The Engineering Projects

Challenges Every HR Manager Is Likely To Face

Irrespective of the size and nature of your business, managing human resources is a herculean task. Enforcing your company policies and handling grievances while keeping the workforce motivated and engaged demands a lot of communication and cooperation. In addition to this, your human resources department also needs to identify the skill gaps that exist in the workforce and hire the right candidates to fill them. Thus, HR managers can be considered as both the heart and brain of your organisation. They ensure a smooth workflow by keeping a check on company standards and needs.

However, in the last few years, the role of an HR manager has extended beyond the traditional hiring and firing activities. It has now become more focused on areas like employee engagement, training and development, etc. While this has offered HR professionals an opportunity to develop new skills, it has also posed new challenges for them.

Therefore, if you are planning to develop a career in this field, you must prepare yourself to overcome all of these challenges. And to help you in doing so, we have listed the top 5 challenges that every HR manager is likely to face. Read and develop your skills accordingly!

1. Employee training and development

One of the biggest challenges for an HR manager is to train and develop his workforce. While everybody wants to learn new skills, nobody wants to put in the hard work that it demands. Employees hate sitting in classrooms for long hours and going through the lengthy course material. Such negative feelings make learning a stressful experience for them and they fail to retain the information that they received during the session. This defies the whole motive of organising the employee training programme. In addition to this, shortage of money, time and other resources can also make it difficult for small businesses to train their employees.

Fortunately, technology has the solution for all these problems. Big or small, every business can implement learning management systems, to integrate the benefits of eLearning into their training programmes. These systems are not only cost-effective but also make learning an interactive and engaging activity by gamifying the courses.

2. Recruiting new talent

With the ever-increasing size of businesses and new operational areas surfacing every day, attracting and hiring new talent has become one of the biggest challenges of human resource managers. They need to analyse the existing skills inventory to identify the gaps. Then, they are required to choose the right tool to attract potential candidates. It is after this point that the real struggle begins. The main task is to dig through all the applications and conduct n number of interviews to find out the right man for the job. This demands a lot of time as well as great attention to detail. After all, their decision defines the future of the organisation.

3. Ensuring mental and emotional wellbeing of the employees

Gone are the days where all employees needed was their organisations to pay them correctly and on time. Today, ensuring the mental and emotional wellbeing of the employees has become crucial for every organisation around the world. This means that HR managers are now required to motivate employees not only to perform better but also to share their feelings freely. This is a tough feat to achieve as it involves understanding the attitude of every employee and then devising an approach that meets their emotional needs in the best way possible.

4. Managing remote workforce

The COVID 19 pandemic has given birth to a fairly new and tough challenge for HR professionals. With employees working remotely, keeping them engaged and motivated is a different task altogether. While they could previously use tools like office parties, gaming nights, etc to give employees some space to relax, the online mode of working has forced them to develop innovative ways to achieve this goal.

Conclusion

Managing human resources is never easy. From ensuring compliance with statutory laws to developing and implementing training, recruitment and wellbeing programmes for employees, it requires you to address many issues. Thus, if you wish to create a successful career in this field, you should be ready to face unique challenges every day.

BJT: Definition, Symbol, Working, Characteristics, Types & Applications

Hello friends, I hope this article finds you happy, healthy, and content. Today, we are about to discuss one of the most commonly known types of transistors which you might have heard of many times when reading about transistors, the transistor under study is none other than the “Bipolar Junction Transistor’’, also known as BJT . In this article, we will go through the basics of the bipolar junction transistor including its meaning ,definition, types, characteristics, and applications. So, let's get started.

Definition of BJT

A BJT in its full form is written as bipolar junction transistor and we can define it as, "A bipolar junction transistor is a three-terminal semiconductor device which is made up of two PN junctions within its structure and is mainly used to amplify current"

