PCB Tech - What factors need to be paid attention to in PCB evaluation?

For articles on PCB technology, the author can elaborate on the challenges faced by PCB design engineers in recent times, because this has become an indispensable aspect of evaluating PCB design. In the article, you can discuss how to meet these challenges and potential solutions; when solving PCB design evaluation problems, the author can use Mentor’s PCB evaluation software package as an example.

As a researcher, what I consider is how to integrate the latest advanced technology into the product. These advanced technologies can be embodied in excellent product functions, but also in reducing product costs. The difficulty lies in how to effectively apply these technologies to products. There are many factors to consider. The time to market is one of the most important factors, and there are many decisions around the time to market that are constantly updated. There are a wide range of factors that need to be considered, including product functions, design implementation, product testing, and whether electromagnetic interference (EMI) meets the requirements. It is possible to reduce the repetition of the design, but it depends on the completion of the previous work. Most of the time, it is easier to find problems in the later stages of product design, and it is more painful to make changes to the problems found.

However, although many people know this rule of thumb, the actual situation is another scenario, that is, many companies know that it is important to have a highly integrated design software, but this idea is often compromised by high prices. This article will explain the challenges faced by PCB design and what factors should be considered when evaluating a PCB design tool as a PCB designer.

The following are several factors that PCB designers must consider and influence their decision:

1. Product function

a. Basic functions covering basic requirements, including:

i. Interaction between schematic and PCB layout

ii. Wiring functions such as automatic fan-out wiring, push-pull, etc., and wiring capabilities based on design rule constraints

iii. Accurate DRC checker

b. The ability to upgrade product functions when the company is engaged in a more complex design

i.HDI (High Density Interconnect) interface

ii. Flexible design

iii. Embed passive components

iv. Radio Frequency (RF) Design

v. Automatic script generation

vi. Topological placement and routing

vii. Manufacturability (DFF), Testability (DFT), Manufacturability (DFM), etc.

c. Additional products can perform analog simulation, digital simulation, analog-digital mixed signal simulation, high-speed signal simulation and RF simulation

d. Have a central component library that is easy to create and manage

2. A good partner who is technically in the leadership of the industry and has devoted more effort than other manufacturers, can help you design products with the greatest efficacy and leading technology in the shortest time

3. Price should be the most important consideration among the above factors. What needs more attention is the rate of return on investment!

Many factors need to be considered in PCB evaluation. The type of development tool that designers are looking for depends on the complexity of the design work they are engaged in. As the system is becoming more and more complex, the control of physical wiring and electrical component placement has developed to a very wide range, so that it is necessary to set constraints for the critical path in the design process. However, too many design constraints have restricted the flexibility of design. Designers must have a good understanding of their design and its rules, so that they know when to use these rules.

The same constraint rules for physical realization were entered during the PCB layout stage as during the design definition. This reduces the probability of errors in the process from file to layout. Pin swapping, logic gate swapping, and even input-output interface group (IO_Bank) swapping all need to return to the design definition stage for updates, so the design of each link is synchronized.