Guidelines for PCB Design, Electronic and Safety Standards and Useful Tools
- PCB Design Guides and Tools
- Electronic and Safety Standards related to Switching Power Supply (SMPS)
- Software, Design Tools, CAD Programs, Calculators and other Downloads
- Electronic Product Development Process
PCB Design Guides and Tools
PCB Design Rules, Tips and Guidelines
- EMI and layout fundamentals for switched-mode circuits
- Layout Guidelines for Switching Power Supplies
- The PCB is a component of op amp design
- EMI/EMC Printed Circuit Board Tips
- Circuit board design and making
- Proper Layout and Component Selection controls EMI of switching power supply
- Bypassing PC boards
- PCB Design Tutorial
Free CAD Software, Trace Calculators and Design Tools
- PADS Evaluation Software
- PCB trace width calculator
- UltraCAD Design, Inc’s Calculators
- Multilayer circuit board impedance
- PCB trace resistance calculator
- IPC-SM-782 Footprint
- Free OrCAD Downloads with PSPICE demo
- PCB conduction heat transfer calculator
PWB Prototyping and Manufacturing News, etc.
- EU will ban sale of products with lead-based solders by July 1, 2006
- Lead-free soldering Technology Centre (SOLDERTEC)
- IPC Lead Free Website
- IPC White Paper on lead free soldering
- Design for manufacture (DFM) and design tips
- SchmartBOARD -PWB prototyping blocks
- SMT Magazine – Surface Mount Assembly of Printed Circuit Boards
- SMT technical papers
Electronic circuit design software and calculators
Electronic and Safety Standards related to Switching Power Supply (SMPS)
Standard and Regulatory Agencies and Testing Labs
- TUV America
- UL
- ETSI – Telecom Standards
- IEC
- ANSI
- IEEE
- ISO – International Organization for Standardization
- Index of Engineering Standard Organizations
- Dayton T. Brown
- NU Laboratories, Inc
Publications
- EMC Information Center – (UK EMC+ Compliance Journal, archive search, etc.)
- Compliance Engineering
- Interference Technology
- FCC Interference Handbook
News and Updates on Standards
Electronic and Safety Standards: Reviews and Specifications Downloads
- Info on various interface bus standards (USB, cPCI, VME, EIA-232, EIA-422 /485 etc)
- AC line voltages around the world
- EMI-EMC Mil-Std-461 comparison chart
- Electromagnetic Compatibility in Switchmode Power Supplies
- PCB standards and design guidelines
- EU Directives Standards Lists
- ESD Standards
Electronic circuit simulation software, calculators, cad programs, spice resources and other resources
Power circuit simulation software
- LT Spice / Switcher Cad III download (electronic circuit simulator with switching regulator ICs)
- Webench (design, electrical and thermal simulation of DC-DC converters)
Free electrical circuit design software & tools
- Circuit design & calculation program
- Electronic Analog CAD Circuit Simulation
- Electrical Freeware & Shareware
- Online SPICE Resources- free PSPICE models, tutorials, downloads
Free transformer & inductor design programs
- PFC Core Calculation design tool
- Common Mode Filter Inductor Design
- Inductor design using powder cores software
Power supply calculators, spreadsheets, and manufacturers
- Analysis of critical-conduction mode PFC boost
- Power factor correction (PFC) boost design
- Buck regulator calculation
- On-line simulation tool for DC-DC converters
- Online calculators of currents and voltages for various SMPS
- Transformer manufacturers, power supplies, magnetic components
Other engineering calculators and resources
- Electronic components parts catalog manufacturers & distributors search engine
- Electrical Engineering Calculators
- Free cad software
- Electrical Engineering Calculators
- Inductance Calculators: Loop & Transmission Line Geometries
- Online Units Conversion
- Paired wires voltage drop calculator
- RMS calculator for some waveforms
- Online engineering magazine and info source with a slant toward sustainability
- Online scientific calculator
- dB conversion
Electronic Product Development Process
The idea of creating a product and releasing it into the marketplace is exciting, but seems like a long process when you aren’t sure what it entails. Therefore, it is best to break down electronic product development into these easy to understand steps.
Concept Phase
This first step in the electronic product development process is to create a document which includes the details for the product including functions, features, goals and retail price. It is important to list the specifications in order of importance. There may be compromises during the development process such as which specifications can be included based on the determined cost.
Schematic Circuit Diagram Phase
In the electronic product development phase, an electrical engineer will determine how to create a schematic circuit diagram, or schematic capture based on the specifications outlined in the concept phase. This design may include sensors, displays and microchips. A schematic circuit diagram is a graphic representation of how the electronic circuit will look for the product and is generally created with an electronic design automation (EDA) tool. Additionally, during this phase, the product’s part list (including costs) is outlined based on the what is used for the diagram.
Printed Circuit Design Phase
The printed circuit board (PCB) is created from the schematic circuit diagram, as the diagram should outline the electrical implementation of each function of the printed circuit board. The PCB is the board that supports and electrically connects all of the product’s electronic components.
Prototype Phase
With the design phases complete, it is time to create a prototype for the electronic product. This will be based on the PCB design. In the first stage, the bare circuit boards will be produced. After that, the components will be attached to the PCB. This phase will include a review of the design’s functionality, appearance and cost of creation. Based on this review, changes may be made if necessary.
Evaluation Phase
Once the final prototype is ready, the features and procedures must be tested. A case will be designed to house the final product along with assembly instructions, circuit diagrams, mechanical drawings and any other necessary documents for the product to be created by a qualified source.
When broken down into these steps, the electronic product development process is easier to comprehend. Once you have a product on the market, you will most likely continue to test and improve your product based on sales feedback. This may include design revisions using this sales data to create a market friendly product.