how use a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) solution to design PCBs using schematics

You can use a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) solution to design PCBs using schematics. According to the design, the design files or Gerber files are then handed over to the manufacturer who produces or assembles the PCB.

The basic design of PCBs include-

Substrate: The base material of a PCB is known as the substrate. It is what makes the board rigid and durable.

Copper: Each functional side of the PCB is applied with a thin conductive copper layer. The number of sides that will require a copper layer depends if the board is single-sided or double-sided.

Solder mask: The green-colored substance on PCBs is due to the application of the solder mask. It provides insulation to the copper traces so that they don’t come in contact with conductive components.

Silkscreen: Use a white screen as the last layer of the PCB. It contains the labels of different components in the form of symbols and characters.

PCBs can also be of three types-

Rigid PCB made of solid material such as fiberglass
Flexible PCB made of bendable materials such as Kapton
Metalcore PCB made of metalcore
In the next chapter, we will discover the printed circuit board assembly process.

Printed Circuit Boards Assembly Process
3.1 Tools Required
You will need a minimum number of tools if you plan to solder your PCB manually. The things to arrange include-

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Soldering iron or soldering station
Solder flux
Pliers
Wire Cutters
Screwdriver
Volt/OHM meter
3.2 PCB Assembly—Soldering Equipment
You can choose from a wide range of soldering equipment for manual printed circuit board assembly. The most simple ones plug right into the power outlet and don’t have many options for temperature control. You should select a 15 to 30-watt soldering iron for your PCB assembly.

The thermostatically controlled soldering irons can be suitable as they come with options to control the temperature. Some have dials to control the temperature, while others use a magnetized tip with a specific temperature.

It would help if you chose a soldering iron with replaceable tips of different sizes. The bonuses begin to magnetize as you increase the current flow causing the temperature to rise. When magnetism comes down, the heat also reduces.

You may also need a hot air soldering station that uses hot air to melt the solder.

3.3 Types of Solder
You will find different types of solder in the market and choose according to the purpose and application of your project. There are three types of solder used for electronics-

Lead alloy solder
Lead-free solder
Silver alloy solder
Lead Alloy Solder
Solders are made from a combination of lead and tin and may also contain traces of other metals. It is responsible for giving the solder a lower melting temperature which is significant as most electronics are heat sensitive.

Lead alloy solders are defined by the ratio of the weight of tin followed by the weight of lead. For example, it could have a balance of 60:40 or 63:37- the first number represents the amount of container while the second refers to the amount of lead.

You can use both solder types for typical electronic applications. The 63:37 alloy can effectively transform into a liquid state and helps prevent cold solder joints.

Lead-based alloys are used as a standard in the electronics industry but can have health consequences.

Lead-Free Alloys
You may be able to come across lead-free alloys such as the 96.5:3:0.5, which has 96.5% tin, 3% silver, and 0.5% copper. Lead-free alloys are more expensive than lead-based alloys and have a higher melting temperature.

Lead-free alloys create stronger solder joints though they may be brittle.

Silver Alloy Solder
Solders may or may not contain lead. Silver was first used in solders to create more robust and durable solder joints. Silver alloy solders tend to be more expensive than lead-based and lead-free alloys.

3.4 PCB Assembly—Proper Soldering Technique
PCB assembly process. You have to take the help of soldering methods multiple times during printed circuit board assembly. It would help if you used proper soldering techniques to get the highest quality end products possible. Here we will tell you how you can use appropriate soldering techniques during the Bill Of Materials (BOM) of a PCB to get fitted onto aboard.

The proper way to solder is to heat the surfaces that will solder beyond the melting point of the solder. It enables the solder to flow over the surfaces freely. It would help if you also kept a check on the amount of the solder, making sure not to use too much.

You also have to ensure that the surface is heated enough to prevent cold solder joints. It happens when you use too little heat to the surface, and the solder cannot move freely.

The rest of the soldering process is carried out automatically by machines. The reflow soldering uses a series of heaters and cold heaters to melt and solidify the solder and make it firm.

You should ensure that the temperatures are correctly set in the reflow soldering machine. It needs to heat up to 250 degrees Celsius to be able to melt the solder.

