Printed Circuit Board Design And Layout For Hobbyists, Engineers, And Students

Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are a ubiquitous element of virtually every electronic system manufactured world-wide. It is not a stretch of the imagination to say that if it’s electronic, there is a PCB in it. PCBs are necessary tools for electronics work, and tools need to have instructions. For better or worse, PCB knowledge is a deep and wide ocean. There is much to cover for even a surface level understanding, and there are deep areas rich in technical expertise. Navigating the ocean of knowledge is treacherous; common knowledge of yore can be downright dubious now. PCB manufacturing and electronics as a whole have seen incredible developments in the past few decades, and knowledge once true may be outdated. At the same time there is a downpour of new techniques to use and challenges to face. The storm of information deepens the sea and can make it seem impossible to get anywhere without getting utterly lost. There are islands of knowledge out there hiding in books and papers and websites, but no guide to get anywhere. This thesis aims to guide the reader through the sea of information and provides a map that charts the shallows of beginner knowledge, into the deep depths of advanced design, of how and where to learn more. This thesis serves as an aiding means through the exciting and vast world of PCB design and layout