https://hackaday.com/2022/11/29/aesthetic-pcb-design-tips-for-improved-functionality/ Skip to content Logo Hackaday Primary Menu * Home * Blog * Hackaday.io * Tindie * Hackaday Prize * Submit * About * Search for: [ ] [Search] November 30, 2022 Aesthetic PCB Design Tips For Improved Functionality 7 Comments * by: Dave Rowntree November 29, 2022 * * * * * Title: [Aesthetic PCB Design] Copy Short Link: [https://hackaday.com] Copy [Snap-2022-] Those of us hardware types that spend a lot of time designing PCBs will often look at other peoples' designs with interest, and in some cases, considerable admiration. Some of their boards just look so good. But are aesthetics important? After all, for most products, the delicate electronic components on that PCB are tucked safely inside a protective enclosure. But, as [Phil's Lab] explains, aesthetic PCB designs can lead to functional improvements, such that better-looking designs are also better performing, in terms of manufacturability (and therefore yield), electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), and several other factors that can be important. First off, making a PCB easy to read and using sane placement of components and connections will speed up debugging by reducing errors. Keeping a consistent and not too-tight placement grid can give the pick and place machine an easier task, and reduce solder issues during reflow. But there are also more serious concerns, such as the enforcement of design partitionings -- such as keeping analog circuits together and away from noisy power and digital areas -- which can make the difference between functioning within specification, and failure. The video goes into a few other interesting tips, one highlight is using a ground-tied PCB perimeter zone, with wavelength-of-interest via stitching. This will reduce EMC side emissions from the power plane, but also if you select an appropriate surface finish, and keep the solder mask open, you've got a free, full perimeter contact to ground your scope probe. Oh, and it looks good too. Hackaday is no stranger to beautiful artistic PCBs, like the work of [Saar Drimer] and many others. But if one PCB doesn't cut it for your needs, there's always the 'Oreo' construction to consider. * [share_face] * [share_twit] * [share_in] * [share_mail] Posted in hardwareTagged aesthetics, emc, pcb, solderability, yield Post navigation - Weird Energy Storage Solutions Could Help The Grid Go Renewable This Electric Outboard Conversion Makes For A Quiet Day On The Water - 7 thoughts on "Aesthetic PCB Design Tips For Improved Functionality" 1. mnidtj says: November 29, 2022 at 11:42 am And of course that's a fully licensed version of Altium, which costs as much as a new Miata... yeah right Report comment Reply 1. Jay says: November 29, 2022 at 12:38 pm It's $4k / year Report comment Reply 1. Luke says: November 29, 2022 at 4:35 pm I got a perpetual license for 5k which was a steal at that time and now is probably impossible Report comment Reply 2. Kirby says: November 29, 2022 at 5:27 pm Altium's current pricing is $4995 USD per year for the "On-Demand" version. The non "on-demand" version is $15990 USD starting Jan 1, 2023. In fact if you are an Altium user and not currently on maintenance, Altium will now force you to repurchase the Software at the $15.99K price (after Jan 1, 2023)... However, if one is so included to get back on maintenance, the fee is a "mere" $5999 USD. Geez, that is some solid customer relations and retention incentives. Good luck to them. Report comment Reply 1. Shonky says: November 30, 2022 at 5:51 am Wait till you see the enterprise level A365 subscription pricing.... yowzers! TBH, more frustrating than their pricing is their obfuscation of how the licensing works, and them changing their product names every 6 months. Vault, nexus, nexus is now something else, A365, A365 pro, enterprise. Even their own sales crew can't answer questions on licensing and names correctly most of the time because no one knows what's going on. Do I need to buy all my team members a pro license for the server to get the pro features, or just one? Can a user with a nexus (now enterprise... I think) log on and modify a design in a corporate regular A365 account? Trying to get simple answers on questions like those is like pulling teeth. Report comment Reply 2. JanW says: November 29, 2022 at 1:50 pm I mean, you could do most of these thing in KiCAD. Don't know about the vias following the center line of the perimeter zone though... Report comment Reply 2. NoMaskRequired says: November 29, 2022 