PCBDETAILS

PCBDESCRITION:A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, or traces, etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. It is also referred to as printed wiring board (PWB) or etched wiring board. A PCB populated with electronic components is a printed circuit assembly (PCA), also known as a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA). PCBs are rugged, inexpensive, and can be highly reliable. They require much more layout effort and higher initial cost than either wire-wrapped or point-to-point constructed circuits, but are much cheaper and faster for high-volume production. Much of the electronics industry's PCB design, assembly, and quality control needs are set by standards that are published by the IPC organization. Conducting layers are typically made of thin copper foil. Insulating layers dielectric are typically laminated together with epoxy resin prepreg. The board is typically coated with a solder mask that is green in color. Other colors that are normally available are blue, and red.

PCBLAYOUT:-

ASSEMBLING
There are a few steps followed before really starting the assembling process. These steps consists of, PCB layout preparation Screen Printing PCB Etching Drilling Soldering

PCBLAYOUTPREPARATION:There are various softwares available for designing of the PCB layout. Some of them are listed below: Dip trace Altium E-CAD Pro Adobe Page Maker The steps followed in creating this layout is as follow: 1. Various components are available in any software you choose. Select the components which are contained in your circuit. 2. Make sure that the components selected are of same specifications as used. 3. Similarly select the other components from the component library of the software being used. 4. Arrange the components in such a way to create a design which looks like your circuit. 5. Check the connections once more to ensure any discrepancy. 6. When the circuit is completely ready follow the procedure to convert this circuit layout into the PCB layout (this process differs from one software to other software). 7. Check the PCB layout once more comparing it with your circuit. 8. Print the desired PCB layout on a simple paper or a butter paper or a gelatin paper.

SCREENPRINTING:Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an inkblocking stencil. The attached stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfer ink as a sharp-edged image onto a substrate. A roller or squeegee is moved across the screen stencil, forcing or pumping ink past the threads of the woven mesh in the open areas. Screen printing is also a stencil method of print making in which a design is imposed on a screen of silk or other fine mesh, with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance, and ink is forced through the mesh onto the printing surface. It is also known as "silk screening" or "serigraphy". Line art and text may be printed onto the outer surfaces of a PCB by screen printing. When space permits, the screen print text can indicate component designators, switch setting requirements, test points, and other features helpful in assembling, testing, and servicing the circuit board. Screen print is also known as the silk screen, or, in one sided PCBs, the red print. Lately some digital printing solutions have been developed to substitute the traditional screen printing process. This technology allows printing variable data onto the PCB, including serialization and barcode information for traceability purposes.

PCBETCHING:Etching, also known as chemical milling, is the process of using acids, bases or other chemicals to dissolve unwanted materials such as metals, semiconductor materials or glass. This process has been used on a wide variety of metals with depths of metal removal as large as 12mm (0.5 in). Selective attack by the chemical reagent on different areas of the workpiece surfaces is controlled by removable layers of material called masking or by partial immersion in the reagent. It has applications in the printed circuit board and semiconductor fabrication industries. It is also used in

the aerospace industry to remove shallow layers of material from large aircraft components, missile skin panels, and extruded parts for airframes. The process is known to have been used by craftsmen in Europe in the middle ages, where it was applied to the decoration of armour. One such craftsman, Daniel Hopfer (circa 1470-1536) of Augsburg, Germany, is credited with being the first person to apply the method to printmaking. The vast majority of printed circuit boards are made by bonding a layer of copper over the entire substrate, sometimes on both sides, (creating a "blank PCB") then removing unwanted copper after applying a temporary mask (eg. by etching), leaving only the desired copper traces. A few PCBs are made by adding traces to the bare substrate (or a substrate with a very thin layer of copper) usually by a complex process of multiple electroplating steps. There are three common "subtractive" methods (methods that remove copper) used for the production of printed circuit boards: 1. Silk screen printing uses etch-resistant inks to protect the copper foil. Subsequent etching removes the unwanted copper. Alternatively, the ink may be conductive, printed on a blank (non-conductive) board. The latter technique is also used in the manufacture of hybrid circuits. 2. Photoengraving uses a photomask and chemical etching to remove the copper foil from the substrate. The photomask is usually prepared with a photoplotter from data produced by a technician using CAM, or computeraided manufacturing software. Laser-printed transparencies are typically employed for phototools; however, direct laser imaging techniques are being employed to replace phototools for high-resolution requirements. 3. PCB milling uses a two or three-axis mechanical milling system to mill away the copper foil from the substrate. A PCB milling machine (referred to as a 'PCB Prototyper') operates in a similar way to a plotter, receiving commands from the host software that control the position of the milling head in the x, y, and (if relevant) z axis. Data to drive the Prototyper is extracted from files generated in PCB design software and stored in HPGL or Gerber file format.