The manual soldering technique may be needed when you are dealing with THT components. You have to place the parts by hand and then solder the extra lead or wire on the other side of the board. It has to be done carefully so that the solder or flux does not touch the different components and only in the right place.

It may be complex or challenging to solder PCBs if you are entirely new on the job. would help if you practice first on some small projects and then try your hands on PCB soldering after you are skilled. Would help if you also were careful not to inhale the fume or smoke coming from the flux in the solder.

Now we are going to check out the differences between the processes used to assemble PCBs.

Differences in Printed Circuit Boards Assembly Process
You can use different types of technologies to assemble the electronic components on a PCB. The main methods include Thru-Hole Technology (THT), Surface Mount Technology (SMT), and Mixed technology.

We will discuss the main differences and the process of SMT). This will make it easy for a pick and place machine to easily pick and place the components on the PCB (PCB assembly for each method.

Through-Hole Technology (THT)
THT method of PCB assembly is used for electronic components that come with a wire or lead. The PCB comes with holes that are drilled into it to fit the pieces. The extra charge that goes through the holes is soldered on the opposite side of the board.

THT is used for significant components such as coils and capacitors. It is also used for other plated through-hole or PTH parts that go through the plated through-hole of the PCB. Various PCB components use the holes on the board to transfer signals from one side to the other side of the PCB. For this reason, you cannot rely on soldering paste which will pass right through the holes.

PCB Assembly–Assembly Process
THT assembly makes use of both manual and automatic processes to place the components on the PCB. Proceed as follows –

1. PCB Assembly—Placing Components
Electrical engineers manually place the components on the PCB according to specifications. It has to be done quickly and accurately with full compliance to operation standards or regulations of the THT assembly process for proper functioning.

For instance, it is essential to define the orientation and polarity of electronic components so that operating elements don’t affect them.

2. PCB Assembly—Examining and Correction
You need to check if all the electronic components on the PCB have been placing accurately. It can be done automatically with the use of a transport frame. If you find any errors or mistakes, the engineers can quickly rectify them.

3. Wave Soldering
These electronic components have to be soldered to the board in this step. You can do it manually, but a far more efficient and automated process called Wave soldering can be used.

The PCB is placed on a conveyor belt that carries it inside a special oven which contains molten solder at high temperatures. The solder is applied to the bottom of the board, which covers all the pins at once.

The electronic components are attached to the board with all lead or wire connections.

How can we identify the BGA area of PCB

BGA area of PCB
BGA refers to ball grid array package and is the best choice for high pin count packages. The pins of the chip using the  are distributed on the bottom of the chip in an array arrangement, which is represented by a small ball. In order to correspond to the ball shape of the BGA package chip pins, the PCB pads are also arranged in a ball-shaped array distribution, so the BGA area of the PCB can be identified by the shape on the pad. At present, due to its advantages of reducing chip size and good heat dissipation, a large part of BGA-packaged devices have been widely used in high-end consumer markets such as mobile phones, digital cameras, network and communication equipment, and various flat-panel displays.
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The BGA package generally has many pins, so its pin position determination is more complicated. And for maintenance personnel, foot identification is a more important content. Because if you don’t know how to identify the pins, you can’t detect the fault point. In the BGA pad area on the PCB, there will be a mark to identify the pin, take the triangle mark in the upper left corner of the array as an example. Taking the sign as the starting point, the clockwise row is arranged in order by 1, 2, 3…, and the counterclockwise row is arranged in order by the letters A, B, C… It is worth noting that the alphabetical arrangement should exclude the letters I, O, Q, S, X, and Z, that is, the alphabetic order remains unchanged and these letters are eliminated. The main reason for not using these letters is to avoid confusing letters with numbers like 1, 0, etc. If the letters have not been arranged until the letter Y, then the letters can be sequentially extended to AA, AB, AC… According to the above arrangement, the pin number of the corresponding pin can be found, that is, the 1st pin or the A1 pin. If it is a BGA chip, also find its mark point, which corresponds to the pins on the pad one by one. Taking the flag bit on the chip as the starting point, according to the arrangement on the pad, it can be known that the clockwise row is alphabetical, and the counterclockwise row is digital.
How to install BGA components
There will be some differences in the installation of BGA components and other SMT components. To mount a BGA device, first apply solder paste to the PCB, and then place the BGA device correctly by a SMT machine or by hand. It is a feature of BGA components that they can automatically calibrate as the solder liquefies and hardens. The element is then heated and the device pins can be connected to the PCB. If you are soldering by hand, you can use the mounts to hold the components in place. If the PCBA is going through a reflow oven, the oven settings can be adjusted appropriately to ensure a good solder connection.

