printed circuit boards (PCBs) are devices which combine a number of electrical components with tiny (micron sized) printed wires to form a self-contained structure that can carry out an electrical task. They are generally manufactured by large companies which prints the board to a specific design sent by the customer. The design process is normally complex and requires use of a computer aided design package (CAD) as well as knowledge of PCB specification and construction. Today, boards with a number of conductive layers are common since they make overall board design simpler.
Instructions
1 Design the printed circuit board in a CAD package. Although simple printed circuit boards can be made at home, multilayered boards have a very complex manufacturing process and need to be built at an external company. Printed circuit board manufacturers require a very specific format. Generally four separate design layers are needed. Layer 0 includes a board outline. Layer 1 includes the design of the first set of copper tracks. Layer 2 includes the design of the second set of copper tracks. Layer 3 includes drilled holes.
2 Choose a substrate for the printed circuit board to be printed on. The most common material is FR-4 which is a type of fiber glass. Cheaper options include FR-2 which is a lower grade substance made of impregnated paper.
3 Choose a "Copper weight." This is the thickness of the Copper tracks on the board. The copper will have a thickness of 17.5 micrometers for every 0.5 Oz.
4 Save the designs as a "Gerber" file. Its common for each layer to be saved into a separate Gerber file. This makes it easier for the manufacturer to identify different features, such as holes from copper. Save each layer correctly since a manufacturer will often send a design back if its in the wrong format.
5 Create a simple text file explaining to the manufacturer the contents of each Gerber file.
6 Find a suitable manufacturer, and e-mail it the Gerber files along with the text file explaining their contents.