"Additive" processes also exist. The most common is the "semi-additive" process. In this version, the unpatterned board has a thin layer of copper already on it. A reverse mask is then applied. (Unlike a subtractive process mask, this mask exposes those parts of the substrate that will eventually become the traces.) Additional copper is then plated onto the board in the unmasked areas; copper may be plated to any desired weight. Tin-lead or other surface platings are then applied. The mask is stripped away and a brief etching step removes the now-exposed original copper laminate from the board, isolating the individual traces. The additive process is commonly used for multi-layer boards as it facilitates the plating-through of the holes (to produce conductive vias) in the circuit board.

DRILLING:Holes through a PCB are typically drilled with tiny drill bits made of solid tungsten carbide. The drilling is performed by automated drilling machines with placement controlled by a drill tape or drill file. These computer-generated files are also called numerically controlled drill (NCD) files or "Excellon files". The drill file describes the location and size of each drilled hole. These holes are often filled with annular rings to create vias. Vias allow the electrical and thermal connection of conductors on opposite sides of the PCB. When very small vias are required, drilling with mechanical bits is costly because of high rates of wear and breakage. In this case, the vias may be evaporated by lasers. Laser-drilled vias typically have an inferior surface finish inside the hole. These holes are called micro vias. It is also possible with controlled-depth drilling, laser drilling, or by pre-drilling the individual sheets of the PCB before lamination, to produce holes that connect only some of the copper layers, rather than passing through the entire board. These holes are called blind vias when they connect an internal copper layer to an outer layer, or buried vias when they connect two or more internal copper layers and no outer layers.

The walls of the holes, for boards with 2 or more layers, are plated with copper to form plated-through holes that electrically connect the conducting layers of the PCB. For multilayer boards, those with 4 layers or more, drilling typically produces a smear comprised of the bonding agent in the laminate system. Before the holes can be plated through, this smear must be removed by a chemical de-smear process, or by plasma-etch.

SOLDERING:Soldering is a process in which two or more metal items are joined together by melting and flowing a filler metal into the joint, the filler metal having a relatively low melting point. Soft soldering is characterized by the melting point of the filler metal, which is below 400 C (752 F).[1] The filler metal used in the process is called solder. Soldering is distinguished from brazing by use of a lower melting-temperature filler metal; it is distinguished from welding by the base metals not being melted during the joining process. In a soldering process, heat is applied to the parts to be joined, causing the solder to melt and be drawn into the joint by capillary action and to bond to the materials to be joined by wetting action. After the metal cools, the resulting joints are not as strong as the base metal, but have adequate strength, electrical conductivity, and water-tightness for many uses. Soldering is an ancient technique mentioned in the Bible[2] and there is evidence that it was employed up to 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia One of the most frequent applications of soldering is assembling electronic components to printed circuit boards (PCBs). Another common application is making permanent but reversible connections between copper pipes in plumbing systems. Joints in sheet metal objects such as food cans, roof flashing, rain gutters and automobile radiators have also historically been soldered, and occasionally still are. Jewelry components are assembled and repaired by soldering. Small mechanical parts are often soldered as well. Soldering is also used to join lead came and copper foil in stained glass work. Soldering can also be used to effect a semi-permanent patch for a leak in a container cooking vessel.

Guidelines to consider when soldering is that since soldering temperatures are so low a soldered joint has limited service at elevated temperatures. Solders generally do not have much strength so the process should not be used for load bearing members. Some examples of solder types and their applications are tin-lead (general purpose), tin-zinc for joining aluminium, lead-silver for strength at higher than room temperature, cadmium-silver for strength at high temperatures, zinc-aluminium for aluminium and corrosion resistance, and tin-silver and tin-bismuth for electronics. There are two main components used while soldering. These are explained below.

SOLDER:
A solder is a fusible metal alloy with a melting point or melting range of 90 to 450 C (200 to 840 F), used in a process called soldering where it is melted to join metallic surfaces. It is especially useful in electronics and plumbing. Alloys that melt between 180 and 190 C are the most commonly used. The word solder comes from the Middle English word soudur, via Old French solduree and soulder, from the Latin solidare, meaning 'to make solid'. Solder can contain lead and or flux but in many applications solder is now lead free.

