Flexible Printed Circuits

Flexible printed circuits were originally designed as a replacement for traditional wire harnesses. From early applications during World War II to the present, growth and proliferation for flex circuits and flexible printed circuit boards continues exponentially. There are many benefits of Flexible Printed Circuits including: assembly error reduction, decreased assembly time and costs, flexibility during installation, high density applications, etc. 

Here we want to talk something about design freedom– unlike rigid boards, flex circuits are not restricted to two dimensions. Because they are as flexible as wires or ribbon cables, flex circuit design options are endless. Flex circuits can be designed to meet highly complex and unimaginable configurations while being able to operate in the most hostile environments. Flex circuit designs could entail any of the following:

• Highly complex configurations

• Withstand hostile operating environments

• Single- Double- combinations

• Complex interconnections

• Shielding

• Rigid/flex capabilities

• Surface mounted devices

Top Laminate Suppliers for PCBs

Knowing how your printed circuit boards are made will help you during your design process because you will know what to expect from the finished product. The laminate used on your printed circuit boards will help achieve final thickness and give you a PCB that you can use for your application. You will be able to get the strength you expect from your PCBs and use the information listed to design the exact boards that you need. EPCB ensures that every finished PCB ordered on our company can meet the toughest standards set by the industry for quality. If your want to learn more information, please contact us or send email to us.

Superior Customer Service

At all stages of your development process, from designing your application to assembling your finished product, you should be able to expect that everything will go smoothly. This includes the process of designing and manufacturing your printed circuit boards to get the highest quality to meet all of your unique specifications. EPCB, one of the best PCB manufacturers in Shanghai, China, has lots of professional experts to help you get all of your questions answered. By meeting and exceeding quality and manufacturing standards set by the industry, EPCB is able to produce all of the PCBs that you need to get the job done quickly and correctly. With all of the resources available, you are ensured of the excellent PCBs no matter your order is small or large. Contact us today for more information. 

Custom Printed Circuit Boards

One of the most common items that you will find if you take apart the electronics in your home is the circuit board. Printed circuit boards, or PCBs, are the brains of your devices and are responsible for ensuring that it functions as designed. In order to make sure that your product is going to run as you need it to, you will want to design a PCB from scratch. This is due to the fact that you have the ability to layout the board so it can work with the components you need. In addition, by designing a custom board you can be sure that it will fit into the device that you are creating. Hobbyists and large-scale companies benefit from custom PCBs because it gives you ownership over every step of the production process. Our EPCB respects every designer's work, and provides customized service to you.

For more information about the latest PCB trends, please visit our website www.epcb.com.

Recycle Old PCBs

As we all know, environment pollution is severely serious which does harm to people’s health. So we should do our part to protect the environment as both an individual and a part of our company which will allow us all to conserve valuable resources, reduce energy consumption and create a cleaner environment for our future. We can achieve our objectives by recycling old printed circuit boards which are made from chemicals and materials that are hazardous to the environment. Those raw materials are illegal to dump without special treatment, because if these items make their way into a landfill they will just sit there, allowing the chemicals to potentially seep into the soil or get into water supplies. That’s the reason why we appeal to PCB users and manufacturers to recycle old PCBs. We have the responsibility to ensure that the raw materials are properly disposed of and meet regulations in order to protect our environment. 

PCB Board

A printed circuit board, or PCB Board, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. When the board has only copper tracks and features, and no circuit elements such as capacitors, resistors or active devices have been manufactured into the actual substrate of the board, it is more correctly referred to as printed wiring board (PWB) or etched wiring board. Use of the term PWB or printed wiring board although more accurate and distinct from what would be known as a true printed circuit board, has generally fallen by the wayside for many people as the distinction between circuit and wiring has become blurred.

The Evolution of Consumer Electronics

The Evolution of Consumer Electronics
Waterproof electronics is known by public until very recently. In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that a toilet was a smartphone’s worst nightmare. Come to think of it, it wasn’t even that long ago that word like smartphone, tablet and wearable were completely unheard of by us. Today EPCB list some of the most influential and important consumer electronics innovations over the last 50 years.
1977 – Apple II is introduced and becomes a highly successful personal computer.
1979 – Sony releases the Walkman.
1984 – Motorola blows the world away with the DynaTAC. A two-pound wonder that retailed for $4K
1989 – Nintendo Gameboy attracts gamers everywhere.
1993 – Intel introduces the Pentium Microprocessor which efficiently promotes the development of personal computers.
1997 – The Digital Video Disc (DVD) is invented.
1998 – Apple introduces the first iMac, making it the gold standard for personal computers.
2001 – Apple makes music stylish with the iPod.
2007 – Apple changes the cellphone market forever with the introduction of the iPhone.
2015 – Apple releases the Apple Watch.
2016 – Apple releases iPhone 7.

