uk

engineering
1

JAR 66 CATEGORY B1
CONVERSION COURSE

MODULE 4.2

MODULE 4
ELECTRONIC
FUNDAMENTALS

PRINTED CIRCUIT
BOARDS

PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS

Aircraft electronic systems necessitate the interconnection of many components;

in the past this was done by soldered or crimped terminations. With the
development of circuit technology and micro miniaturisation, weight saving and
simplification of installation and maintenance became needful and these needs
were met by the development of the printed circuit board.
1.1 CONSTRUCTION
Printed circuit board is a laminated paper or fibreglass board coated on one side
with a thin layer of copper. The areas of copper, called 'lands', required to
connect the components are marked out by painting over the copper, and the
remaining copper is etched away by a solution of ferric chloride. Holes are then
drilled in the board for the component leads. The advantage is that the copper
strips can be any shape and few additional wires are required. Industry can
produce printed circuit boards in large numbers very cheaply so they have
become the standard circuit construction method. Figure 1 shows the front face
of a PCB, with Figure 2 showing the rear face.

BASE
BOARD

FRONT

Printed Circuit Board

Figure 1

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engineering

CIRCUIT MODULE
DESIGNATION
(E.G. SIGNAL
SELECTOR)

JAR 66 CATEGORY B1
CONVERSION COURSE

MODULE 4.2

MODULE 4
ELECTRONIC
FUNDAMENTALS

PRINTED CIRCUIT

IC1

IC2

IC3

IC4

BOARDS

IC5

CIRCUIT
REFERENCE
C2

INTEGRATED
CIRCUIT CHIPS

IC6

REAR

Printed Circuit Board

Figure 2

FINGER OR
EDGE CONNECTOR

uk

JAR 66 CATEGORY B1
CONVERSION COURSE

MODULE 4.2

MODULE 4
ELECTRONIC
FUNDAMENTALS

PRINTED CIRCUIT

engineering

BOARDS

1.2 MULTI-LAYER CIRCUITS

In order to save weight and space, and to provide for the interconnection of
integrated circuits (which are a feature of a large majority of electronic equipment)
the relevant circuits are assembled as a multi-layer moulded package. This
consists of three or more single and/or double-sided printed boards and insulating
layers of impreg material.
1.3 HANDLING PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS
Since various types of semi-conductor components are mounted on printed circuit
boards, care must always be taken in handling techniques.
General techniques are as follows: a)

Do not remove or replace units with electrical power applied.

b)

Do not touch the connectors, leads or edge connectors of circuit boards

unnecessarily.

c)

Use conductive packaging, shorting plugs, bands or wire when provided or

prescribed by the relevant aircraft Maintenance Manual.

d)

Pay strict attention to stores procedures to ensure that protective

packaging is not removed during any goods-inwards inspection.

Module 5 details procedures for handling Static Sensitive Devices.

uk
engineering

JAR 66 CATEGORY B1
CONVERSION COURSE

MODULE 4.2

MODULE 4
ELECTRONIC
FUNDAMENTALS

PRINTED CIRCUIT

PAGE
INTENTIONALLY
BLANK

BOARDS

uk
engineering

JAR 66 CATEGORY B1
MODULE 4
ELECTRONIC
FUNDAMENTALS

MODULE 4.2
PRINTED CIRCUIT
BOARDS