How can you create a PCB layout that is both functional and beautiful?

If you are starting on your PCB design journey use CAD software which is free and open-source like KiCad. CAD software doesn't matter as long as it's one of the more popular ones out there. What matters is to pick up one and master it. CAD software at the end of the day is a tool. Nothing more than that. It's on you to figure out how to master it for your requirements and to make the best use of it. Don't let anyone sway you into CAD Software A vs B discussion if you can get it done with the software you prefer. At the beginning of your career, the important part is to get started and not to caught up choosing one tool vs the other. Just start, eventually, you will know if you need to make a switch or not. Happy Designing.

You might be a "Maker," "Hobbyist," or "Enthusiast" creating Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) for enjoyment or to finish a project. Here are a few tips to choose Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software. Almost every PCB design software generally includes basic features such as routing correction (DRC), and it should also feature a schematic design workspace. Additionally, it would be excellent if the software includes an inventory for parts. The open-source community for PCB design software is beneficial; you may discover some freely available design software instead of purchasing one. Hopefully, it will provide you with everything you need and more.

Almost all PCB layout software will get the job done so it depends. If you are a large company that can afford the most advanced software with latest and greatest features it offers concurrent engineering with other disciplines and tool sets. But if you are in the "maker" community with little or no tool budget, then open source PCB layout software may be sufficient. If you plan to provide your design to 3rd Party for SI/PI/EMC simulation and analysis ensure the PCB layout tool can export in ODB++ format.

This software should be professional with simulation options, support for multilayer PCB error checking, 3D design tools, component routing and connections.

If you are Electrical/ Electronics Engineer and want to make career in the PCB designing, first you get to know about the software that used by current industry like Altium Designer and Allegro PCB Designer. if you are hobbiest then you need to learn the KiCad, Eagle, EasyEda or Cad which free and easy to Design simple PCb's.

There are several software that capable to use to design circuit for PCB such as ExpressPCB, or Fritzing. Even something like Altium is an advanced designing circuit PCB, for those who is profession in PCB designing can consider this. It depends on the individual which software are suitable for them whether by purchasing or free / open-source.

This step is often out of the hands of the PCB designer. Form factor is typically driven by the mechanical design team. When we as layout people need to improve on the outline, it is in collaboration with the physical design group. We take those hard points and run with them. Our value add comes from deciding how to use the available space and how to allocate the layers for best effect. Test fixtures are where we get the most latitude on the board's size and shape. The goal is to optimize the number of PCBs that can be gleaned from a working panel for both fabrication and assembly.

I remember, once upon a time I have to plan the design of PCB board in circular/disc shape, it was quite tough to do so, most of the IC packages are in rectangular shape, and multiple rectangular ICs inside circular PCB layout is spac inefficient. How many components we could fit inside a given space along with mounting points, is a process of trial and error. What I did is measured the given space ( physically limited) and cut out a template out of it. And designed a rough layout of components in actual size, and did my best to fit everything. The design is constraints are real challenge.

Work closely with your mechanical design team in this part of your project. I believe that a good PCB design is 70% all about component placement. Never start routing the moment you get PCB shape. This is probably the number one thing I tell the clients I work with it. Just start with component placements, think about the critical components first like high-speed parts, high current sections, isolated low noise areas. Make sure you start identifying these blocks and start placing them. Have a mental map of how the layout traces are going to go and if you need to move the sections around to fit the routing layers. Remember you are allowed to push back requests to the mechanical design team. Its not a one-way street. 😉

The size, drilling, position of connectors and location of components must be specified according to access and functionality and physical conditions of electromagnetic interference.

PCB board dimension will be provided to you by the mechanical designer in form of DXF file and you will follow that size in your design.

This step is indeed can be hard to determine or often to be overlooked. The main reason why the designing in a software can help to define which size and shape can be use to plan our board. But still, the hardest to planned out if the shape is abnormal type.

I've been doing placement of PCBs for a while now. There's no way to count the boards at this point. One thing I can say is that none of them have had every part in the same orientation although that is the desired approach when it comes to assembly. For electrical purposes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For instance, a pi pad will have three components, two shunts and one series element. The shunts will be perpendicular to the series element so that the transmission line runs straight and true. Analog routing drives placement rather than the other way around. The aesthetics of the end product belies the manner in which it was created. A good design looks like it was meant to be that way all along. It was borne of chaos.

Actually, my plan is quiet simple, I try to trace out the shortest path, without crossing and following 45 deg rule, no right angle turn. I often take the help of auto routing feature, then fine tune it as per my needs. One thing is, that I never try to design the power supply part on the same PCB board, either seperate board or if I had to, then in seperate section of the PCB board. Because sometimes I got lot of interference and noise.

