One of the key concepts in electronics is the printed circuit board or PCB. It's so fundamental that people often forget to explain what a PCB is. This tutorial will breakdown what makes up a PCB and some of the common terms used in the PCB world.
Over the next few pages, we'll discuss the composition of a printed circuit board, cover some terminology, a look at methods of assembly, and discuss briefly the design process behind creating a new PCB.
Suggested Reading
Before you get started you may want to read up on some concepts we build upon in this tutorial:
Translations
Minh Tuấn was kind enough to translate this tutorial to Vietnamese. You can view the translation here.
What's a PCB?
Printed circuit board is the most common name but may also be called "printed wiring boards" or "printed wiring cards". Before the advent of the PCB circuits were constructed through a laborious process of point-to-point wiring. This led to frequent failures at wire junctions and short circuits when wire insulation began to age and crack.
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courtesy Wikipedia user Wikinaut A small trace connecting the Reset pad to elsewhere on the board. A larger, thicker trace connects to the 5V power pin.