For more information about consumer electronics, please visit www.epcb.com

Don'ts of Flex Circuit

Flex circuits are largely used in PCB fabrications, EPCB found that most of us didn’t pay enough attention to those problems, such as the layer stack design, parts placement, cutouts, etc. But remember that flex circuits have some gnarly material quirks which range from relatively high z-axis expansion coefficients of adhesives, to the lower adhesion of copper to PI substrate and coverlay, to copper’s work hardening and fatigue. These can be compensated for largely by following some don’ts.

Don’t bend at corners. It is generally best to keep copper traces at right-angles to a flex-circuit bend. However there are some design situations where it’s unavoidable. In those cases you should keep the track work as gently curving as possible, and as the mechanical product design dictates, conical radius bends is a better way.

Don’t change widths unexpectedly. Whenever you have a track entering a pad, particularly when there is an aligned row of them as in a flex-circuit terminator, this will form a weak spot where the copper will be fatigued over time. Unless there is going to be stiffener applied or a one-time crease, it’s advisable to taper down from the pads.

For more information about the latest PCB trends, please visit our website www.epcb.com. 

Can Voltmeters and Ammeters Both Measure Resistances?

Neither a voltmeter nor an ammeter measures resistance directly; a voltmeter measures voltage and an ammeter measures amperage or current. However, using Ohm's law, resistance can be calculated from known quantities of voltage and current.

Voltage is defined as the pressure pushing electrons through a system, while amperage or current, is the number of electrons moving through the system. Resistance, on the other hand, is a measure of how much a material opposes the flow. To relate the three, Ohm's law states that resistance is equal to the voltage divided by the current. This means, then, that an increase in pressure will increase the amount of opposition to the flow, as will an increased movement of electrons.

 For more information about the latest PCB trends, please visit our website www.epcb.com.

Differences between KVA and KW

Though both kVA and kW are units of measure used to describe power, kVA is a kilo volt amperes and kW is a kilowatt. KVA is known as the apparent power of an electrical system or of a particular circuit. In direct current circuits the kVA is equal to the kW, while they are different in alternating current circuits. That’s because the kW is the amount of actual power that does valid work where only a fraction of kVA is available and accessible to do work while the rest is in excess in the current.

The relationship between kVA, kW and the power factor can express like this: kW = kVA x power factor. In direct current circuits, there is no difference between the kVA and the kW because of the power factor. The power factor leads or lags depending on the way that the load shifts the phase of the current compared to the phase of the voltage. This creates a unity in the direct current circuits. In alternating current circuits, voltage and current may get out of phase leading to a difference in kW and kVA that will be based on the power factor.

 For more information about the latest PCB trends, please visit our website www.epcb.com. 

Why is Electrical Grounding Important?

Electrical grounding reduces the risk of severe electrical shock from uninsulated metal components inside of electrical devices, appliances and power tools. When a grounded system is used properly, the leaking current, also known as the fault current, is transferred harmlessly. 

Most electrical systems use circuit breakers or fuses to offer protection against short circuits and powerful fault currents. The wiring system protects people from electrical hazards. The pipe is usually connected to a copper conductor that is attached to a rod and a group of terminals located in the electrical service panel. This offers much more protection from electricity and strikes during thunderstorms.

Electrical grounding prevents electrical hazards such as electrocution and fatal shocking. Electrical workers use a device known as a ground-fault interrupter, which provides a grounding method that protects workers from leaking currents while standing on wet surfaces. The ground-fault interrupter is extremely delicate and is capable of detecting leaks as small as 5 milliamperes. After detecting leakages, the interrupter immediately disconnects any circuit around the leakage.

Resistive and Inductive Loads

Resistive loads typically convert energy into heat during the electrical process. The heat must be expelled from the system through a medium such as air or water, and the energy can be utilized purposely in heating devices. To achieve high efficiency, it is essential to optimize the voltage use of a resistive load. When a resistive load operates under the proper voltage, it ensures a constant supply of energy and protection from loss of energy to sensitive devices.

An inductive load is a part of an electrical circuit that uses magnetic energy to produce work. Some common examples include transformers, electric motors, wound control gear and electromechanical relays. These sorts of tools basically store energy until it is needed and, once it is, they convert it with a series of magnetic fields. And these sorts of loads often have to be harnessed and protected to keep the energy flowing in only one direction, since the force of the power can cause damage to the circuit or connected breakers otherwise.

 For more information about the latest PCB trends, please visit our website www.epcb.com.  

What are Series Circuits Used for?

Series circuits are most often used for lighting. A common example is a string of classic Christmas tree lights, in which the loss of one bulb shuts off the flow of electricity to each bulb further down the line. However, series circuits can be used for any situation in which a single cable is used to supply power to a number of widely spaced lights or other devices.