History of the bipolar junction transistor_ BJT

• Prior to the bipolar junction transistors, vacuum tubes were used in electronic circuits which were highly expensive, those too were available in the form of a triode which was a three terminal device like a transistor back then.
• The vacuum tube triodes remained a hyped-up thing for almost half of a century, but they occupied large space and were less reliable in terms of usage, the other major drawback was the increase in complications related to current, voltage and whatnot just by increasing the number of vacuum triodes in the circuit.
• So when scientists were done with controlling electrons inside a vacuum tube and its unruly behavior, they started devising other ways to run and control circuits.
• Finally, in 1947 the efforts of john Walter and Bardeen a rough two-point contact device was made which was nowhere near to the modern of a bipolar junction transistor but it laid the foundation for the construction of a solid-state transistor when previously everything was vacuum!
• After this not-so-recognized venture, William Shockley made a successful attempt of making a bipolar junction transistor by pressing together the wafers of semiconductor materials.
• And guess what? William Shockley, John Walter, and Bardeen were awarded with the Noble Prize for their achievements in 1956.
• The invention of bipolar junction transistors revolutionized the world of electronics beyond imagination.
• Until the last decades of the 19th century, bipolar junction transistors were manufactured individually as separate components and individual devices but later on, with the invention of integrated circuits, the world saw another electronic revolution.

Features of BJT

Here are some of the peculiar features of bipolar junction transistors;

• BJT by which we mean bipolar junction transistor is a current-controlled device, you will, later on, get to know how it works. Keep reading!
• As the name indicates BJT is a bipolar device, which means it uses both the electrons and holes as charge carriers to perform its function.

Symbol of BJT

Bipolar junction Transistor shortly known as BJT has the following three components;

• Base
• Emitter
• Collector
• All of the three components are represented in the symbol given below as B, E, and E.

Refer to the diagram given below showing the symbol of NPN and PNP Bipolar Junction Transistors;

• The direction of flow of current is indicated by the direction of Arrowhead.
• Symbols for different types of BJTs differ accordingly, do not confuse yourself when you see two or more slightly different ones!

Working Principle of a Bipolar Junction Transistor

• The working principle of both the NPN and PNP transistor is almost the same, both of them differ in the conduction of current through charge carriers based on the majority and minority of charge carriers.
• The NPN Bipolar junction Transistor has the majority of charge carriers as electrons.
• The PNP Bipolar junction Transistor has the majority of charge carriers as holes.
• The current flow is not the result of majority charge carriers despite their quantity, the current flow is due to minority charge carriers in a bipolar junction transistor that is why they are also named as minority carrier devices.
• The emitter-base junction is always forward biased.
• The collector-base junction represented by CB is always reverse biased.
• The Emitter current is written as IE=IB + IC
• If we consider base current to be very small in actual measurement then we can say that; IE~IC

Types of Bipolar Junction Transistor

As we already know the basic components of the bipolar junction transistor, we would now discuss its type. Bipolar junction Transistor has the following two types;

• NPN bipolar junction transistor
• PNP bipolar junction transistor

The image given below shows the types of BJT along with their usage for different purposes; Now we will discuss both of these types in detail.

1. NPN Bipolar Junction Transistor

As the name indicates, in an NPN Bipolar junction Transistor a p-type semiconductor is sandwiched between the two n-type semiconductors just as a cheese slice between two sides of a bun. Refer to the diagram given below for a better understanding; According to the conventional rules when the current moves into a certain component of the transistor it is labeled as positive meanwhile when it leaves the component it is labeled as negative. As we already know, the NPN transistor consists of two PN junctions, made by fusing the two n semiconductors with one p-type semiconductor. The n-type emitter region is heavily doped because it has to pass on charge carriers to the base. The base is not heavily doped and is very thin as compared to the emitter and collector, imagine the size of the cheese slice as compared to the buns! It transfers charge carriers to the corresponding collector. The collector of the NPN transistor is moderately doped and as the name indicates, it collects the charge carriers from the base. Working of NPN Bipolar Junction Transistor

• Consider the following circuit diagram to understand how an NPN Bipolar junction Transistor works.

