The process that we’ll be using to complete the component placement process includes:
Once you know the limits of the walls and where you’re going, then you can be free to design as you please. This isn’t meant to stifle your creativity, but to simply provide a foundation with which your creativity can grow. While your component placement and routing processes are filled with endless opportunities for creativity, we think it’s good to start with a structured process in mind. When placing components, always be thinking about how you’ll route them, and leave enough room between parts to make that process easy. If you don’t give this one component enough room to breathe, then you’ll likely run out of space and will have to start your layout over again from scratch. This happens most commonly with integrated circuits which have lots of pins that need to be connected all over your board. It goes without saying that many beginner designers make the mistake of cramming their components too close together on their first layout only to run out of space when it’s time to start routing. īe sure to place smaller components in front of larger ones for a reliable soldering process.
For a comprehensive list of part placement tips, check out this blog. When placing components, always be mindful of their size not just in your two-dimensional space, but also their height and width. If you have taller components that are blocking smaller ones, then chances are you’ll likely get a board back with poorly connected solder joints. When your completed board gets handed off to your manufacturer, they’re going to send it through a soldering oven to connect all of the parts to your bare circuit board. The second point to consider is how you are placing your components in relation to each other. Why? This will make your board much easier to install, test, and inspect by your manufacturer. Whenever you place like-minded components on your board, like a set of resistors or LEDs, you need to make sure they’re always facing the same direction. Because of this, you need to keep several considerations in the back of your mind as you go about designing. You Need to Think About ManufacturingĪt the end of the day, you are likely designing a PCB to have it made physically by your manufacturer. Just get comfortable with the whole process. We’ve only got a handful of components to place, so you can take your time to place, replace, and probably do it all over again. For some, this might be a bit overwhelming at first, which is why we’re going to stick with a very simple design in this blog. How you choose to place your components and complete your routing is all a unique representation of your design perspective. ( Image source)īecause of this, you have to remember one thing when doing your PCB layout – there’s no right or wrong way to do it. People can get pretty creative with just some mere traces and vias. Unlike a schematic design, which is all grounded in the finality of mathematics, your PCB layout is a bit more fluid and flexible. If you give your schematic to a hundred different engineers, then chances are you’ll get a hundred different board layouts back all with their unique characteristics. Many engineers see the PCB layout process as more of an artform. There are a few things you’ll want to keep in the back of your head while you go about transforming your schematic into a physical board layout, including: PCB Layout is an Art Where do you start with all of this? You’ll need to place all of your components first. It’s like a giant puzzle just waiting to be solved with some original thinking and creativity. While this can present you with a new set of challenges, the PCB layout is probably one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of PCB design. How are you going to translate all of that electrical theory into an actual physical design? These days engineers do it all, from schematic to PCB layout, and there’s no handing it off down the line for someone else to finish it up, it’s all about you. So, you got that circuit on paper as a schematic design in Autodesk EAGLE, but now comes the real challenge.
PCB Layout Basics Part 1: How to Place Your Components