mistakes handled before the assembly can cost a lot of time and money along with precious resources. There are many common mistakes that can easily be detected and handled.
Improper Stackup Design
The connection between circuit board layers in what is called a stack is something that is hard to change. In addition to having all of the connections being misaligned, an improper stack will render the circuits and the internal processes almost useless. If a system in the stack needs to be modified due to the processes being changed, then many parts of the stack need to be realigned.
Not Including Extra Components
There are always those 11th hour changes that need to be addressed. A lot of the time, there is some important component that needs to be added, but there may be no room for those items to fit. In that case, a complete redesign should be necessary.
Extra Processes
As with the designer, the fabricator may need some processes that the designer does not know about. It can be a problem if the processes are contradictory to another or proprietary. The best way to combat that would be to check with the fabricator as to what kinds of restrictions exist and to get the software that allows room for the processes that the fabricator would add later.
Not Having Design Reviews
It is always worth it to have more than one set of eyes look at a design. All of the stakeholders of a product should have a say in how they would want a product to operate. This will give the designer a better idea as to how to design the circuit board so that the designer does not have to change it down the road.
Not Doing a Backup Regularly
A designer�s worst nightmare is working on something and then having the computer program go wrong. Designers can tell more than one story about their horrific experiences with losing precious work. Every designer can tell a new one to back everything up and to save their work on multiple hard drives.
Not Communicating
With all the parties at play with a design, keeping in touch with all of them is something that will save a lot of time and money. It is easy to lose sight of team members through the long days and the complexities of the design. It is also worth the time to send design the other parties as well, especially the manufacturers, so that they can guide the design as needed from their end. A
pcb fabrication board is hard enough to design, so do not make simple and costly mistakes that could lead to months of lost work.
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