Different types of printed circuit boards
PCB is the short for printed circuit board; it is also called circuit board. It is a very important electronic part and the mounting plate for other electronic parts, furthermore, it also provides connection for different parts. In short, PCB is simply the board with integrated circuit.
There are many different types of PCB now. We are going to list different types of circuit board in the article based on different categories. There are single layer board, double sides board and multi-layer board if you categorize by the application. There are flexible PCB, rigid PCB and flexible and rigid PCB if you categorize by the material.
2）Double sides Board
The circuit board has wiring on both sides. In order to connect the wires on both sides, it is necessary to have an appropriate circuit connection between the two sides. The connection between these circuits is called the guide hole(via). The guide hole is on the printed circuit board, filled/coated with metal holes, it can be connected with the two sides of the wire. Because the double sides board is much larger than the single board, so the wiring can be crossed. It is the reason why double sides board can be applied for the more complicated circuit diagram than the single board.
3）Multi-layer board
In order to increase the area that can be routed, the multilayer board consists of more singles or double side boards. The multilayer board consists of a number of double panels and places insulation between each board. The layers of the circuit board represent how many layers of separate wiring layers, usually the number of layers are even, and contain the outermost two layers.
2）Rigid PCB
Rigid PCB is made of paper backing or grass fabric, covered with copper-clad laminate on the surface. It is not flexible but it is strong and can provide support for the components. It is cheap to prototype with rigid board, only start from $4.9
3）Flexible and rigid PCB
It consists of flexible PCB and rigid PCB on one board. The advantage of board is that it can support components and it can be flexible, which is the perfect fit for the three-dimension assembly.
1. Categorized by the circuit layers
There are single layer board, double sides board and multi-layer board if you categorize by the application. 2 layers PCB and 4 layers are quite popular for it is easy to design and cheaper for prototype. ( Like in Seeed Fusion PCB service, you can just have 10 pieces for $4.9 2 layers PCB. $0.49 for one piece,that is very friendly for prototype designer. ) It can go up to 40 layers for very complicated function, like for communication industry or military industry. 1) Single Side Board This is the basic circuit board and all the parts are on one side and the wire on the other side. This is why it is called sigle side board. Since there are many restriction in designing single side board( the wire can not cross and need to have its own circuit). Only the earlier board would choose single board.
2）Double sides Board
The circuit board has wiring on both sides. In order to connect the wires on both sides, it is necessary to have an appropriate circuit connection between the two sides. The connection between these circuits is called the guide hole(via). The guide hole is on the printed circuit board, filled/coated with metal holes, it can be connected with the two sides of the wire. Because the double sides board is much larger than the single board, so the wiring can be crossed. It is the reason why double sides board can be applied for the more complicated circuit diagram than the single board.
3）Multi-layer board
In order to increase the area that can be routed, the multilayer board consists of more singles or double side boards. The multilayer board consists of a number of double panels and places insulation between each board. The layers of the circuit board represent how many layers of separate wiring layers, usually the number of layers are even, and contain the outermost two layers.
2. Categorized by the materials
1）Flexible PCB Flexible board is made of FPC substrate. It is very suitable for electronic assembly since its flexible ability. FPCB has a widely application areas, like aviation, military, communication, laptop, PDA, digital camera.It is more expensive than rigid board, you can check the flexible PCB instant quote in Seeed Fusion
2）Rigid PCB
Rigid PCB is made of paper backing or grass fabric, covered with copper-clad laminate on the surface. It is not flexible but it is strong and can provide support for the components. It is cheap to prototype with rigid board, only start from $4.9
3）Flexible and rigid PCB
It consists of flexible PCB and rigid PCB on one board. The advantage of board is that it can support components and it can be flexible, which is the perfect fit for the three-dimension assembly.
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