Electronics

Electronics: Quality PCBs In Canada

June 23, 2008 – 12:28 pm
The print-and-etch process of PCB fabrication is one of the most important steps in PCB manufacturing. It is a step which separates quality PCBs from PCBs that need to be repaired soon after fabrication, or that dont work at all. It is a highly-technical operation which takes a certain amount of finesse. A copper sheet is coated with a layer of photo-resist. This material ensures that the selected areas will be resistant to the etching compound used later in the process. The copper is exposed to a high-energy light which will then project the circuit design onto the copper plate. Once this is accomplished, the copper plate goes through an etching process where the selected areas of copper are washed away. The photoresist ensures that the traces themselves will not be washed away as well. Etching is normally performed in a long, ...

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Electronics: Quickturn PCBs In Canada

June 22, 2008 – 12:28 pm
A quickturn PCB has a quick turnaround for production--sometimes as little as a day, depending on the complexity of the printed circuit board. A multi-layer board may not be able to be manufactured as quickly. You may have to pay for express service. However, what you pay for with express service may be offset by getting a prototype PCB rather than building a PCB from scratch. There is less manufacturing involved in fabricating a prototype so there will be a lower cost for parts and labor. These are sometimes called disposable PCBs because they can be mass run, but they are hardly of poor quality. Making a PrototypeA common practice is to use a prototype to build your own new prototype model. The prototype gives you a basic framework for your own design and then you can build on it by adding design ...

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Electronics: Silkscreen Circuits

June 21, 2008 – 12:28 pm
These days, many printed circuit boards use surface mounted technology. The reason is simple: its much less cumbersome than soldering through the board and surface mounted circuits are smaller, allowing for more compact PCBs. PCB manufacturers generally fabricate both types of boards. If you are an old-school solderer, becoming acquainted with surface mounted technology may take some time. As it saves money and space, you should definitely think about making the leap. It is vital to keep up with new technological developments if your PCBs are ever going to improve. New DesignsIn some way, designing an SMT board can be like starting over. Because circuits are smaller, there can be more space between circuits leading to grounding and connection problems. The board will not work in the same way as you are accustomed. It may be necessary to make twice the ...

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Electronics: Surface Mount PCBs

June 20, 2008 – 12:28 pm
A benefit of surface mounted PCBs is that they are quite lightweight. As technology becomes more portable--via cellphones, I-pods, laptops, and so on--this is becoming increasingly important. Basically, surface mounting is a revolution in circuitry. As surface mounted circuits are getting smaller and smaller, it can take a steady hand and intense magnification to complete the operation. Surface mounted technology has reduced the number of circuits that need to be on a board. This also allows for greater expansion capability as new circuits can then be added--creating new functionality to a particular device. In older PCBs, there was not enough real estate for this to happen. Surface Mount PCB TestingIn some surface mount PCBs, there are test points so that a PCB can be tested along the way. This is so circuits can be periodically monitored to determine if there are any power-flow ...

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Electronics: Uniden Scanners

June 19, 2008 – 12:28 pm
These days, it is not uncommon to go to the NASCAR racetrack and see more people with scanners, or similar products, than without. Scanner is the technical name for the headphones that viewers of car races use to get inside information from on the track, on the sidelines, and in the broadcast booth. It seems that scanners have become an almost necessary accessory when watching a race. Considering the ubiquity of these headphones at races, fans must be listening to something of great interest. So, what are scanners, exactly, and why are they so popular? Lets examine some of the different sides of the equation, for there are a number of reasons why fans choose to don headsets. In every case, these headsets are a window into the communication that matters during race time.Gaining Access to the Inside TrackThe scanners that are worn by race fans ...

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