PCB Tech - How to choose single-sided PCBA is more economical

What are single-sided PCBs and how can they be used to enhance electronic products?

Many people have asked this question, and more and more evidence shows that it is a good idea to understand and use single-sided PCBs in the manufacture of certain electronic products.

There are quite a lot of experiments and discoveries that show that using PCBs in certain electronic products can save you (the manufacturer) a lot of money and materials.

If you are interested in exploring more cost-effective ways to create electronic devices, consider single-sided PCBs.

1. What is a single-sided PCB?

The printed circuit board can have up to 20 layers of conductive material. The more layers or "edges" needed, the more complex the electronic device.

The purpose of these layers is to share the circuit paths on the PCB, while a single-sided PCB has only one of these "layers", which means that none of these circuit paths are shared. This means that every circuit line has its path.

If you are developing and manufacturing PCBs for low-density electronic products, you can use single-sided PCBs and are more cost-effective.

Single-sided PCB stacking.

The solder mask forms the surfaces on both sides of a single-sided PCB. Below it is a copper layer that acts as a conductor. Below it is a substrate that isolates the charge generated by the copper layer.

In order to prevent overcharging, the copper layer only exists above the substrate, not under the substrate.

2. Single-sided PCB project

As mentioned earlier, single-sided PCBs are designed for low-density electronic products. For high-density electronic devices, using a single-sided PCB is not a good idea.

If an electronic device uses data and algorithms to operate, it may have a higher density. Although all electronic products need to be charged, the PCB provides operation. Not all electronic products rely on data and algorithms.

If the electronic devices you make PCBs can operate without data connections, you can connect single-sided PCBs to them. Many of these devices exist, ranging from digital cameras to vending machines to surveillance equipment.

When manufacturing PCBs for uncomplicated equipment, many manufacturers use double-layer PCBs or more. Some of them do it out of laziness, while others do it because they think there is no other choice.

Single-sided PCBs can be used in electronic products that many people think require multilayer PCBs. You will find that this has many advantages.

Third, the characteristics and advantages of single-sided PCB (advantages)

Although they are considered unconventional, there are many features, advantages, and benefits of using single-sided PCBs. If there is anything that gives you motivation to check whether certain equipment of the PCB you manufacture is compatible with a single-sided PCB, these should be.

Guaranteed to save money, time and paperwork.

This should be obvious. Single-sided PCBs use far fewer materials than PCBs with more layers or sides, so you can save money and save time and paperwork when ordering these materials.

The margin of error when designing a single-sided PCB is much lower.

This is the biggest problem with multilayer PCBs: the margin of error in designing them is very small. There may be many complications when designing any given PCB, but when designing a single-sided PCB, these problems do not exist or are disadvantageous. Although they may still exist, they are easier to micromanage.

Lower margin of error means single-sided PCB is simpler and easier to understand

New designers will struggle with multilayer PCBs. Many materials need to be put together; the through holes need to be perfectly aligned, and the soldering process is extremely complicated.

These problems do not exist in single-sided PCBs, because their design is much simpler, so it is easier to understand their design dynamics.

The use of single-sided PCB is very wide. Many people are surprised by the capabilities of single-sided PCBs.

4. Where is the single-sided PCB used? Explore the application of single-sided PCB

Although they have been around for more than half a century, single-sided PCBs are still in use, and they are being used in devices that no one can guess.

The above digital microwave is just an example. There are dozens more.

One thing manufacturers like about single-sided PCBs is that they are easy to manufacture with very cheap materials.

In an era when everyone wants to find a DIY (do it yourself) method to make things, it is much easier to make a single-sided PCB with ordinary materials.

Surprisingly, even for things that look very complicated like air conditioners, single-sided PCBs can be used, as this sentence shows.

This series of evaluations proved how convenient a single-sided PCB is.

5. What is the difference between single-sided PCB and double-sided PCB?

Although both are common, there are many differences between single-sided PCBs and double-sided PCBs.

Both single-sided and double-sided PCBs use surface mount technology, which contains conductive copper and its components. In a single-layer PCB, these components are mounted on only one side of the circuit board, and the wiring is connected to the other side of the circuit board.

Double-sided PCBs follow the same copper and wiring system, the only difference is that their traces include the top and bottom layers. Therefore, the traces will cross, allowing the circuit board to connect to electronic devices that require higher density.

Because there is no complexity, single-sided PCB manufacturing is easier, faster, and cheaper, which will be discussed later.

Even better, more and more electronics experts are discovering that single-sided PCBs can be used for the same equipment that is considered to require double-sided PCBs. As mentioned earlier, microwave ovens and vending machines can operate on single-sided PCBs in their circuits.

why is it like this?

The answer is simple. Remember, the only thing that really requires a lot of power and complex circuits is the device that needs to constantly send and receive information.

Many devices require double-sided PCBs that are not needed. In these devices, double-sided PCBs are used to make things less complicated. With just a little work, you can replace these with single-sided PCBs.

If you know this, you can save a lot of money on single-sided PCB manufacturing.

6. Pricing for single-sided PCB

A single-sided PCB is great because it is simple and can be used for wiring many devices.

So how much do they cost?

Only four materials are needed to construct a single-sided PCB: substrate, copper layer, solder mask and silk screen. That's it.

In addition to what a single-sided PCB needs, a double-sided PCB also requires a lot of materials to build.

It does not even consider multilayer PCBs that require dozens of materials.

in conclusion

In view of the changes in today's technology and electronic products, single-sided PCBs are underutilized

However, they can still be used, and they can be used in various electronic products that do not require complex circuits.

Even if many people think that equipment that requires a double-sided PCB can work perfectly on a single-sided PCB, just a little more work.