• As already told, the NPN Bipolar Junction Transistor has two PN junctions, so for forward biasing we connect the base-emitter junction with the power supply VBE.
• The collector-base junction represented by the CE Junction is reverse biased by applying the voltage VCB.
• The depletion region of the two PN junctions varies in size, do you remember what a depletion region is? In simple words depletion region opposes the flow of current, it acts like a barrier or a block to current flow and is the area where mobile electrons are not present. Have a look at the diagram given below,

• You must be thinking about why the emitter-base region has a smaller depletion region, meanwhile, the collector-emitter junction has a wider one? Let me solve it for you, It is due to the reason that the base-emitter region is forward-biased!
• NPN-type Bipolar junction Transistor has a majority of electrons, when the emitter-base junction is forward biased, the electrons start flowing towards the base which is lightly doped, only a few of the electrons would combine with the base holes and the rest of them would then travel to the collector. The current is due to minority charge carriers as we discussed earlier.
• The current flowing through the emitter-base junction is the emitter current IB, meanwhile, the current flowing through the base is called base current and is represented by IB.
• Base current IB is very limited as compared to the other types of current present in the circuit.
• The remaining electrons that missed the recombination pass through the collector-base region to the collector which produces the collector current IC.
• The emitter current is written as; IE = IB+ IC

PNP bipolar junction transistor

• PNP bipolar junction transistor is made up of two layers of p-type semiconductor which sandwich the n-type semiconductor layer in between.
• The entrance for the current is the emitter terminal in the PNP Bipolar Junction Transistor.
• The emitter-base junction represented by EB is forward-biased in this case.
• On the parallel lines collector base junction represented by CB is reverse-biased.
• The emitter current IE is positive meanwhile base current IB and collector current IC are negative.
• When we talk about the voltage, VEB the emitter-base voltage is positive meanwhile VCB and VCE are negative.
• NPN and PNP bipolar junction transistors work on the same principle, the only difference they have is of the majority and minority charge carriers. Can you figure out the current flow in a PNP transistor from the image given below?

I-V Characteristics of Bipolar Junction Transistor

To study the input characteristics, output characteristics, and common current characteristics we need to understand the different configurations of bipolar junction transistors. There are three types of configurations for bipolar junction transistors, let's list all three:

• Common Base configuration
• Common emitter configuration
• Common collector configuration
• First things first, do you have any idea about the characteristics of a Bipolar Junction Transistor, or what are they? And how we determine them? Putting it straight, The I-V characteristics of Bipolar Junction Transistor is simply the graphical manifestation of the current and voltage of a transistor.
• To study the characteristics cover of the bipolar junction transistor, we will go through the different modes of a Bipolar Junction Transistor which you would be seeing in the curves.

Working Modes of a Bipolar Junction Transistor

There are three dominant regions in which a bipolar junction transistor works;

• Active region
• Saturated region
• Cut off region

Active Region of a Bipolar Junction Transistor

• In The active region of a bipolar junction transistor in which the collector base region is forward biased meanwhile the emitter base junction is reverse biased.
• In the active region of a bipolar junction transistor, the transistor works as an amplifier.

Saturated Region of a Bipolar Junction Transistor

In the saturated region the Bipolar Junction Transistor passes a saturated current after reaching a maximal value of threshold voltage. In the saturated region, our bipolar junction transistor works as a switch, an ON switch, and the collector current is fairly equal to the emitter current.

Cut Off Region of a Bipolar Junction Transistor

As the name indicates there is no collector current in the circuit in this region. The transistor is off and the collector is in a reverse-biased state. The image given below reflects the overall voltage story of BJT in different regions; As we are done with the regions and modes in which our Bipolar Junction Transistor works, let us discuss different configurations and their input and output characteristics

Common Base Configuration of a Bipolar Junction Transistor

In the common-base configuration, the base terminal of Bipolar Junction Transistor is connected within the input and output terminals of the transistor.

Input characteristics Common Base Configuration of a Bipolar Junction Transistor

• The input characteristics are plotted between the emitter current IE and the emitter-base voltage VEB for the varying values of collector-base voltage VCB.

• We can clearly observe the trend from the graph that, The Emitter base junction is forward biased so the emitter current IE increases with the increasing values of VEB as the collector base Voltage VCB increases.

Output characteristics Common Base Configuration of a Bipolar Junction Transistor

• The output characteristics of Common Base Configuration of a Bipolar Junction Transistor are plotted between the output voltage VCB and output current IC, follow the graph given below for better understanding;

• Change in the emitter current IE results in the changing values of collector current IC.
• The Emitter current IE and Emitter Base Voltage VEB are positive because the region is forward biased.
• You can observe the active region in the graph, the phase in which the transistor operates at its maximal potential.

Common emitter configuration of a bipolar junction transistor

In the common-emitter configuration of a bipolar junction transistor, the emitter terminal is connected between both the input and output terminals, the thing you already know! Don’t you?

