1 PCB DESIGN BASIC REQUIREMENTS

1. For medium to high-volume PCBAs do not exceed the production equipment maximum board handling
capability which typically is 20” x 18” (508mm x 457mm).

2. Three (3) global fiducials are required on all boards and local fiducials whenever high pin count IC packages,
those exceeding 208 pin-outs or fine-pitch packages, are included in the design. Any package that has 0.020”
(.5mm) pitch or less is considered a fine pitch device.

3. Allow sufficient space between adjacent IC packages for reworkability and inspection.

4. Orient all bottom side components, especially small gull-winged flat packs, in the same direction to
facilitate wave soldering, SMT placement and inspection.

5. All component sites require legible reference designators whether that location is loaded or not.

6. All BGA vias on topside must be covered with solder mask to prevent thieving of solder from the joint if the
thin solder mask web breaks down (applicable to all BGA’s; top and bottom side).

7. Allow sufficient test access for ICT (In-Circuit Test

8. Ensure Environmental Compliance is considered in the Design

 Eliminate Hazardous Substances
 Design for Disassembly
 Design for Recycle and Reclaim
 Design for minimum scrap

1.1 PCB LAYOUT CONSIDERATIONS

1. To minimize process steps and cost in PCB assembly, keep component placement to one side of the
PCB whenever possible. If real estate on the primary side of the PCB becomes an issue, begin with
smaller SMT chips (ceramic resistors and capacitors) on the secondary side. Leaded r-networks and
other small discrete are to follow. Large active packages should be considered last. See SMT sections
for specific layout guidelines.
2. If active SMT devices (IC’s) are placed on the secondary side of mixed technology boards, selective
soldering, which is a cost-driver, may be required. Components placed on the secondary side should
have a low profile, with height less than 0.118”, in order to allow the use of selective wave fixtures
should wave soldering be required. Secondary side active devices exposed to wave soldering must be
able to withstand a minimum soldering temperature of 500oF (260 oC).
3. Place similarly packaged components together in arrays or rows and orient in the same direction.
Keep polarity and pin 1 silkscreen and orientation consistent. Active devices and tantalum capacitors
are common examples. This will help improve component alignment (eliminating excessive machine
and head rotations), ease visual inspection, and minimize wrong polarity/orientation defects.
4. Distribute components evenly by size and mass across the board to minimize warpage during SMT
reflow and other PCBA soldering operations.
5. Keep connectors and sockets on the primary side of the PCB. Use SMT sockets supplied in tape and
reel format where possible. If the design mandates connectors on the secondary side, consider using
press-fit connectors that do not require processing through the wave-soldering machine.
 6. Do not place through-hole devices on both sides of the PCB. It is a preferred design option to have
PTH devices placed on primary side of PCB.
7. Always allow for testability/test access. For single sided SMT assemblies the front-most corner of the
PCB leading edge (typically the narrowest side) must be square to allow SMT machine sensors to
detect the board. Consult with the Manufacturing Engineer for board leading edge identification. For
double-sided SMT assemblies both narrow sides must be square, as the board will be automatically
turned over.
8. Design for automation and minimum manual operation.
9. Design for simplicity.
10. Design for standard assembly and test requirements.
11. Incorporate built in self-test and boundary scan.
12. Avoid the use of jumper wires and any manual add-on operations.
13. Minimize use of discrete components. Consider embedded technology where applicable.
14. Use standard parts. Standard parts reduce cost, delay and risk of adding a new part to the parts
library.
15. Design for ease of orientation. The less a part has to be twisted or turned to get it into place the
easier and cheaper to assemble. Further, parts oriented uniformly make inspection easier and
reduce assembly handling time and effort.
16. Design to minimize the number of soldering and cleaning steps required.
17. Eliminate device adjustment requirements, such as done on manual switches, potentiometer, etc.,
which requires off-line manual operations that can add cost and increase cycle time.
18. Design for variability. Allow room for some of the predictable variations such as lead width variation
on a fine pitch component. Design pads that are optimized to reliably accommodate the lead width
variations.
19. Take component, equipment and land pattern design parameters at or near their most generous
limit. Generally the more generous design approach rarely affects the overall board size.

1.2 BOARD CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS

20. Allow 0.200” (5mm) wide clearance strips along the longer edges of top and bottom side of the PCB
to avoid interference with machine conveyor belts, clamping and fixturing used throughout the PCB
assembly process. In addition, only if direction of board flow is accorded between PCB designer and
EMS (Equipment engineer, Process engineer, Manufacturing engineer, etc.) avoid placing SMDs
within 0.050” (1.27 mm) of the edge of the remaining two sides, as these components are prone to
handling damage and cracking especially if edge racks are used in the assembly environment. For
multiple boards arranged on a panel, this guideline applies to the panel. See image reference below.

Note: if direction of board flow is not defined, it is highly recommended to leave 0.200” (5mm) in all edges of
the board. This will prevent for process issues in assembly line if direction of board flow is changed.

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1.3 LOCATION REFERENCES (Tooling holes or datum holes)

21. Tooling holes provide the locating references to which all holes are drilled and punched. These
references are also used to accurately position the board on automated assembly equipment (auto
insertion, de-panelization routers, electrical test, inspection, etc) and reduce circuit board tolerance
accumulation. Tooling holes are also known as datum holes. See image reference below.

1.4 Through Hole Diameters; Lead Protrusion, TH Pad Size.

Through hole diameters, lead protrusion and pad sizes must follow IPC-7251, IPC-2222 and IPC-2221
standards.

1.5 Depanelization
Depanelization must be completed using v-score, routings and/or mouse-bite techniques only.

1.6 PCB Surface Finish

Organic Surface Protection (OSP) ENTEK CU-106A must be used for assemblies that will go through multiple
assembly operations.