PCB Design Guidelines

1. The first and Foremost task while designing the PCB is placing the inter PCB
connectors.
Which is decided by the Placing of PCB in the Car.
There are two types of connectors Horizontal and
Vertical( as in the image)
Horizontal connectors are to be placed at the edges
of PCB.
While vertical connectors can be placed anywhere
according to the design requirements.

2. Routing Styles and techniques

Of the three routing styles, the 1st one is ​not​ preferred because the electrons will face a
deceleration and hence this can decrease the speed of signals.
3. Deciding the Trace widths
The trace width is decided on the basis of the current flowing in the traces.
Refer ​https://www.4pcb.com/trace-width-calculator.html
4. Some general guidelines
● Make Sure that the Through hole components are not all surrounding any SMD
component so that we can easily solder and desolder the component while
testing.
● The orientation of all ICs should be similar so that we don't make mistakes while
soldering.
● Make sure that the trace length is minimum while placing two components which
are connected to each other (there might be frequent trade offs in this regard)
 ● Manufacturers Capabilities are to be kept in mind.(Our current manufacturers are
Supreme Circuits - a PCB Manufactuing Company​ & ​PCB Manufacturer - Online
PCB Board Design | PCB Power Market​)
● We generally avoid making a 4 layer board unless it's really a necessity.
● The Normal Convention we use is - Top layer is GND and the bottom layer is 5 V.
● When There is HV (high Voltage) and LV both present on a PCB we have to
follow the separation guidelines as mentioned in Formula Student Rulebook

.
5. Placement Techniques
Components are placed to make the routing simpler and easier. Roughly 80% of the
time for making pcb should be invested in Placing the components and 20% in routing.
If the placement is good routing will be a piece of cake.
● After placement of connectors , we start by placing those components that are
directly connected to the connectors.
● Make Sure that the Decoupling capacitor of IC is placed next to it. (refer Image)
6. Finishing the task
It is very important to NAME all the connectors and Signals so that we do not connect
connectors at the wrong position while testing the car. A single mistake can lead to hours
of Struggle and a lot of time to Debug. So properly naming the signals (that are going
off-board or coming in-board ) using the TEXT command is necessary.
With that we also need to provide mounting points for PCB with adequate space around
it so that we can insert a screw. (usually M4 Nylon bolts are
used for this purpose)
(M4 implies the hole diameter is 4mm)

Top 10 PCB Routing Tips for Beginners | EAGLE | Blog

Do REFER these tips for Beginners