Oct 3, 20231 min read

The Basics of PCB Design: A Comprehensive Introduction for Beginners

Introduction to PCB Design

PCB is a non-conductive substrate that mechanically supports and electrically connects the electronic components using tracks, pads, and other features etched from one or more sheet layers of copper laminated onto a non-conductive substrate.

PCBs were first developed by an Australian engineer Paul Eisler for a radio system in 1936.

PCB populated with electronic components is called a "Printed circuit board assembly (PCBA)" Or PCBA is the board after all the components and parts have been soldered and installed on the PCB and now can complete the electronic function it was designed for.

Types of Boards

Bread Board: A thin plastic board used to hold electronic components (transistors, resistors, chips, etc.) that are wired together. It is used to develop prototypes of electronic circuits, and can be reused for future jobs. Working of bread boards:- All the vertical lines(set of 5 lines as shown below) are electrically shorted i.e all the vertical points will be at same potential, and all the horizontal lines are electrically insulated i.e all the horizontal points will be at different potential.

General Purpose Board: As its name suggests it can be used for many purposes, general purpose PCBs are widely used to embed circuits randomly for running of hardware. Its layer is coated with copper and allows proper soldering without any short circuit.

Printed circuit Board: A PCB mechanically supports and electrically connects electrical components using conductive tracks. And it is the best way to materialize and manufacture the circuit.