Input characteristics Common emitter configuration of a bipolar junction transistor

• The graph for the Common emitter configuration of a bipolar junction transistor is plotted between the base current IB and the Base emitter voltage of VBE, for the increasing values of Collector-Emitter voltage, as you can see in the graph plotted below;

• We can clearly observe from the plotted graph, that the value of base current increases with the increasing value of base-emitter voltage.

Output characteristics Common emitter configuration of a bipolar junction transistor

• For the common emitter configuration, the output characteristics are plotted between the collector current IC with the varying values of collector-emitter voltage VCE.
• The graph represents the working of the bipolar junction transistor in three regions namely saturated region, active region, cut off region.
• The active region is the region in which the current increases with the voltage but it has not reached its maximal value.
• The saturated region represents the saturated current when the voltage has reached its maximal value. Can you spot all the mentioned regions in the graph given above?

• In the cut-off region, the emitter region is reverse biased with a minimal amount of current.

Early effect in Bipolar Junction Transistor

• Here is another important term to be discussed when we are discussing the output characteristics of the bipolar junction transistor which is known as The Early Effect of a bipolar junction transistor, this phenomenon holds an important place when we talk about the I-V characteristics of a bipolar junction transistor. So, without any further delay let's see what is Early Effect in a BJT?
• As some of you might have presumed Early effect is one of the earlier manifestations of the collector current or anything like this, let me burst your bubble, it is definitely not true! Early effect in the Bipolar Junction Transistor is named after the scientist James M Early.
• Early effect in the bipolar junction transistor is the change in the effective width of the base region by applying the collector-base voltage VCB.
• The circuit diagram given below represents the early effect in a bipolar junction transistor;

• It causes the increase in reverse bias condition of the collector-base junction or in simple words it amplifies the reverse biasing of the collector-base junction causing a considerable decrease in the width of the Base region of the Bipolar junction Transistor.
• The early effect is fairly important in the output characteristics of common emitter and common collector configuration.
• Due to the Early Effect in bipolar junction transistor, the Collector Current represented by IC increases by the increasing the Collector-Emitter Voltage VCE.
• Consider the following graph for better understanding;

Common Collector Configuration of a Bipolar Junction Transistor

You might go through the following names of common collector configuration, we all have nick names and alternate names, and same goes for this configuration;

• Grounded collector configuration
• Voltage follower circuit
• Emitter follower circuit

• In Common Collector Configuration of a Bipolar Junction Transistor, The collector terminal is kept common within the input and output terminal of the circuit, as we are at the end of our discussion, can you tell which is the input terminal and which one is the output terminal?
• The input terminal is the place where the input signal for the base is given meanwhile the output terminal is the point where the Output signal is obtained between the collector and the emitter.
• An important thing to note is that the common collector configuration has very high input impedance.

Input characteristics Common Collector Configuration of a Bipolar Junction Transistor

• The input characteristics for Common Collector Configuration of a Bipolar Junction Transistor are plotted between the base current IB and Base collector voltage VBC. Refer to the following graph for better understanding,

• The base current IB is presented on the y axis meanwhile the collector-base voltage VCB is presented on the x-axis.
• The output voltage VBC increases with the increasing value of IB, you can follow the graph for better understanding.

Output characteristics of Common Collector Configuration of a Bipolar Junction Transistor

• The output characteristics of the common collector configuration are plotted between the emitter current IE and emitter-collector voltage VCE. Follow the graph for better understanding;

• The output for the voltage VCE is plotted for different values from zero to the maximal range.
• You can observe different regions for the output values, such as the Saturation region, Active region, and cut-off region of the graph, I hope by now you have a clear idea what these regions represent. These are the same corresponding values as we studied earlier in the emitter-collector configuration.

Comparison of bipolar junction transistor with other transistors

As we have been discussing the transistors lately, Let us compare bipolar junction transistors with other types of available transistors such as Field-effect transistor FET and MOSFET, metal oxide semiconductor Field-effect transistor. The following section would help you find clear difference between the BJT and FET.