at 6:41 pm It seems obvious to me that matt black solder mask is an impediment to following traces around, but if optics are your game rather than functionality, it's the bomb! if you want a radically functional board, go with a partly transparent mast to make folling traces easy. Report comment Reply Leave a Reply Cancel reply Please be kind and respectful to help make the comments section excellent. (Comment Policy) This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Search Search for: [ ] [Search] Never miss a hack Follow on facebook Follow on twitter Follow on youtube Follow on rss Contact us Subscribe [ ] [ ] [Subscribe] If you missed it * [2022-11-30] Building Your Own Consensus 1 Comment * [Sick_thumb] VR Sickness: A New, Old Problem 36 Comments * [car_charge] EV Chargers Could Be A Serious Target For Hackers 54 Comments * [toaster_th] Don't Believe Everything You Read: The Great Electric Toaster Hoax 60 Comments * [Lidar_thum] Spoofing LIDAR Could Blind Autonomous Vehicles To Obstacles 72 Comments More from this category Our Columns * [jcb-buildi] JCB Is Exploring Hydrogen Combustion Engines For Construction Machinery 24 Comments * [BatterySup] Weird Energy Storage Solutions Could Help The Grid Go Renewable 88 Comments * [DataDNA-th] App Detects Parkinsons Disease And COVID-19 Via Audio 16 Comments * [kip_daugir] Amateur Rocketry Hack Chat 9 Comments * [microphone] Hackaday Podcast 194: FPV Contest, Seven Words, Lots Of Coffee, And Edible Drones 3 Comments More from this category Search Search for: [ ] [Search] Never miss a hack Follow on facebook Follow on twitter Follow on youtube Follow on rss Contact us Subscribe [ ] [ ] [Subscribe] If you missed it * [2022-11-30] Building Your Own Consensus 1 Comment * [Sick_thumb] VR Sickness: A New, Old Problem 36 Comments * [car_charge] EV Chargers Could Be A Serious Target For Hackers 54 Comments * [toaster_th] Don't Believe Everything You Read: The Great Electric Toaster Hoax 60 Comments * [Lidar_thum] Spoofing LIDAR Could Blind Autonomous Vehicles To Obstacles 72 Comments More from this category Categories Categories[Select Category ] Our Columns * [jcb-buildi] JCB Is Exploring Hydrogen Combustion Engines For Construction Machinery 24 Comments * [BatterySup] Weird Energy Storage Solutions Could Help The Grid Go Renewable 88 Comments * [DataDNA-th] App Detects Parkinsons Disease And COVID-19 Via Audio 16 Comments * [kip_daugir] Amateur Rocketry Hack Chat 9 Comments * [microphone] Hackaday Podcast 194: FPV Contest, Seven Words, Lots Of Coffee, And Edible Drones 3 Comments More from this category Recent comments * nes on Here's A Plain C/C++ Implementation Of AI Speech Recognition, So Get Hackin' * Mans Almered on This Electric Outboard Conversion Makes For A Quiet Day On The Water * Matt on Prototyping The Prototype * Dude on Cardboard Game Tokens Become Shiny Click-Clacks With DIY Treatment * Garth Bock on JCB Is Exploring Hydrogen Combustion Engines For Construction Machinery * ivan256 on Bye Bye Linux On The 486. Will We Miss You? * Adam on Nano-Sized 7-Segment LED Display On A Surface Mount Module * RW ver 0.0.3 on Cardboard Game Tokens Become Shiny Click-Clacks With DIY Treatment * RW ver 0.0.3 on JCB Is Exploring Hydrogen Combustion Engines For Construction Machinery * RW ver 0.0.3 on JCB Is Exploring Hydrogen Combustion Engines For Construction Machinery Now on Hackaday.io * Bryant has updated the project titled Wigglegram esp32-cam. * Bryant has updated the log for Wigglegram esp32-cam. * Umar Qattan has added a new log for Missions: the Sole of Mission St.. * Bryant has updated the log for Wigglegram esp32-cam. * Dan Maloney has updated details to Hack Chat Transcripts. * Dan Maloney has added a new log for Amateur Rocketry Hack Chat. * Dan Maloney has added a new log for Amateur Rocketry Hack Chat. * Boian Mitov liked Arduino rocket stabilization system [UD: 7/14/ 17]. * Drew liked The NanoRaptor NanoSegment. * Peabody1929 liked HeliOS Embedded Operating System. Logo * Home * Blog * Hackaday.io * Tindie * Hackaday Prize * Video * Submit A Tip * About * Contact Us Never miss a hack Follow on facebook Follow on twitter Follow on youtube Follow on rss Contact us Subscribe to Newsletter [ ] [ ] [Subscribe] Copyright (c) 2022 | Hackaday, Hack A Day, and the Skull and Wrenches Logo are Trademarks of Hackaday.com | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service Powered by WordPress VIP [impression] [close] By using our website and services, you expressly agree to the placement of our performance, functionality and advertising cookies. Learn more OK