Ok. Disregard the AI written tip. Keeping sensitive components close to the power source is often detrimental as power supplies are often very noisy and there is no such thing as differentiating via shapes, sizes and definitely not colours. Truthfully. There is no easy answer. Sometimes you are placing a button which is nigh-impossible to mess up. The other your are placing the trace of a signal so sensitive you are pretty much designing your entire board around it instead. And knowing how to intuitively arrange this takes practice. Though reading up on EMC through literature on it can go a long way.

The components must be arranged and distributed according to their functionality, consumption and voltages to avoid noise. They must be in the same orientation and grouped on different faces by type such as SMD and PTH. Connectors with different sizes and polarities guarantee placement according to your orientation.

Arranging components is not one time job and not easy you will mutiple time change the position and orientation of the components to make shortest and easy pathway for traces.

Gridless is overrated. Placing parts & vias on grids and aligned doesn't help fabrication and placement, but will save tons of effort squeezing traces through, and even more time when going back to modify designs. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but ugly is pretty much universal. Haphazard design is obvious, and inefficient. After years of working with the same design team, we have all been able to identify the designer, just by looking at the placement & routing - the art.

To clear this up, a hatched ground plane is likely to be found on a flex circuit where a solid plane would make the flex less flexible. It is best to work out the power distribution during floor planning so that you have regions where one voltage domain is prevalent. Any type of controlled impedance should be the next consideration. These activities should happen with the layout and schematic visible. Even better if the ECAD system is set up to automatically cross-probe from one window to the other. You want the context of the schematic to inform the routing. There may be notes that you miss if you are just using the layout tool and the netlist to route and optimize the board.

Avoid very long trails. Place noise filters on components. Use a common ground plane for the entire board. Separate analog signals from digital ones. Power supplies allocated separately from small signals. Use different planes for ground and supply voltages with different levels

To make your routing and ground plane optimized on you boar you need to place solide ground polygone on rigid PCB and hatched on Ground polygone on the flex PCB. the Best practices to use the power planes and signals planes that distribute the power evenly. If you design included high speed signals then you should conside that before assigning the power to planes.

In my experience, layouts become functional and beautiful when the team ( mechanical, electronics and layout ) work in close collaboration to ensure orientation of components match the direction of flow of signals.

Personal tip I use is to always put a version number in the silkscreen. In a large production, there will be different(minor) versions of your PCB which you keep iterating as and when the products keep reaching the customer or based on feedback or faults in the field. Its always good to have version numbers on the PCB to track them out in the field.

Your layouts will automatically become functional and beautiful after you personally push a hundred of your PCBs through troubleshooting, verification, ALT, DFM, compliance, OTA, etc.

I find one of the challenges is to not get caught up in “beautifying” a board endlessly. I find it helps differentiating what is required, what is preferred, & what is just nice to have. This is different at each company I’ve worked at. e.g. diodes all oriented the same? Previously required, today only nice to have & not required.

Printed circuit design is both a creative and highly technical and knowledge-intensive task. When the result is visually beautiful, one can automatically conclude that the person who has created it has taken care of every detail. Usually the reward for this external beauty is a highly functional result because it hides the real interest and professionalism of the designer.

As per my last 3 years of experience, the most important things is to understand the customer requirements because when any PCB designer is receiving the input, the idea was not fully on the paper. As we go forward with the design then the idea is becoming reality and based on that need to understand what are things are required for example for loopbacks, or power requirements. Offcourse, BOM, close communication with teams are important as well.

Label connectors regarding their functionality and polarity. Indicate test points. Enter the revision and type of board and model.

Add you label and logos 1. add version on you schematics sheet 2. add details instruction in schematics that make easy to read by reviewer. 3. Add polarities identifier, pin name, etc using text or signs, 4. Add you company logo and text

If you plan to do post layout verification & simulation for SI/PI/or EMC then it is important to ensure all stackup parameters such as dielectric/conductor thicknesses for each layer, Dk/Df match exactly with the stackup drawing parameters provided by the PCB fabricator's stackup drawing.

As final check: 1. Physical parameters - Exporting the PCB file in OBJ or STL CAD format could be really helpful, because most of the time you have a enclosure for your pcb. In PCB design software sometimes we can't get the bounding box size, also to ensure the mounting points. 2. Electrical parameters - In this case if your DRC check is successful then you should take out the schematic and match every single components and its connection one by one patiently. And last thing is PCB characteristics such as, impedance, layer thickness, grounding etc.

I'm an engineer. Functional IS beautiful! layout and routing a PCB should be approached as art. In most situations, that results in high functionality

Most EE / PCB designer are completely unware of EMI/EMC problematic and therefore place components in the worst places and route tracks terribly wrong ....