 BJT vs FET/JFET

• First things first, both of these transistors belong to two different families of the transistor.
• The bipolar junction transistor as the name clearly indicates is bipolar and JFET/FET is unipolar. If you don't have any idea about the unipolar and bipolar transistors, let me tell you, they are named after the conduction process which involves only one type of charge carriers taking the name of unipolar transistors and the one requiring both types of the charge carriers electrons as well as holes, they are named bipolar transistors.
• Bipolar Junction Transistor is a current-controlled device meanwhile FET is a voltage-controlled device.
• Bipolar junction transistors are a bit noisy than FETs.
• Bipolar junction transistors have higher input impedance than the Field-Effect Transistors.
• Bipolar junction transistors have lesser thermal stability than the FETs
• There are three functional components of a bipolar junction transistor named as base, emitter, and collector, meanwhile, FET has different components named as the base, source and drain.
• Bipolar junction transistors are larger in size than the JFETs.
•  Bipolar junction transistors is less expensive than the Field effect transistor.

As you might already know that Junction Field Effect Transistors are a type of Field Effect Transistors so I haven’t made a separate heading for the comparison of BJT first with FETs overall and then individually with JFET and MOSFET. Comparison is the thief of joy so this upcoming section about the comparisons of BJTs would be the last one for the Bipolar Junction Transistors, Let’s begin;

 BJT vs MOSFET

Let us now compare bipolar junction transistors with MOSFET;

• BJT stands for bipolar junction Transistor meanwhile MOSFET stands for Metal Oxide Field-Effect Transistors.
• A bipolar junction Transistor is a current controlled device meanwhile MOSFET is a Voltage Controlled Device.
• A bipolar junction Transistor has three components named as emitter-collector and a base, meanwhile, a MOSFET has four components being the body, source, drain, and gate.
• The output of a Bipolar junction Transistor can be controlled by controlling Base current meanwhile output of a MOSFET can be controlled by controlling Gate voltage.
• Bipolar junction Transistor has a negative temperature coefficient meanwhile MOSFET has a positive temperature coefficient.
• Both Bipolar junction transistors and MOSFET are used for switching but the bipolar junction Transistor has a low switching frequency meanwhile MOSFET high switching frequency.
• Bipolar junction transistor is a bipolar device meanwhile MOSFET is a unipolar device.
• Bipolar junction Transistor has a high input impedance meanwhile MOSFET has a low input impedance.
• Bipolar junction Transistors are a bit noisy than MOSFETs.
• Bipolar junction Transistors are used in low current applications meanwhile MOSFETs are used in high power applications.
• MOSFETs are preferred for industrial use as compared to bipolar junction transistors because of their higher efficiency.

In case you want a detailed overview on the MOSFET, you can read our detailed article on this topic including definition, types, working and applications.

Applications of the Bipolar Junction Transistor

As we are done with our discussion on the basics and types of bipolar junction transistors let us discuss some of their applications. We already know the bipolar junction transistors are simple and cheaper to manufacture with lesser efficiency than other modern transistors such as MOSFET, there are still some areas where only BJTs are used because as they say old is gold! Let's move to the last segment of our discussion BJTs have countless uses, but here is a brief list for you to go through before we study the detailed applications of Bipolar Junction Transistors through and through;

• BJT can be used in clipping circuits, for a detailed outlook on this you can read our article on transistors.
• Bipolar Junction Transistors are used for signal demodulation.
• We use BJT for amplifying current due to its current gain characteristics.
• High-frequency applications such as radio frequency also involve Bipolar Junction Transistors.
• Bipolar Junction Transistors are used for discrete circuit designs because of their easy availability and low-cost manufacturing.
• Bipolar Junction Transistors are frequently used in analog circuits.

Now it's time to have a detailed discussion on the applications of a bipolar junction transistor;

1. BJT as a Switch

• You can easily guess how a BJT can work as a switch as we have already discussed its working in detail. Let us go through a brief breakdown of the process;
• When we have to use a Bipolar Junction Transistor as a switch, we need to keep our circuit on the toes, i.e. we have to constantly alter the current between the saturation phase and the cut off phase of a bipolar junction transistor. Can you recall both the phases? In case you can’t scroll up and read it again.
• In the cut off phase there is reverse biasing of collector base junction and we do not get any current.
• Meanwhile in the saturation phase of the Bipolar Junction Transistor it is working on its maximal potential.
• When the Bipolar Junction Transistor is operational in its Saturation region, there is no voltage drop across the circuit and it is carrying maximal current according to its definite capacity, in this condition we take it as a closed switch.
• On the parallel lines, in the cut off region, there is no conduction of current due to reverse biasing so we can say that our Bipolar Junction Transistor is working as an open switch.
• Now you know, how our Bipolar Junction Transistor also known as BJT works as a switch.