SOLDER IRON:
A soldering iron is a tool used for applying heat to two adjoining metal parts such that solder may melt and flow between those parts, binding them securely and conductively. A soldering iron is composed of a heated metal tip and an insulated handle. Heating is often achieved electrically, by passing a current, supplied through an electrical cord or a battery, through a heating element. Another heating method includes combustion of a suitable gas, which can either be delivered through a tank mounted on the iron (flameless), or through an external flame. Some heat up and cool down in a few seconds, but others take minutes.

The soldering process is as described below:

Good soldering is a skill that is learnt by practice. The most important point in soldering is that both parts of the joint to be made must be at the same temperature. The solder will flow evenly and make a good electrical and mechanical joint only if both parts of the joint are at an equal high temperature. Even though it appears that there is a metal to metal contact in a joint to be made, very often there exists a film of oxide on the surface that insulates the two parts. For this reason it is no good applying the soldering iron tip to one half of the joint only and expecting this to heat the other half of the joint as well. When the iron is hot, apply some solder to the flattened working end at the end of the bit, and wipe it on a piece of damp cloth or sponge so that the solder forms a thin film on the bit. This is tinning the bit. Melt a little more solder on to the tip of the soldering iron, and put the tip so it contacts both parts of the joint. It is the molten solder on the tip of the iron that allows the heat to flow quickly from the iron into both parts of the joint. If the iron has the right amount of solder on it and is positioned correctly, then the two parts to be joined will reach the solder's melting temperature in a couple of seconds. Now apply

the end of the solder to the point where both parts of the joint and the soldering iron are all touching one another. The solder will melt immediately and flow around all the parts that are at, or over, the melting part temperature. After a few seconds remove the iron from the joint. Make sure that no parts of the joint move after the soldering iron is removed until the solder is completely hard. This can take quite a few seconds with large joints. If the joint is disturbed during this cooling period it may become seriously weakened. The hard cold solder on a properly made joint should have a smooth shiny appearance and if the wire is pulled it should not pull out of the joint. In a properly made joint the solder will bond the components very strongly indeed, since the process of soldering is similarly to brazing, and to a lesser degree welding, in that the solder actually forms a molecular bond with the surfaces of the joint. It is important to use the right amount of solder, both on the iron and on the joint. Too little solder on the iron will result in poor heat transfer to the joint, too much and you will suffer from the solder forming strings as the iron is removed, causing splashes and bridges to other contacts. Too little solder applied to the joint will give the joint a half finished appearance: a good bond where the soldering iron has been, and no solder at all on the other part of the joint. Remember it is much more difficult to correct a poorly made joint than it is to make the joint properly in the first place. Anyone can learn to solder, it just takes practice.

PRINTEDCIRCUITASSEMBLY:After the printed circuit board (PCB) is completed, electronic components must be attached to form a functional printed circuit assembly, or PCA (sometimes called a "printed circuit board assembly" PCBA). In through-hole construction, component leads are inserted in holes. In surface-mount construction, the components are placed on pads or lands on the outer surfaces of the PCB. In both kinds of construction, component leads are electrically and mechanically fixed to the board with a molten metal solder. There are a variety of soldering techniques used to attach components to a PCB. High volume production is usually done with machine placement and bulk wave

soldering or reflow ovens, but skilled technicians are able to solder very tiny parts (for instance 0201 packages which are 0.02" by 0.01") by hand under a microscope, using tweezers and a fine tip soldering iron for small volume prototypes. Some parts are impossible to solder by hand, such as ball grid array (BGA) packages. Often, through-hole and surface-mount construction must be combined in a single PCA because some required components are available only in surface-mount packages, while others are available only in through-hole packages. Another reason to use both methods is that through-hole mounting can provide needed strength for components likely to endure physical stress, while components that are expected to go untouched will take up less space using surface-mount techniques. After the board has been populated it may be tested in a variety of ways: While the power is off, visual inspection, automated optical inspection. JEDEC guidelines for PCB component placement, soldering, and inspection are commonly used to maintain quality control in this stage of PCB manufacturing. While the power is off, analog signature analysis, power-off testing. While the power is on, in-circuit tests, where physical measurements (i.e. voltage, frequency) can be done. While the power is on, functional test, just checking if the PCB does what it had been designed for. To facilitate these tests, PCBs may be designed with extra pads to make temporary connections. Sometimes these pads must be isolated with resistors. The in-circuit test may also exercise boundary scan test features of some components. In-circuit test systems may also be used to program nonvolatile memory components on the board. In boundary scan testing, test circuits integrated into various ICs on the board form temporary connections between the PCB traces to test that the ICs are mounted correctly. Boundary scan testing requires that all the ICs to be tested use a standard

test configuration procedure, the most common one being the Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) standard. When boards fail the test, technicians may desolder and replace failed components, a task known as "rework".