If you have decided to order a printed circuit board, or a PCB, from a manufacturer, you are going to need to make sure that you specify the types of connections that you want in order to make sure that the board works for you. Here are some tips for laying out your PCB so that it is the best that it can be.

1. Use Separate Force and Sense Connections Near the Load

Your first step is to make sure that you are using separate force and sense connections near the load. The reason for this is that you want to be absolutely sure that your PCD does not suffer any errors should the voltage drop from the force to where it is sensed. This could cause your PCB to use the incorrect logic and cause problems in whatever you are using it to run. If you use separate force and sense connections, it will be impossible for the errors that would result after a drop in voltage to even be picked up, allowing your PCB to continue to function normally and continue running your machine. This will only work on PCBs that include negative feedback.

2. Keep Your Ground Plane Large and Free of Anything Impeding Flow of Energy

You want to be sure that you allow the energy to flow free through the ground plane of your PCB. This means that you don't have any connections that overlap that could cause the energy to be diverted. In order to avoid these impediments, you can simply keep the area that your ground plane takes up large enough to handle all of the connections and allow you to lay out your circuits so that no two connections have the chance to divert one another.

3. Avoid Using Sockets

Finally, don't use the traditional sockets for the integrated circuit ground pins. Instead, solder them so that they are directly touching the ground plane. This will allow you to further minimize the chances that there will be any resistance. If you are creating a PCB that is designed to run at a very high speed, you need to be absolutely sure that you don't use the sockets because they will create too much resistance to allow the speed of energy transfer that you need.

For more information, talk to a company that specializes in manufacturing PCBs, like Streamline Circuits. They will be able to look over your circuit design and let you know if you are creating the most effective layout possible.