A printed Circuit board is a self-contained box with interconnected electronic components found in various devices ranging from beepers to radios, pagers, radar and computer systems. The circuits are created by layering a conducting material outside the insulation board called a substrate. Other components are fixed on the substrate's surface and soldered to the adjoining circuit.

The elements of a PCB are connected electrically to the circuit by two methods- hole technology and surface mount. Whole technology comprises thin leads pressed through minute holes in the substrate and soldered to boards in the circuit on the counter side. In surface mount technology, l-shaped or j-shaped terminals on every element are connected to the PCB directly. The solder paste is composed of glue, solder and a Flux and applied to the contact point to fix the components together in position until the solder liquefies.

Types of PCB

Printed circuit boards consist of copper tracks to communicate the holes to different components. They are designed for each circuit separately and make construction easier. Though building the PCB requires specialized tools. The various types of PCB boards are

•Single sided PCB

•Double-sided PCB

•Multi-layered PCB

•Rigid PCB

•Flex PCB

•Rigid-flex PCB

Single-Sided Printed Circuit Board

A single-sided PCB includes one layer of substrate or base layer. One end of the substrate is covered with a thin layer of copper since it is a good conductor of electricity. A protective solder mask tops the copper layer, and finally, the silkscreen layer is on top to distinguish elements of the board.

This PCB comprises all circuits and electronic components on one side. Such a type of module is best for beginners. These boards cost less than other boards in mass production. Despite their low cost, they are used less due to their intricate limitations.

Double-Sided PCB

This PCB is more common than single-sided. Both ends of the board's substrate contain conductive layers and other elements. Holes in the circuit help circuits on one side attach to the opposite side.

This board connects circuits on every side using one or both techniques- through hole and surface mount technology.

Multilayer PCB

These PBCs further complicate the design by adding a bottom and top layer to a double-sided configuration. With accessibility to many layers in a multi-layered PCB, they let designers create very thick and highly compound patterns.

The additional layers used in this design are power planes, which provide power to the circuit and reduce the electromagnetic interference emitted.

Rigid PCB

In addition to layers and sides, PCBs can also have altered inflexibility. Rigid PCBs use a solid substrate like fibreglass that keeps the board from twisting.

 

Flexible PCBs

Usually, the substrate is a flexible plastic which permits the board to fit into places rigid boards cannot. Flexible Printed Circuit boards have a lot of advantages. They can store heavy wiring in gear like satellites, where space and weight matter.

Rigid-flex PCBs

They merge technology from rigid and flexible circuit boards. A basic rigid-flex board consists of a solid circuit board that connects to a flexible circuit board.

Author Bio:

The author of this article is a self-taught mechanic and explains the different types of printed circuit boards, including flexible circuit boards.