A series circuit uses a single cable with multiple resistors on it. As more voltages flow through a series circuit, a more expensive and heavily insulated cable is a must. This allows applications to be made much more cheaply with a single power source and only a single cable. Modern models also include bypasses so the loss of one resistor does not break the circuit. A series circuit also must be able to cope with the sum of all resistances on the circuit. Thus, the voltage must be high enough to compensate for the voltage drop from each resistor.

The Function of Connecting Wires

Connecting wires provide a medium to an electrical current so that they can travel from one point on a circuit to another. In the case of computers, wires are embedded into circuit boards to carry pulses of electricity. Most wires in computers and electronic components are made of copper or aluminum, because copper is cheap and electrically conductive.

In a basic circuit, the wire comes from one terminal of a power source, then connects to a switch that determines whether the circuit is open or closed. The connected wires of a device are used to draw power and electricity, and perform specified tasks. Before a current can travel through the wire, the circuit has to be closed; in other words, there cannot be any breaks in the path. Electricity cannot easily travel through air, and if it does there is a risk of stray current leaking into the surroundings and causing damage or failing to power the appliance.

Different Transformer Types

Some different types of transformers are power transformers, potential transformers, audio transformers and output transformers. A transformer transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another without changing its frequency.

Power transformers are used in electric power transmissions and electrical appliances to convert main voltage to low voltage. Laminated core and toroidal transformers are two power transformer types. Laminated core transformers have an insulated lamination that minimizes eddy current loss in the inner core, while compared to laminated core transformers, toroidal transformers have a lower external field and need less space.

Potential transformers are used to monitor single-phase and three-phase power line voltages in power metering applications. There are three types of potential transformers: optical, capacitor and electromagnetic transformers. Optical transformers are designed for optical materials. The electromagnetic and capacitor transformers are both designed for higher voltage applications.

Audio transformers are used to carry audio signals in audio circuits. They provide impedance matching between high and low impedance circuits. Audio transformers are commonly used to interconnect professional audio systems components.

Instrument transformers are used to operate instruments from high current circuits or high voltage lines. Two instrument transformers types are current and potential transformers. Current transformers are used with an ammeter to measure current in AC voltages, while potential transformers are used with a voltmeter to measure voltage in AC.

Make a Simple Touch Sensor

To make a simple touch sensor, you only need 3 components: a transistor, a resistor and an LED. Connect the resistor and LED in series from the positive supply to the collector of the transistor. Choose a resistor that sets the current of your LED to around 20 mA. Connect the emitter of the transistor to the negative terminal of the supply. Create two wires with exposed ends – so you can see the metal. 

One goes to the positive supply. The other goes to the base of the transistor. Now, try to touch these two wires with your finger – and the LED lights up! The reason is that your finger acts as a resistor and will give enough current to the base of the transistor to turn it on.

How to Program Microcontrollers?

Have you ever thought whether it’s possible to learn electronics and how to program microcontrollers in C on your own as a hobbyist? Of course, it is absolutely possible to learn how to program microcontrollers in C on your own without going to college. If you really want to learn electronics, then you have to go for it. Here we are going to suggest 3 alternative routes for you:
Start with Arduino. It uses a simplified version of C, and it is extremely easy to get started. You won’t learn all the ins and outs of a microcontroller, but you’ll get up and running really fast.
Use a microcontroller breakout board. This way you don’t have to solder anything, but you get to try out how it is to program a microcontroller.
Build the electronics yourself, and program it yourself from scratch. This is the hardest, but it’s useful. If you have never built any circuits before, building the circuit in the last option might be a bit difficult. But all it takes is some practice.

How does a Shunt Resistor Work?

A shunt resistor works by measuring either direct or alternating current that flows in an electrical circuit through the voltage drop that is generated across the resistance. Also known as a current shunt, this precision device uses the principle of Ohm's Law, which is mathematically represented by the equation V = I×R, where "V" indicates voltage, "I" denotes current and "R" is resistance.

The functionality of shunt resistors is generally indicated in terms of their current rating, output voltage, resistance drift, resistance accuracy and power rating. Modern ammeters are typically designed with a shunt resistor. This arrangement allows full current load to flow through the ammeter shunt.

Traditional ammeters, meanwhile, require an external shunt resistor. This set-up involves a parallel connection of the shunt resistor. This is common in motor vehicles. The concept behind the application is that only a small portion of the measured current flows through the galvanometer while the rest passes through the shunt resistor. The low-resistance property of shunt resistors enables large currents to be measured without damaging the galvanometer.