in conclusion
For the installed BGA components, because the pins are distributed in a spherical array on the bottom surface of the chip, the pins cannot be seen after installation, so it is more difficult to test. To solve this problem, we use X-ray equipment to check for welding defects. Generally speaking, the more common solder defects are solder bridges, solder seam defects, solder ball damage and solder ball oxidation. X-rays also have their drawbacks, as most work is done from top to bottom and can only show the outline of the solder, not if the cross-section solder is defective. Defects are better found using cross-sectional X-rays, but this method is extremely expensive. So it’s important to get things right the first time at the very beginning of installation, proper placement of solder paste and BGA components, and proper reflow oven settings. Not only does this save a lot of time, it also avoids having to redo the BGA chip.

What is the 2-layer PCB assembly technique

What is the difference between single-sided and double-sided assembly plates?
These two PCBs are widely used in different types of electronic products. From computers, smartphones, radio controls to other everyday consumer electronics, PCBs are an integral part of the electronics we use in our daily lives. However, single-sided and double-sided PCBs have different uses and are manufactured differently.
Single-sided PCBs are part of many different types of electronic products, while double-sided PCBs are commonly used in more advanced technologies. Depending on the output and cost, the manufacturer selects the PCB type.
 typically have only conductive metals and components mounted on one side of the board. Conductive wiring, usually made of copper, is used to connect via the other side. Double-sided PCBs are a bit complicated. They have components that are mounted on both sides and the wiring spans both sides. It is difficult to produce, but its disadvantages outweigh the shortcomings and labor-intensive processes.
PCB assembly and manufacturing process
Are the stages that form part of the assembly and manufacturing process. Solder paste needs to be applied, and then the components are placed on the circuit board, which is then soldered, inspected and tested. All these steps are carefully designed to ensure the best quality of the final product. Here’s more information about what you need for each step:
Solder paste

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This is the first step in the assembly process. This solder paste needs to be applied to those parts of the solder plate. Typically, these are component pads. Solder paste is a mixture of small particles of solder and flux. This can be deposited to a specific location using a process similar to the printing process.
Then use a solder screen to place it directly on the board and in the correct position. A runner rushes across the screen, spraying a small amount of paste onto the board. Since the screen is generated from a PCB file, its apertures are exactly the same as the component pads on the board.
Pick and place
Next, pick and place. It is known as a machine that helps to put components together with a circuit board. Once the board with solder paste is ready, it passes through the machine. The machine has already loaded the components. It will use the distributor to position the components in their respective areas on the board.
Due to the tension of the solder paste, the elements will remain together. In some assembly processes, small dispensing is also used. However, this is a practice commonly used for wave soldering plates. Practicality shows that the use of glue can make any type of repair work difficult. However, some of the glue will degrade during the welding process.
weld
Now that the slurry has been added and the components are placed on the board, it’s time for them to solder. This is done by passing them through the welding machine. In this part of the process, some circuit boards also pass through the wave soldering machine, but are not widely used in surface-mount assemblies. When using wave soldering, the solder paste is lost. Reflow soldering is more common than wave soldering in modern manufacturing.
examine
After welding the plates, check them. For surface mount components, manual inspection is not possible. In this regard, automated optical inspection is more practical. Machines typically check the circuit board to detect connectors, component placement, and whether the correct components are placed.
Test
After inspection, the board is tested to make sure they are in normal working condition. As a result, they tested it in a number of ways. There are many instruments used to test circuit boards, including analog multimeters, oscilloscopes, digital  (DMMs), frequency meters, pulse generators, etc.
feedback
Finally, to ensure that the entire process remains correct, feedback from the current batch will re-enter the process. This helps keep processes and components up and running to ensure efficient processes.
The process is checked to find errors, and any failures detected in these steps are investigated. The inspection phase is an ideal time to spot problems. As a result, defects can be quickly detected and re-corrected.