2. Bipolar Junction Transistor as Amplifiers

• If you can recall the characteristics of the bipolar junction transistor you might remember that a BJT acts as an amplifier when it is operated in its saturated region.
• The current gain of the bipolar junction transistors depends upon the alpha and beta characteristics of the transistor.
• Due to a huge current gain, the bipolar junction transistor is used in amplifiers in different configurations we have already discussed in detail, can you recall any of them? No worries, I'm listing the three of them again;
• Common-base configuration
• Common-emitter configuration
• Common-collector configuration

3. Bipolar Junction Transistors in Logic Gates

• Who has not been through the world of logic gates if he or she is somehow related to the world of electronics! I was always in a love-hate relationship with the logic gates.

Emitter Coupled Logic

• Bipolar junction transistors are a significant part of ECL, emitter-coupled logic.
• The ECLs are never ever operated in saturated mode, they have a high input impedance and low output impedance.
• The current keeps on rolling between the ECL pair hence each gate constantly keeps on drawing current, can you think of any of the disadvantages it may cause? Let me solve it for you, The ECL dissipates more energy than the other families of transistors.
• The Emitter Coupled logic is also named as;

• Current mode logic CML
• Current switch emitter follower logic CSEMFL
• Current Mode logic CML

Fusion of MOSFET and BJT

• The other new hyped-up thing is the fusion of MOSFET and BJT making a BiCMOS, a bipolar CMOS which reaps the benefits of both, the bipolar junction transistor and MOSFET.
• In case you are trying to figure out the meaning of that C in BiCMOS, please don't open a new tab, I'll let you know, it stands for Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor, thank me later!

4. Bipolar junction transistors as logarithmic converter

• The changes in the junctions of the BJT are logarithmic as we already know that the voltage of our base-emitter changes with the change in the algorithm of our current in the collector-emitter and base-emitter current during different biasing modes.
• So due to this specialty and predictability in the nature of bipolar junction transistors, we can easily make a BJT to calculate logarithms and anti-logarithms in any circuit.
• You must be thinking that we can render a diode for this purpose as well, why are we not using a diode instead? The answer lies in the high circuit flexibility and stability of a Bipolar Junction transistor, which a diode can’t provide.

5. Bipolar junction transistors in Temperature Sensors

• In our previous section, we discussed that the temperature coefficient for the Bipolar Junction transistors is small, so due to this property they can be used as temperature sensors.
• Now you must be thinking how we can do that practically, there is a simple method to measure the temperature.
• The base-emitter junction of a BJT has a very stable and predictable current transfer function which depends on temperature, which is why Bipolar Junction transistors are used in Temperature sensors.
• Following relationships exists between the current and voltage of the two junctions at different temperatures;

In the above-mentioned equation;

• K is the Boltzmann constant
• T is the temperature in Calvin
• VBE is the Base emitter current
• IC1 and IC2 are the output current at the same temperature on two different junctions.

So friends, this last segment on the applications of BJT concludes our discussion on Bipolar Junction Transistor. I presume you have learned something new from the article, I know some of the portions are a bit difficult to grasp as well especially if you are reading it for the very first time, but don't worry it is not humanly possible to understand everything at once, give it another chance even if it is the bipolar junction transistor or anything else in your life, a second turn never hurts anyone! I'll see you soon with another discussion, Have a good day ahead!

7 Things Companies Get Wrong When Choosing a Cloud Storage Provider

Cloud storage providers are important for companies to keep their files organized, share files with others, and back up their information in case of an attack or disaster. But there are many ways to approach this decision incorrectly or inefficiently, especially considering the hundreds of providers you have to choose from.

What are the most common mistakes companies make when choosing a cloud storage provider, and how can you avoid them?

