Did you know that most of the electronic devices you use each day work with the help of Printed circuit boards? From alarm clocks, electric toothbrush, the coffee machine, the microwave, your blender, toaster, TV remote, to smartphones, all use PCB. Print circuit boards make it possible to press commands on different appliances and devices in order to get them to perform different functions. Although we are surrounded by them, some people still don’t know a whole lot about these amazing footprints. In the spirit of learning more about the devices around you, here’s a quick introduction to types of PCB footprint designs.
1. Single-sided PCBs
This type of printed circuit footprint has all the components located on one side. It is used on simple devices and electronics whose functions are quite straight forward. People who enjoy designing printed circuits boards at home as a hobby love to make one-sided PCBs just to see if it will make some of their toys and other little machines work. Single-sided PCBs are the cheapest and easiest to produce.
2. Double-sided PCBs
In this type of PCBs, there’s a single circuit footprint with conductive layers on both sides. This circuit board has little holes meant to connect the top side circuits to the bottom side circuits with the help of wires (also known as leads) which go through the holes leading to different component circuits. This type of circuit is slightly more costly than the single-sided PCBs.
3. Multilayer PCBs
This type of print circuit boards features several individual layers joined together. Under each layer, you will find insulating materials which aid in keeping the layers separate but yet connected. The multilayered PCBs is favored over other types of PCBs because it doesn’t have as many limitations as the two PCB types above and can be used on a wide array or relatively complex, high functional devices and electronics.
One Multilayered Print circuit board can have from 4 layers to 6 to 8 or even 10 layers. Some products like computers, medical electronics/machines, and servers are known to carry even more layers.
PCBs have been integrated into our lives, to bring convenience and make each day smoother. There are other numerous types of print circuit board types present in the market. For instance, there are rigid, flexible, flexible-rigid, and metal-backed PCBs. There are also PCBs that can be customized to your requirements. However, the 3 PCB Footprint designs above are the main types found in most of the devices and electronics that you use on a day-to-day basis.
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