Advantages of double-sided SMD boards
Double-sided SMD boards have two main advantages over a single panel:
1。 Since the board has two-sided mounting elements, the component density is high. This means that the board can carry more components, but does not take up space because there are two sides. Therefore, this makes the process of laying the track much easier.
2。 The second advantage is the increased heat dissipation due to the addition of a copper layer. During etching, the copper is removed to form a track, but then reinserted rather than leaving it completely behind.
Common uses for double-sided 
Single-sided PCBs are commonly used in a variety of electronics and applications, including camera systems, printers, radio equipment, calculators, and more.
Similarly, double-sided PCBs are also widely used in a variety of electronic products, including lighting systems, vending machines, amplifiers, automotive dashboards, and more.
conclusion
In conclusion, both single-sided and double-sided are important – but in different applications. They serve different purposes because both boards are built in different ways. Again, their costs are different for the same reason. Depending on the application, cost and other factors, the manufacturer can decide single-sided or double-sided.
If you are not sure which board you need, then contact us we will be happy to go through your requirements, provide the best way to meet your needs and ensure that you get a high quality PCB board

How to Identify BGA and BGA Process Flow

There are many integrated circuit chips in the mobile phone for BGA integrated circuit pin identification, mainly including CPU FLASH, power chip, intermediate frequency chip, power amplifier and so on. According to the structural design, their packaging methods are also different. There are two main packaging methods in mobile phones:

1. BGA (Ball Grid Array Packag@ball grid array package: it has the advantages of high integration, many pins, and good heat dissipation.
2. PLCC (Plastic Leaded Chip Carrir Flat Package: It has the advantages of easy installation and so on.

1. BGA pin identification
The BGA pin position determination is more complicated, and it is an important content for maintenance personnel. If you don’t know how to identify the pins, you can’t measure the fault point. The following is an explanation of the BGA pads and chips respectively as shown in the figure:

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The picture above shows the BGA pad on the mainboard of the mobile phone. Pay attention to the triangle mark in the upper left corner, which is the mark point to identify the pin. Starting from this mark point, the counterclockwise row is A, B. C, D, E, Firi-arranged in order, but there is no 1, 0.Q, S, x, z in the letters, if it is 1, then Just get rid of 1 and use J to extend it. The marking points are 1, 2. 3.4, 5. 6ji-arranged in a clockwise row. If the letters are not finished until Y, then the letters can be extended to AA, AB, ACi-i- and so on. If it is a BGA chip, we also need to find the marker point. As shown in the red circle position, according to the judgment method of the above pad, we can analyze it, counterclockwise is 1, 2, 3.4, 5ii-, clockwise is A, B, C.D. Ei-i- As shown in the figure:

2.PLCC pin identification It is relatively simple to determine the pin position of the PLCC package. Just find the mark point first, and then count the pins counterclockwise from the mark point. As shown in the figure:

BGA packaging technology of Process flow
The substrate or intermediate layer is a very important part of the BGA package. In addition to being used for interconnect wiring, it can also be used for impedance control and for the integration of inductors/resistors/capacitors. Therefore, the substrate material is required to have a high glass transition temperature rS (about 175~230°C), high dimensional stability and low moisture absorption, and good electrical properties and high reliability. The metal film, the insulating layer and the substrate medium also have high adhesion performance.
1.The packaging process of wire bonding PBGA

① Preparation of PBGA substrate
Very thin (12~18μm thick) copper foils are laminated on both sides of the BT resin/glass core board, followed by drilling and through-hole metallization. Patterns, such as conduction strips, electrodes, and pad arrays for mounting solder balls, are produced on both sides of the substrate using conventional PCB technology. A solder mask is then applied and patterned to expose the electrodes and pads. To improve production efficiency, a single substrate usually contains multiple PBG substrates.