5 Top Soldering Mistakes

These 5 top mistakes beginners are easily make when soldering. We here explain the reason why it is wrong in simple words. Hope it is useful to you.
1. Removing iron before applying solder: Some people are used to heating the pad and the pin, then removing the solder iron before trying to apply the solder. But this will unfortunately not work well. When you remove to iron, the pad and pin will cool down quickly, so the solder won’t melt.
2. Heating only the pad: This is another common mistake. You may heat the pad, then apply the solder. But since the pin is not heated, the solder will not connect properly to the pin.
3. Cutting pins too short: To make the board look nice and neat, some people often push the component all the way into the hole, then cut the pin so that it doesn’t stick out of the board at all. But this makes it hard to solder the pin, and ends up with some solder covering the hole, but not actually connecting the pin to it.
4. Using too little solder: Some people are afraid of using too much solder, so they apply only a little bit. Though the amount of solder isn’t the most important point, it’s better to apply enough solder to a solder joint so as to make sure it connects properly.
5. Afraid to heat the joint too much: You may worry about heating the board too much, so you try to solder the solder joint in less than a second to keep the circuit board from burning. However, you can damage some components by too much heat from the solder joint, but in the beginning it’s not something to worry about.

How Does Power Affect Soldering Irons?

When talking about the wattage of a soldering iron and whether it is enough or not, one really needs to vary from unregulated and regulated tools.

Unregulated soldering irons usually have a fixed wattage that is selected to fit the given size of the tool tip. For electrical and electronics works and small to medium sized tools (usually less than about 2 mm width) 30W should be sufficient. Issues arise when soldering large or highly thermal conductive components due to decreasing temperature of the tool tip.

As to regulated soldering irons, high power ratings mean in that case the ability of the tool to reach the desired temperature fast (e.g. come from stand-by temperature or during soldering of components) as well as the ability to solder components with a large thermal mass (e.g. ground planes or heat sinks) while maintaining the pre-set temperature.

Reflow Soldering

Reflow soldering is the modern mechanism for assembling most printed circuit boards today. It enables mass production at a very rapid rate by allowing placement of the components to be separated from the actual soldering process. This process is somewhat different from how somebody would solder by hand. When you’re hand soldering you’re treating one component individually and applying heat to each component at a time so the technique has to be a little bit different.

Reflow soldering is the most common method of attaching surface mount components to a circuit board, although it can also be used for through-hole components by filling the holes with solder paste and inserting the component leads through the paste. Because wave soldering can be simpler and cheaper, reflow is not generally used on pure through-hole boards. When used on boards containing a mix of SMT and THT components, through-hole reflow allows the wave soldering step to be eliminated from the assembly process, potentially reducing assembly costs.

The goal of the reflow process is to melt the solder and heat the adjoining surfaces, without overheating and damaging the electrical components. In the conventional reflow soldering process, there are usually four stages, called "zones", each having a distinct thermal profile: preheat, thermal soak, reflow, and cooling.

3 Need-To-Know Soldering Techniques

Soldering iron: This is the most basic of the soldering techniques. You use a soldering iron to heat the component leg and the pad, then apply solder.

Using an oven: It is also called reflow soldering. Basically, just like baking bread, you bake your board the same way in an oven. It’s a very common technique for soldering surface mount components quickly. The cool thing about using the reflow soldering technique is that the components have a tendency to place themselves correctly. This is really useful for soldering integrated circuits with very little space between the legs. For example if you place an integrated circuit a bit off its pads, when the solder melts it will often slide into the right place.

Hot-air soldering: Hot-air soldering is a way to melt the solder by blowing really hot air at an area of your circuit board. It looks a bit like a soldering iron. But instead of a hot iron, it blows hot air. This is really useful for doing circuit board rework, especially fixing soldering errors on a board. For example if you soldered the chip the wrong way. It’s a hassle to desolder a chip pin-by-pin. But by heating it with hot air, the solder on all the pins melt at the same time and you can move it into the correct position.solder.

Electronic Board Types

  

4 Simple Steps for Better Circuits

 Well begun is half done. To build a better circuit, the most important step is not soldering, drawing a schematic, debugging you circuit, etc., good planning is really crucial. You can drastically reduce the time you need to build electronic projects, and increase your chances of finishing the circuit, if you invest a little bit of time in planning. 

4 simple steps to plan your circuit are listed as follows. 

1. Idea generation: If you don’t know what you want to make, then browse through a few electronic blogs or search YouTube to find cool ideas. Also check out some of the free schematics websites.
2. Goal setting: Do you know what your goal is? Then write it down on a piece of paper and hang it somewhere where you will see it daily. This way, you will always be reminded of what you are trying to do.
3. The action plan: You decide for yourself what kind of plans you like to develop. For advanced electronic circuit design it is useful to start with a functional block diagram, then write down the main steps involved in finishing your project. With the main steps planned out, you should try to estimate the time you need for each step. 
4. Take persistent action: You have created a goal from your idea and an action plan to reach your goal. All that matters now is action. Work persistently with your action plan. Usually it takes a lot more time to finish a project than originally planned. Don’t get discouraged by this. Keep on working until you reach your goal.