The Importance of Cloud Storage

The importance of cloud storage software is hard to overstate. Your decision will have an effect on:

• File storage. How can you be sure that your files are stored fully and reliably? With an unreliable or untested provider, you’ll never feel 100 percent confident that your materials are being properly held.
• File security. You’ll also need to consider the security of your files. If something happens to the storage provider’s main data center, is there a backup that will keep your files safe? Will your content be defended against would-be cybercriminals? Can you share your files safely and reliably?
• Collaboration, sharing, and productivity. Most companies use their cloud storage provider’s services as a way to conveniently collaborate, share, and work together within the organization. Accordingly, your choice will have a significant impact on your bottom-line productivity – and therefore your profitability.
• Organization and management. Cloud storage providers also dictate the tools available to help you organize and manage your files. With the wrong software or an unreliable system, it’s going to be hard to keep all your individual files (and versions) straight, leading to bureaucratic messes and massive time delays – not to mention potentially lost files.

What Most Companies Get Wrong

So where do companies go wrong with this decision?

1. Going with the first available option. There are hundreds of cloud storage apps and solutions to choose from, so it’s not always the best idea to go with the first name that comes to mind. You might be familiar with a specific brand because it’s mentioned frequently or because you’ve seen an ad from them in the past, but this is no indication of quality or reliability. Most of the time, it’s better to research and try many different cloud storage solutions to see which one will work best for your organization.
2. Underestimating storage needs. How much data will you need to store? Depending on your needs, you may require a higher service tier or a different product altogether. Fortunately, many cloud storage providers offer “unlimited” data storage at certain subscription levels, allowing you infinite flexibility. But if you’re going with a finite cap, make sure you give yourself plenty of room to grow.
3. Neglecting security. While most cloud storage providers take security very seriously, you can’t take it as a given. The security of your files is your responsibility, so it’s on you to research the security standards of your chosen supplier and adequately prepare your own measures. How is this company backing up and protecting your information? What measures will you need to take to ensure your accounts remain secure? Even simple measures, like choosing a strong password, can help you boost your security here.
4. Opting for the cheapest app. Most businesses operate with tight budgets in mind – especially if they’re new or are working with limited revenue. It’s certainly acceptable to search for a cloud storage solution with your budget in mind, but it’s inadvisable to go with the cheapest possible solution. You’ll be missing out on a number of features – and you might not get the best service or the best fit for your organization.
5. Choosing something totally out-of-the-box. Your organization likely needs at least some flexibility and customizability when it comes to a cloud storage solution. It’s not always the best choice to go with something out-of-the-box. Consider building your own solution from scratch or going with a solution that can be tailored to your exact needs.
6. Assuming good software will fix every issue. Your cloud storage solution should solve a number of problems in your organization – but even the best software won’t solve all those issues. You’ll still need to practice good habits and polish your workflows if you want to remain productive, cost-efficient, and secure in your file management.
7. Planning for today instead of the future. When buying a cloud storage platform, it’s important to think about the short-term and long-term future. Buying a platform that serves you today, but may not serve you in a year or two, is a bad move.

As long as you’re making this decision seriously and keeping all your top priorities in mind, you’ll be in a good position to avoid most of these pitfalls. With a better cloud storage provider, your organization will be well poised to succeed.

Setup Arduino Environment for NodeMCU Programming

In the previous tutorial, we have discussed the basics of ESP8266 modules and have also had a look at the different WiFi modules based on ESP8266. In today's tutorial, we are going to set up Arduino Environment for NodeMCU Programming. Today we will prepare the development environment and build code to blink an LED and report status on the Serial Port (to validate the configuration). We will use the Arduino IDE for coding and the NodeMCU board (a module that works with an ESP8266). Simple integration. Zero hardware complexity.

The ESP8266 is an extremely robust and versatile microcontroller, which has proven to be a powerful tool in building Internet of Things solutions. What makes the ESP8266 such a popular tool is the perfect integration between a robust 32-bit processor and a fully functional WIFI module that already includes Internet Protocols.

A simple target, but the goal here is to prepare and test the development environment and introduce the programming mode.

Material

• 1x Computer/notebook with the minimum requirements to install Arduino IDE;
• 1x Mini-USB cable;
• 1x NodeMCU

Arduino IDE Install

•  Our first step is to download the Arduino IDE installer. It is available at this URL (https://www.arduino.cc/en/software).
• Figure 2 shows the latest stable version 1.8.15.
• It is recommended that you always have the most current version.
• So, if there’s a newer version when you download it, it’s the right for you. The Arduino community provides constant improvements to the IDE.

