Printed Circuit Design & Fab Online Magazine - Current Issue

Best Practices

Shifting critical processes "left" is a more proactive approach to testing and validation.

Printed circuit board (PCB) design is a critical aspect of electronics product development, influencing the overall functionality, reliability and performance of electronic devices. Understanding the significance of analysis in PCB design and emphasizing its role in ensuring the integrity of electronic systems is key to success. The rapid evolution of electronic devices demands increasingly sophisticated PCB designs. As electronic components become more compact and complex, the need for thorough analysis in the design phase becomes paramount.

Analysis in PCB design involves evaluating various factors such as signal integrity, thermal performance, power distribution, and electromagnetic interference to guarantee the functionality and reliability of electronic systems. Implementing analysis early in the design cycle contributes to the optimization of PCB layouts, signal integrity and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), thermal management, power distribution and overall functionality.

Read more: Analysis on the Move: Proactive Testing and Validation

Create them in the front end and push them into the back.

Designing today's complex printed circuit boards is no easy task. Meeting electrical and physical design requirements can be daunting as you attempt to address layout solvability, performance and manufacturability so that version one works. Unraveling the design requirements and successfully inputting them as design constraints is key to achieving success in printed circuit board (PCB) design, as the design constraints are the rules that govern the entire design of the PCB from an electrical and physical perspective. Setting up constraints according to the design requirements as received better enables you to use automation to your advantage during the layout phase. Design constraints enable you to design quality into the PCB rather than checking for quality after the fact – and designing faster with better quality is the ultimate goal.

First, let's understand the power and advantage of establishing and using constraints when designing PCBs. Design constraints can be created and entered either during the creation of the schematics (at the front end) or in the PCB layout (at the back end). The best practice methodology is to create them in the front end and push them into the back end. It's important to note that the flow of how they are governed and annotated is bidirectional between the front and back end. It's up to the designer to establish and control the flow regarding which direction of the annotation has priority over the other.

Read more: The Importance of Design Constraints

Reusing proven circuits and layouts can enhance innovation. Here's how.

In the ever-evolving field of engineering, the ability to innovate quickly and efficiently is paramount. Design reuse, a practice that involves repurposing and incorporating existing design elements into new projects, has emerged as a powerful strategy to achieve these goals. Boosting efficiency and innovation in the world of engineering, design reuse is a powerful strategy to implement that has the potential to be a game changer.

By reusing known, good, tested, validated, approved circuits and layouts, engineers can save design cycle time, reduce costs, and foster innovation. Plus, IP can be shared throughout enterprise and across designs. Design reuse is not restricted to one discipline as it can be implemented in all the engineering disciplines/domains. The key is to take advantage of the opportunity when it presents itself by not reinventing the wheel every time on a new project/design. This month's column delves into the concept of design reuse, its benefits, challenges, and how it's shaping the future of engineering.

Read more: PCB Design Reuse

Concurrent design allows simultaneous integration and collaboration throughout the design process.

With the complexity of today's electronics designs, the traditional linear approach to PCB design and development is outdated and lacking efficiency. The evolution of PCB design and development methodology has led us to the age of digital thread and the digital twin. Getting to market in the shortest amount of time, with highest quality of product, and at the lowest project cost is the goal for most. There is no room for errors throughout the entire design cycle, or costly project delays. This is where concurrent design can make a huge impact. Concurrent design is an approach that changes the way projects are conceived, developed and executed. It prioritizes multidomain collaboration, iterative processes, and cross-disciplinary communication.

Concurrent design, also known as simultaneous engineering or parallel design, is a methodology that aims to break down barriers between different stages and disciplines of project development. It involves multiple disciplines and multiple domains simultaneously integrating and collaborating throughout the entire design process from the very beginning. The days are long gone where multiple disciplines and domains working in silos was best practice – if it ever was. Unlike the traditional linear approach, where one phase is completed before moving on to the next, concurrent design encourages teams to work in parallel, sharing insights, ideas and expertise throughout the project lifecycle.

Read more: Breaking Down Design Barriers