PCB Design Rules: Why Software Principles Make Better Circuit Boards
1 min read
Summary
The quality of a printed circuit board (PCB) design is vital to the reliability of an electronic and can make the difference between product success and failure.
Adopting principles from software design can aid in developing PCBs, such as creating modular, organised and reliable circuit boards.
Partitioning the board into sections for different components, such as power management and high-speed communication parts, prevents interference.
Multilayer PCBs use layers for different functions in a hierarchical structure similar to that of software.
Encapsulating components and connections into subcircuits creates blocks of reusable modular functionality.
Design rule checking serves as a live monitor to ensure layouts meet predefined physical and electrical constraints.
Structuring rules by priority ensures that critical constraints override general ones when necessary.
Component placement and routing requires understanding software logic and physical hardware constraints.