ENGG2800 / METR2800

Team Project II

PCB Design

ENGG2800 / METR2800

PCB Design: Tips, Guidelines, and Resources

by
Donald Cook

ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

Realistically, PCB design cannot be taught in a lecture. Instead, I have

created this set of slides to be used as reference material for you.

Altium provides fantastic tutorials that are well written and deliver all
the information you need. The very first tutorial is:
Getting Started with PCB Design
TU0117.pdf

ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

Terms & Acronyms

PCB Printed Circuit Board

Tracks Form
components.

the

connections

between

Pads Used to make connections between your

component and the track with solder.

Layers - Everything is drawn on a layer, layers can

have different physical properties. Example layers
are: Top layer, bottom layer, Top overlay, bottom
overlay, Mechanical 1, Keep Out.
Plated Through Holes (PTH) Drilled holes that are
plated with conductive material (usually copper).

ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

Terms & Acronyms

Footprints A collection of pads and outlines which

describe an individual components physical layout
on a PCB.
Design Rules Rules specified by the designer to
ensure PCB integrity (more on this later).

Vias Used to make connections between different

layers of the PCB.
Silkscreen A protective layer over the top of the
board, makes soldering easier.

ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

FAQ
1. Should I use metric or imperial?
2. Who manufactures my PCB?
3. What size drill-holes should I be using?
4. What size should my tracks be? What sort of clearance should I
have between tracks?
5. The tutors tell me Auto-route is the Devil, is this true?
6. Help! I cant find a footprint for my component!

ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

1. Should I use metric or imperial?

Remember: Metric measurements are in (milli)meters,
imperial measurements are in thou (thousandths of an inch).

For Team Project PCBs we have decided on the following

important rules.
1000mil/thou = 1 inch 1000mm
Drill Holes USE METRIC!
Anything else Either

(More on drill holes later)

ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

2. Who manufactures my PCB?

We currently use PCBfast (based in Melbourne)

Website: www.pcbfast.com.au
Most of our design requirements are copied directly from their
website; while a few design requirements are simply to speed up
turn-around time (for your benefit).

ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

3. What size drill-holes should I be using?

Drill bits are available in tool sizes with 0.05mm
increments from 0.2mm to 3.0mm and 0.1mm increments
from 3.1mm to 6.3mm. PCBFast Website.
0.4mm 6.00mm for PTH (Plated Through Hole).
PCBFast Website

BUT
15 tool sizes per standard manufacturing panel - PCBFast
Website.
How does this affect me?

ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

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3. What size drill-holes should I be using?

If a panel to be manufactured has more than 15 different
hole sizes, then the COST increases and possibly even the
LEADTIME. So try to use as few as possible (within reason).
Suggested Hole Sizes
(From the ENGG2800 Website)
Part

Suggested
Hole size

Vias

0.6mm

IC Legs, TO-92 Transistors, 1N4148 Diodes

0.9mm

Resistors/Capacitors/ and many other components

0.8mm

Diode Legs (1A, eg 1N4004), IDC connectors, TO-220 transistors

1.0mm

Diode Legs (3A, eg 1N5404), many connectors

1.25mm

ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

4. What size should my tracks be? What sort of clearance

should I have between tracks?
A track should not be narrower than the minimum
manufacturing limit. However, it is recommended that for
simple designs you should stick to 12thou (0.3mm) as a
minimum.
Minimum 8 thou track/space. PCBFast Website.
Thicker tracks are needed if you want to carry significant
current. Thin tracks will get hot, and cause voltage drops if
significant current flows.
For your projects, theres no harm in using larger tracks.
See the website for track width recommendations.

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

5. The tutors tell me Autoroute is the devil!

Using Autoroute is a design decision of your own to make.

Using Autoroute is a lazy option (you should be spending
more time learning how to create PCBs, not less).

Would you trust Microsoft Word to automatically format

your reports? Donald Cook.

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

6. Help! I cant find a footprint for my component!

MAKE YOUR OWN

(More on this soon)

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

General PCB Design Tips

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

PCB Design Tip 1: LABEL YOUR PCB

Include your TEAM NUMBER & COURSE CODE

Put it on Top Overlay

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

PCB Design Tip 2: Be careful with your power nets

Place decoupling caps near microcontrollers and other ICs, to

help reduce noise on your power-supply line. How much
capacitance? If the datasheet dont specify an amount, start
with 10-100nF, then measure your supply-line using a CRO.

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

PCB Design Tip 3: Orientate polarised components sensibly

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

PCB Design Tip 4: Where did that component go?

Make use of the PCB filter

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

PCB Design Tip 5: Make sure you draw a PCB border on

Mechanical Layer 1

OTHERWISE YOUR PCB MAY BE

REJECTED!

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

PCB Design Tip 6: Make sure you turn on all USED layers when
you submit your PCB for manufacturing!

OTHERWISE YOUR PCB MAY NOT BE MANUFACTURED

CORRECTLY (MISSING VIAS, TRACKS, ETC)

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

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PCB Design Tip 7: Dont use tracks at right angles, they are a
common point of failure when the board is being routed.

Bad!

Good!

ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

PCB Design Tip 8: If you make mistakes on your board, it is

possible to correct them with PCB hacks.

Cut tracks with a sharp knife.

Bridge tracks/pads with fly-wire.
File/cut your board down to size. Wear a mask.
Drill new mounting holes (if you forgot them!).

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

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PCB Design Tip 9: Use oval shaped solder pads instead of circular
pads.

Difficult to
solder!

Easy
to solder!

ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

PCB Design Tip 10: Use long solder pads for surface mount
devices.

Difficult to
solder!

Easy
to solder!

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

PCB Design Tip 11: Learn how to use the Bill of Materials tool!

You can keep track component details such as:

Part Manufacturer
Supplier (and cost)

Supplier order number

Datasheet URL

etc

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

PCB Design Tip 12: Spend lots of time setting up your PCB rules!

Eg
Set your Power Nets to have a minimum track
width of 18mil.

Set your ground plane to have a larger

clearance constraint than usual.

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

PCB Design Tip 13: Make sure you check the PCB manufacturing
rules!

Or your board will not be manufactured!

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

PCB Design Tips

Use a sensible number of drill-hole sizes. (Consolidate with

other teams).

Dont forget mounting holes!

If your PCB has a background layer, delete it!

Take your time (and allocate a lot of it). You cant do a PCB
design the night before a batch is due.

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ENGG2800 / METR2800
Team Project II

PCB Design

NUMBER ONE PCB DESIGN TIP

PRINT YOUR PCB TO SCALE AND

PLACE COMPONENTS ON TOP OF
YOUR PRINTED PCB.

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