Post by thread:[EE]: Tricks & Tips for PCB Design

Reposted with corrected subject tag! Hi Folks, In another thread Andy Kunz described a technique for placing an inductor on the PCB to help with reduce noise in the circuit. Now my question is "How do you learn about this sort of stuff?". Anyone have any pointers to any good books, web sites etc. which contain good practical advice on this sort of thing. In particular PCB layout, reducing noise, dealing with power supply problems etc. etc. Most of the books I've seen tend to deal with how to design the circuit but not much and how to make the thing work out in the real world! I know most of this comes from experience, but surely someone has tried to capture some of that on paper (or at least in bits on a web-site). I know that in my own field (Software) we have a similar problems but there are a few readable texts these days that at least try to provide the basics.... Help Andy

I have been building such a page at: http://techref.massmind.org/electips or http://techref.massmind.org/techref/default.asp?url=electips I HAVE EVERY POSSIBLE TIP, TRICK, TRAP, GEN and SNARE LIST AT THIS PAGE... There, now prove me wrong, so I can add what I've missed... <GRIN> --- James Newton spam_OUTjamesnewtonTakeThisOuTgeocities.com 1-619-652-0593 http://techref.massmind.org All the engineering secrets worth knowing P.S. its [ee]: rather than ee: See http://www.piclist.com {Original Message removed}

I agree with you there. I am relatively new to electronics and I`ve got away knowing crap all about analog electronics for a while now. I`ve just decided (since I am hoping to get a job in the field after college) that I best learn some. I thought I would start at the top so I am trying to learn about RF design which I figure should help with high speed digital logic... I just took delivery of the 'arrl handbook' today which you can buy from amazon for 20ukp or so. From an initial read of this book it looks like it will be a great help and it explains things about as simply as it can get.. This brings me onto my next idea for a thread/project. It seems to me that many PIC people require short range telemetry modules, and we end up paying through the nose for pre-built kit. What I was thinking was maybe somebody would like to help me design the circuit for a small 9600-1900 radio module that could be easily interfaced into an existing circuit. This would be completely open and anybody could design it into their application. I would be willing to design the PCB prototype buy all the components and help out with the design but at the minute I would`t really know where to start. Suggestions appreciated. Andrew Seddon > Hi Folks, > In another thread Andy Kunz described a technique for placing an inductor on > the PCB to help with reduce noise in the circuit. Now my question is "How do > you learn about this sort of stuff?". Anyone have any pointers to any good > books, web sites etc. which contain good practical advice on this sort of > thing. In particular PCB layout, reducing noise, dealing with power supply > problems etc. etc. Most of the books I've seen tend to deal with how to > design the circuit but not much and how to make the thing work out in the > real world! I know most of this comes from experience, but surely someone > has tried to capture some of that on paper (or at least in bits on a > web-site). I know that in my own field (Software) we have a similar problems > but there are a few readable texts these days that at least try to provide > the basics.... > > Help > > Andy >

Andy Shaw wrote: ......... Anyone have any pointers to any good >books, web sites etc. which contain good practical advice on this sort of >thing. In particular PCB layout, reducing noise, dealing with power supply >problems etc. etc. Hi Andy, on my site, I have several lists of links that may prove helpful: http://www.sni.net/~oricom/teklink1.htm - section on Electronic Design / Prototyping, of special note: --- "High-Speed Digital Design, A Handbook of Black Magic" - advanced --- "The Circuit Designer's Companion" - more basic --- Doug Brook's articles on pcb design http://www.sni.net/~oricom/tek-rpt.htm - Selected Technical Reports, of special note: --- Nat'l AN643 - EMI/RFI Board Design --- Fairchild AN-389: Follow PCB Design Guidelines For Lowest CMOS EMI Radiation --- "83 Reasons Why Bill Gate's Reign is Over" [threw this in for fun] best regards, - Dan Michaels Oricom Technologies ===================

I'd love too but pdf's can't be modified (at least not without buying adobe software) so if they can be converted to html, I'll add them to the existing knowledge base at http://www.piclist.com/faq --- James Newton (PICList Admin #3) .....jamesnewtonKILLspam@spam@piclist.com 1-619-652-0593 PIC/PICList FAQ: http://www.piclist.com or .org -----Original Message----- From: pic microcontroller discussion list [PICLISTKILLspamMITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of Hardware Engineering Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2000 11:30 To: .....PICLISTKILLspam.....MITVMA.MIT.EDU Subject: Re: [PICLIST] [Re: EE: Tricks & Tips for PCB Design] I have a bunch of pdf files dealing with PCB design..someone wanna host it ? ____________________________________________________________________ Get free email and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1

James Newton wrote: >I'd love too but pdf's can't be modified (at least not without buying adobe >software) so if they can be converted to html, I'll add them to the existing Isn't that the beauty of it ? the layout remains, compact size,ect <grin> ( I like pdf's ) /Tony Tony Kübek, Flintab AB ²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²² E-mail: EraseMEtony.kubekspam_OUTTakeThisOuTflintab.com ²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²²

Hi, PCB inductors are described in several RF books, I think that the ARRL book (I don't know if the yerbook or the RF book has it) also contains descriptions thereof, and there exist (expensive) computer programs that calculate these for you. PCB inductors and especially controlled impedance (and delay) lines are an inseparable part of current PC motherboard design (take a look at the local bus between ram and cpu on a moderm Pentium machine). The proper theory is covered under transmission lines for lines over ground planes. The formulas for spiral coils are ancient (date back to crystal detector sets and flat 'wafer' coils which had pretty good Q and were reproducible by amateurs because of the carboard formers printed in magazines or supplied with the projects ;-) ). I'd not be surprised if you would find a forumla for flat spiral coils in a 1920's radio magazine or two. Anyway more recent EE books cover the topic, and I have a forumla somewhere. I'll find it if you run short of options (it is untried by me). Peter