Integrated Circuit Board

The use of integrated circuits is very interesting, especially when it comes to programmable integrated circuits because of the endless possibilities that a microcontroller can offer. The possible combination and advantages of programmable integrated circuits are only limited to the designer capability. However, intermittent interchange of ICs between the prototype base and the programming board when playing microcontrollers can lead to incontinence and a slight reduction of the interesting part.

As a solution, a number of IC development boards existed which combine prototype and programming together to make it a single unit. Most IC development boards use USB as the primary power supply and programming port. Therefore, no additional power conditioning circuit and programming interface are required to allow the project to proceed. Almost no boards are made as per industry standards with high-end processors and common interfaces that can be used directly for practical applications. However, IC development board has the necessary components to connect boards to various modules and gadgets that are commonly available on the market. Development PCB board mainly uses SMD components to make it compact.

The PCB is made to fit various shields that can be used to further extend the functionality of the development board. The traditional IC development board has small versions which cover almost all of its features and can be installed anywhere in the project. Some advanced boards like raspberry pi can run on an independent operating system which can be used as a microcomputer system with some basic computer functionalities.

PCB Solder Mask

The printed circuit board uses copper as the main conductive path. Since copper has the high probability of reacting with the atmosphere and producing oxides, the conductivity reduces and the PCB performance will be destroyed. Also during the soldering process, the liquid solder may flow and form a solder bridge commonly referred to as two closed traces and lead to short circuit interconnection. To protect the copper from oxidation and to avoid soldering bridges, a thin coating is applied to the traces commonly referred to as solder mask.

There are few types when choosing solder mask. Depending upon the need and cost, appropriate solder mask is selected.

EpoxyEpoxy is a basic and cheap solder mask which is mainly used in low precision and prototyping PCBs. Since epoxy is semi solid in nature, it is usually applied through the silkscreen printing.

DFSM

DFSMs are like dry film photo resists used in copper etching. Prepared PCBs are vacuumed pressed with the sheet of DFSM. The solder pad is eliminated by covering the corresponding area with an anti-UV developer. The settings were then exposed to UV light to cure the DFSM. After a few minutes of exposure, the solder mask is transferred from the sheet to the PCB. The photoresist is then removed with a solvent.

LPSM

This is a liquid solder mask much like an ink which can be spray painted or immersed on a marked laminate. The solder cutouts are done by placing a temporary ink marks which is removed after the solder mask application. The applied PCB are exposed to UV light to dry out the ink. The dried PCBs are cleaned and re-inserted in to the exposure for a final cure.

3 Factors for Faulty PCB Soldering

Reviewing PCB board soldering technology development in the electronics industry, it can be noted that reflow technology has developed fast and stable. How to ensure the quality of PCB soldering is the major concern among electronics manufacturers, so in this article we outline three major reasons for faulty PCB board soldering.

Soldering quality is affected by the solderability of PCB board holePoor solderability of PCB board hole will make soldering defects, which can affect the parameter of circuit components, cause poor stable connection between components and inner layer in the multi-layer board, even worse, the entire circuit will be out of work. The so-called solderability is the property by melting the metal surface, that is, a relatively uniform continuous smooth film is formed by the solder on the solder surface.

Soldering defects caused by PCB warpage During the soldering process, PCB board and components may be warping due to the stress, and then short circuit, deformation and other defects may be caused. Warping is often caused by the imbalance temperature given to the upper and lower layers. Sometimes, large size of the PCB board may be warping due to its own weight. Distance from ordinary PBGA to the PCB board side is about 0.5mm. If components are larger on the board, then it is easily to cause faulty soldering when PCB board restore to its normal shape after cooling down. 

Soldering quality is affected by PCB designIf your board size is too large, the soldering is easy to control, but the printed line length and impedance will increase while the anti-noise ability will decrease, finally the cost will increase. If your board size is too small, the heat dissipation ability will decrease, the soldering is difficult to control, and adjacent lines tend to interfere with each other. Therefore, your PCB board design must be optimized.

Integrated Circuit Board

The use of integrated circuits is very interesting, especially when it comes to programmable integrated circuits because of the endless possibilities that a microcontroller can offer. The possible combination and advantages of programmable integrated circuits are only limited to the designer capability. However, intermittent interchange of ICs between the prototype base and the programming board when playing microcontrollers can lead to incontinence and a slight reduction of the interesting part.

As a solution, a number of IC development boards existed which combine prototype and programming together to make it a single unit. Most IC development boards use USB as the primary power supply and programming port. Therefore, no additional power conditioning circuit and programming interface are required to allow the project to proceed. Almost no boards are made as per industry standards with high-end processors and common interfaces that can be used directly for practical applications. However, IC development board has the necessary components to connect boards to various modules and gadgets that are commonly available on the market. Development PCB board mainly uses SMD components to make it compact.

The PCB is made to fit various shields that can be used to further extend the functionality of the development board. The traditional IC development board has small versions which cover almost all of its features and can be installed anywhere in the project. Some advanced boards like raspberry pi can run on an independent operating system which can be used as a microcomputer system with some basic computer functionalities.