② Packaging process
Wafer Thinning → Wafer Cutting → Die Bonding → Plasma Cleaning → Wire Bonding → Plasma Cleaning → Mold Packaging → Solder Ball Assembly → Reflow Soldering → Surface Marking → Separation → Final Inspection → Test Bucket Packaging
Chip bonding uses silver-filled epoxy adhesive to bond the IC chip to the substrate, and then uses gold wire bonding to connect the chip and the substrate, followed by molding and encapsulation or liquid glue potting to protect the chip and bonding wires and pads. Solder balls 62/36/2Sn/Pb/Ag or 63/37/Sn/Pb with a melting point of 183°C and a diameter of 30mil (0.75mm) are placed on the pads using a specially designed pick-up tool. For reflow soldering in a reflow oven, the maximum processing temperature cannot exceed 230°C. The substrates are then centrifuged using CFC inorganic cleaners to remove solder and fiber particles remaining on the package, followed by marking, separation, final inspection, testing, and packaging. The above is the packaging process of the wire-bonded PBGA.

2.The packaging process of FC-CBGA

① Ceramic substrate
The substrate of FC-CBGA is a multilayer ceramic substrate, and its fabrication is quite difficult. Because the wiring density of the substrate is high, the pitch is narrow, there are many through holes, and the coplanarity of the substrate is required to be high. Its main process is: first co-firing multi-layer ceramic sheets at high temperature into a multi-layer ceramic metallized substrate, then making multi-layer metal wiring on the substrate, and then performing electroplating. In the assembly of CBGA, the CTE mismatch between the substrate, the chip and the PCB board is the main factor that causes the failure of the CBGA product. To improve this situation, in addition to the CCGA structure, another ceramic substrate – HITCE ceramic substrate can be used.

② Packaging process
Wafer Bumping Preparation -> Wafer Cutting -> Chip Flip Chip and Reflow Soldering -> Underfill Thermal Grease, Distribution of Sealing Solder -> Capping -> Solder Ball Assembly -> Reflow Soldering -> Marking -> Separation -> Final Inspection -> Test -> Packaging

3.The packaging process of wire bonding TBGA

① TBGA carrier tape
The carrier tape of TBGA is usually made of polyimide material.
During production, copper cladding is first performed on both sides of the carrier tape, then nickel and gold plating, and then through holes and through holes are metallized and patterned. Because in this wire-bonded TBGA, the package heat sink is the reinforcement of the package and the core cavity base of the package, so the carrier tape must be bonded to the heat sink with a pressure-sensitive adhesive before packaging.
② Packaging process
Wafer Thinning → Wafer Cutting → Die Bonding → Cleaning → Wire Bonding → Plasma Cleaning → Liquid Encapsulant Potting → Solder Ball Assembly → Reflow Soldering → Surface Marking → Separation → Final Inspection → Testing → Packaging

6 REPRESENTATIVE RIGID-FLEX BOARD CONSTRUCTIONS

Applications of Rigid-Flex boards can be found throughout the electronics industry and in the most demanding applications including industrial control, medical and military.

Rigid-Flex PCB design has evolved significantly over the past decade. Modern designs require the rigid areas to be fully capable “rigid” boards. The same limits of complexity and density are pushed as in modern PCB’s including: fine lines/spacing, high aspect ratio vias, blind and buried gsm alarm system vias, high layer counts, higher operating temperatures, and RoHS assembly compliance.

As a PCB manufacturer, MAD PCB manufactures single-, double-, and multi-layered flexible printed circuits using modern rigid-flex materials and construction. Designs comply with IPC-2223 standards, which define the elimination/minimization of adhesive use within rigid areas, use of adhesiveless FCCL, and use of selective or partial coverlay construction.

In Gerber reviewing and quote stage, rigid-flex board’ specifications, materials, and construction are carefully examined in order to minimize and eliminate any technical issues. Areas of opportunity for improved reliability, functionality, and cost reductions are also identified to generate an accurate quote that is based on a manufacturable, reliable and cost-effective design.

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