Part 1 of this FAQ provided context and background on the PC board, and discussed its first widespread appearance as a phenolic-based board. Part 2 looks at some board issues and the widely used FR-4 PC board substrate. Q: I see the term “solder mask” — what is that? A: Solder mask (also called a […]
PCB design
Step-by-step PCB soldering tips for newbies
The traditional, older type of solder is a mixture of lead (Pb) and tin (Sn). This type of (60/40 – Pb/Sn) solder melts at 200°C and is typically made up of 60 percent tin and 40 percent lead. However, lead-free solder is desirable today, in terms of avoiding a toxic environment. Lead-free solder is a […]
Matching service optimizes GSM-900, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS/GNSS, ZigBee, 4G/LTE antenna placement
Würth Elektronik now offers developers wanting to use WE-MCA series chip antennas a free matching service. WE-MCA are compact SMT-mountable multilayer ceramic chip antennas available in numerous single and dual-band versions. The antennas, therefore, provide a space-saving solution for GSM-900, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS/GNSS, ZigBee or 4G/LTE enabled devices and facilitate compact designs for IoT and smart […]
Ultra-low loss prepreg delivers stable performance over a broad frequency range
Rogers Corporation is pleased to introduce SpeedWave 300P Ultra-Low Loss Prepreg. With the increasing need for stackup flexibility in high layer count designs for 5G mmWave, high resolution 77 GHz automotive radar, aerospace & defense and high speed digital designs, SpeedWave 300P prepreg offers a broad range of competitively priced high performance options for the […]
Simulation too simplifies component selection, evaluation and verification for new designs
Texas Instruments announced a new custom version of the PSpice simulator from Cadence Design Systems Inc. that enables engineers to simulate complex analog circuits with unlimited analysis of TI power and signal-chain products. PSpice for TI offers full-featured circuit simulation with a growing library of more than 5,700 TI analog integrated circuit (IC) models, making […]
Glass-reinforced thermoset now available in multiple thicknesses
Wireless circuit designers can now enjoy a true breakthrough with Rogers Corporation’s RO4450T bondply. This product offers designers a spread glass reinforced bonding material in seven thickness options ranging between 0.0025” (0.064mm) and 0.006” (0.152mm), greatly improving flexibility for high multilayer board count designs. RO4450T glass reinforced thermoset bondplies were developed for wireless circuit designers […]
PCB CAD software includes signal integrity, power integrity, IBIS-AMI simulation capabilities
Zuken announces the availability of eCADSTAR release 2020. With the new release, available configurations of Zuken’s new internet connected PCB design platform, eCADSTAR, have been extended to include new modules for signal integrity, power integrity and IBIS-AMI simulation. The new modules eCADSTAR Signal Integrity, eCADSTAR Signal Integrity Advanced, eCADSTAR Power Integrity and eCADSTAR IBIS-AMI complement […]
Multi-board EDA software highlights schematic design, FPGA optimization, skew group routing
Zuken announces the CR-8000 2020 release of its advanced 3D multi-board EDA environment. The latest release was developed in close collaboration with Zuken’s global customers in business sectors, including electronics, high tech, automation, automotive, aerospace, and defense. As product complexity increases, these businesses are searching for opportunities to increase design performance and process resilience. Valuable […]
Software helps design and assess E/E systems, enable end-to-end model-based design
An expanded Capital electrical/electronic (E/E) systems development software portfolio now encompasses E/E system and software architectures, network communications and embedded software development. As part of the Xcelerator portfolio of software, services and application development platform, Capital is integrated with adjacent Siemens solutions, including the Teamcenter portfolio for product lifecycle management, NX software for mechanical design […]
PCB builder tool streamlines ordering process
Digi-Key Electronics announced that it now offers a printed circuit board (PCB) builder tool to streamline customers’ ordering experience of PCBs and to more broadly support their rapid prototyping needs. The PCB Builder allows PCBs to be shipped directly from the PCB manufacturer and will allow customers to receive instant quotes from multiple PCB companies […]
