PCB

Appliances are everywhere, right? Appliances as computers and other devices make lives of people easier by allowing them to automate the process that would normally take days to do. However, as much as man enjoys the leisure that is presented by automation, not a lot of people know how devices work. In most cases, there are not a lot of people who have taken time to check what is inside of the devices and what makes them work.

PCBs in devices

A printed circuit board, or PCB, is one of the things that people should take note of concerning devices and appliances. This is because these boards can be considered as the body of the appliances. It allows the many components that make the appliance run to connect with each other. That is, without these boards, the appliances would not be able to process the commands that it has been programmed to do.

An exercise may be considered for the task of just opening a device and check the "insides" of the appliance. Touching or rearranging the connections inside the appliance is not recommended except for instances where the user is knowledgeable about circuit boards. If not, the exercise of checking the insides of the board is good enough.

PCBs in detail

To the common eye, the PCB is just a green or red and blue board with squiggly lines and a lot of smaller stuff stuck to it. However, to the experienced eye the board is made up of conductive layers that are made up of copper foil that are laminated with epoxy resin, which is then coated with a mask in typical green color. The solder mask is the most visible thing that people can see on the board, although it can also come in red and blue colors.

On top of the board, etching can be seen that is done in copper. Actually, the board comes in a plain mask without the "lines" before etching is made over the substrate. The copper is then laid on the mask via etching, leaving a trail of copper on one or two sides of the mask. Etching can be done through a number of ways that include: photoengraving, PCB milling, and silk screen printing. Once the etching is done, the components are added to the board.

When it comes to printed boards, not a lot of people find it interesting because they hardly think about the things inside the appliance. However, learning about printed boards is a good thing because at some point, when the appliance becomes damaged or faulty, PCB repairs may be easy and to check on the problem if some knowledge of how the appliance works is available.