What Is PCB?
PCB means Printed Circuit Board. It is also called Printed Wiring Board. PCB is very important in electronics and is used to build electronic devices. A PCB provides a way of electrical connection between components and it is also used to mount various components.
A thin, non-conducting material sheet is used to make a PCB. A glass fiber epoxy laminate material is the most common material used. After that a thin layer of copper is deposited on both sides of the material.
Printing the connection diagram on the PCB is the next step. The wiring which is required to connect the components is shown on connection diagram. Earlier these connections were done with the help of wires. That is why PCBs are also called Printed Wiring Boards. By photographically transferring the image to PCB, printing is done. An acid resistant material is used to print the image.
After that, acid bath is given to the PCB. Acid bath helps in removing the copper from the board from the areas that are not coated with resistant material. With the help of this process, connections are printed on the PCB. Next step is drilling holes in PCB so that components can be mounted on it. These holes are also used to mount the PCB on a case protecting electronics peripherals. To prevent corrosion of copper, a protective coating is applied to the board.
The method described above is for a two layer or double sided PCB. You can make PCBs which may consist of any number of layers by repeating the above process. Your computer may have a minimum of four layers PCB or it can also have up to 8 or 12 layers.
The parts can be soldered directly on to the board and there is no need of holes for the wires. The component which is soldered on the board is called Surface Mount Component and the PCB is called Surface Mount PCB. By using this technique, large number of components can be mounted on the same PCB. Or you can also mount same number of components on smaller PCB. However, a very high quality control is required in case of surface mounting.
PCB is the main component of almost all the electronic products available in market. Using PCB is the most common method to mount, assemble and connect components of an electronic device.
Category: Technology