How To Make A Custom PCB?
Many PCB board manufacturers are available in the market. They produce superior-quality circuit boards that connect electric components using tracks and pads.
However, the complex structure of the circuit board makes it difficult for beginners to understand the connections. That’s when they thought of making a custom-printed circuit board.
There are many top PCB manufacturers in the market, but some of the most popular include:
- PCBWay
- JLCPCB
- OSHPark
- Seeed Studio
- Macrofab
- Advanced Circuits
- Eurocircuits
- PCBMatrix
- Sierra Circuits
- Advanced Assembly
- Screaming Circuits
- Sunstone Circuits
These manufacturers offer a wide range of services, from simple prototyping to complex mass production. They also offer a variety of different materials and finishes to choose from.
Creating a custom PCB board is simple if you have the right tools and know the accurate process. To help you craft a PCB, here we have compiled a guide of steps to help you make a PCB from scratch.
So, let’s begin the discussion.
Step By Step Guide To Make Custom PCB Board
By crafting your own printed circuit boards, you can reduce the clutter. And make it easy for you to have better malfunctioning controls.
Also, using fewer wires means less labor and minimum error risk. This directly reduces manufacturing costs and boosts the quality of results.
Here, we will share all the steps that will help you to make PCB like a regular PCB manufacturer in China. Let’s have a look at them.
1. Know The Electrical Requirements
Before making a printed circuit board, knowing which electrical components you will need is essential. Here is a precise list of these components.
- Voltages
- Capacitance limitations
- Current maximums
- Impedance characteristics
- Signal types
- Detailed net wire listing and schematic
- Type of circuit components and connectors
- Location of circuit components and connectors
- Shielding considerations
2. Make The Schematic
After gathering all the components, the next step is to design the schematic. The term schematic means to create the structure of PCB at the electrical level. Make sure to create the board according to your electrical requirements. Also, test its functionality to ensure your PCB is working correctly.
3. Make Use of Designing Tools
Many tools are available online or on a desktop that will help you design the layout of a custom PCB board. But with the right PCB design software, you can precisely see how your board works and where you should place the electrical components. Once you create the schematic, the trained mechanical engineer will load the design and find how it will fit in the specified device. If you need clarification on which PCB provider you should use, Click here.
4. Make PCB Stackup
This step is essential as it will help you to check the impedance. It refers to how much and fast electricity can travel down a trace. With the help of Stackup, it becomes easy to design and fit the PCB into the specified device. So don’t ignore this step and precisely measure the impedance value of your PCB.
5. Know PCB Design Rules And Requirements
Here, you need to consider the acceptability criteria of IPC to define your printed circuit board requirements and design. IPC is the industry association for PCB and other electronics manufacturing. This association has specific criteria that every electrical engineer must know.
Moreover, these standards will help you to know everything you need for PCB design and manufacturing. You can find a PCB layout provider near you to save searching time. Make sure the provider you pick must know all IPC standards. This will help you to avoid multiple revisions and delays in the project.
6. Assemble The Components
When placing the electrical components, you must discuss the design and layout guidelines with a PCB provider. As a simple example, there can be standards that show specific components can not be put near others as they create electrical noise in the circuit.
To avoid this, you must consult with your PCB provider. The provider will have a sheet for every component and guide you in placing the components on the board. These components will first placed in the mechanical layout and then moved to the customer for approval.
7. Make Drill Holes
After adding and connecting components, it is time to drill holes. The best Chinese PCB manufacturer, and many other manufacturers in the market, make the double-sided PCBs. This means they have an electrical connection to the drill hole on the bottom layer.
8. Route The Connection Traces
Once done with drilling holes, route the connection traces. In simple terms, connect multiple segments of PCB board in a clear path.
9. Make Labels And Identifiers
You can add labels, identifiers, reference designators, or change your PCB layout. These labels and identifiers will help you to see where the specific component will go on the printed circuit board.
10. Create Design Files
The last step is to check how your PCB is working. For PCB fabrication, turn on the layout mode. Here, you will get all the files briefly explaining the printed circuit board. Once these files are generated, you can use your custom PCB. It is all ready for fabrication and manufacturing, so start your journey.
Conclusion
With the help of these ten steps, you can make a custom PCB board and start fabrication work. All you need is to gather all the components and follow all the steps without skipping points. Cutting a step will cause many unwanted problems, so avoid this.
