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Re: Homemade PCBs!
Original poster: "Jim Mitchell" <Electrontube-at-sbcglobal-dot-net>
There can be more then two sides! Its just that the middle layer(s) is/are
just connections and do not house any components.
Regards - Jim Mitchell
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 7:13 PM
Subject: Re: Homemade PCBs!
> Original poster: Fucian-at-aol-dot-com
>
> In a message dated 4/28/2004 10:15:26 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> tesla-at-pupman-dot-com writes:
> Layers are exactly what the name says, 'layers'. Sort of a 'paper sheet'
> which contains something. The PCB is then stacked/sandwiched together from
> these layers.
>
> A typical single sided pre-UV-resist-coated DIY PCB:
> 1 photoresist layer
> 2 copper layer
> 3 glue layer
> 4 epox&fiberglass lamination layer (the "circuit board")
>
> If you order commercially produced single sided PCBs, typical order of
> layers might be:
> 1 silk screen (component names and other text printed on the PCB)
> 2 solder mask layer (the often deepgreen protective coating you see on
> PCBs, it helps against corrosion and prevents solder flowing onto
> copper tracks where you don't want it)
> 3 copper layer (this is where the signal traces are)
> 4 glue
> 5 epoxy&fiberglass board
>
> Then there are a bunch of additional "non-physical" or "info" layers that
> are defined in the software PCB file. For example, where the automatic
> drill should be drilling, to what dimensions the board should be cut, etc.
>
> You could have a try on Eagle (www.cadsoft.de) and wonder at how many
> layers the PCB board editor contains ;-)
>
> If you meant what the use of multiple copper layers is -
> oversimplified, they reduce the number of jumper wires you need. If you
> look inside cheap TV, video or stereo sets, there's LOTS of jumper wires
> there, a real mess. Nearly all those jumpers could be replaced with copper
> traces on a new, added second copper layer. Much cleaner result and less
> work, but it costs a bit more.
>
> OTOH if you look at your PC motherboard, there are thousands of component
> pins that should be connected together. A single copper layer
> obviously isn't enough, and jumper wires are a really bad idea.
> Additionally taking into account RF layout requirements (>100MHz to
> >10GHz signals there, needs ground and DC supply planes), you end up with
> at least a 4-layer board. I don't know exactly where PC computer boards
> are going nowadays, but I'd think they typically use from 8 up to 16
> layers.
>
> To keep this even remotely TC related: if you build SSTC or flyback
> boards, it is a good design practice (IMHO) to use two layers. For
> example, one larger combined ground and power plane on the bottom layer,
> and logic and RF signals on the top layer. That way the circuit is, for
> one, much less susceptible to HV RF interference (e.g. more bullet-proof).
>
> cheers,
> - Jan
>
> --
> ****************************************************
> Helsinki University of Technology
> Dept. of Electrical and Communications Engineering
> http://www.hut.fi/~jwagner/ -
>
> Ahhhh it is clear now! :-) I was thinking layers were copper layers...I
was
> thinking, " how could there be more than 2 sides to a pcb?"
>
> I didnt know layers were just like a part of the design...
> Matt
>