• On the right side, you can find the correct version for each Operating System and download the correct installer.
• We will not go into details here about how to install from the file. The Arduino page itself features an excellent manual on Getting Started.

• If this is your first contact with Arduino, I recommend checking out the Learn Arduino section as well.

Arduino IDE Presentation

• So, IDE installed, let's get to know the interface before making some important settings.
• If everything is ok, you should get the following result when running Arduino.

 

Text Editor

• The first thing that should catch your attention is that the code has already started with two functions.
• The “void setup()” and the “void loop()”.
• Arduino maintains a bootloader in the microcontroller, which is an initiator program responsible for preparing the hardware for correct operation.
• When we turn the module on power or press the reset button, the bootloader is the first program to run.

One of the bootloader's main responsibilities is to receive the code we send and write it to the microcontroller's memory. And when the code plays, the bootloader asks two questions:

1– What do I do first?

Answer: What does the “setup()” function say to do.

2– What do I do after “setup()”?

Answer: Repeatedly execute whatever the “loop()” function tells you to do.

• By default, we use the “setup()” function to inform whether a pin will operate as input or output, set the initial state of each pin used, set serial port Baud Rate, initialize additional configuration functions.

Verify and Upload Buttons

• Once our code is done, we need to check if everything is right and write the code in the microcontroller.
• The check button does a code check to identify syntax or library integration errors. Attention: logic errors are not checked; these are up to the programmer.
• The Upload button also performs the verification and then sends the code to the microcontroller via the Serial port.

Feedback Interface

• Perhaps the most important snippet of the IDE, here it reports the status of testing and recording. This is where you see if everything is ok.

Serial Monitor

• The Arduino IDE has a tool called Serial Monitor that allows direct communication with the microcontroller from the Serial port.
• It is possible to follow what is being sent by the module and send commands directly to it.

Two points of attention

1. The Communication Port (in the example COM3) must be selected in the Tools
2. The Baud Rate (in this case, 115200) must be entered correctly, otherwise, the data may become illegible or simply not appear.
3. Baud Rate can be set in the “setup()” function when preparing the recording

Boards Manager

• Each Arduino module has its peculiarities. Amount of memory, available pins, etc.
• Just as important as making a well-built code is telling the IDE which card model will be used.
• IDE Arduino already brings in its basic installation, the installation of boards that use ATMEGA microcontrollers.
• If you are going to use another type of board, it needs to be installed in Boards Manager (tools -> Boards Manager...).

•  Once installed, the board will be available and must be selected from the Tools -> Board menu.

Attention point

• Until Arduino version 1.8.15, modules using the ESP8266 do not appear available in Boards Manager.
• This is because it is not yet included in the official Arduino repository.
• For it to appear, it is necessary to add the path of a new repository.
• Do this by going to the File -> preferences menu and add http://arduino.esp8266.com/stable/package_esp8266com_index.json in the Additional Boards Manager URLs field.
• Press OK, close Arduino, and open it again.
• In Boards Manager the ESP8266 option will be available. Click install.

Once this step is completed, the main modules using the ESP8266 will be available. For our application, we will use nodeMCU 1.0.

Coding NodeMCU with Arduino IDE

• After choosing the board, choosing the port (note, the port will only appear when you connect the board to the USB), it's time to make our first code.
• The nodeMCU Module has a built-in LED and we will make it blink every 1 second.

• For this sketch, we don't need to include any additional libraries.
• When we inform Arduino that we are using the NodeMCU board, it already knows who the LED_BUILTIN is and which pin it is connected to.
• We use #define LED LED_BUILTIN just to give a more practical name to our LED, it could be used to name an external pin, for example, #define LED 13, alternatively, the original name could be used in the code.
• pinMode(LED, OUTPUT) and pinMode(13, OUTPUT) would have the same effect.
• The pinMode(LED, OUTPUT), by the way, is used to inform that this pin will operate as output. Note that this configuration was done inside the setup() function, so the pin will be prepared before being used in another function.
• Serial.begin(115200) initializes communication with the serial port at baud rate 115200. In our Loop function we will follow the sequence:
• Turn off the LED, write the pin status to the serial, wait for 1 second, turn the LED on, write the pin reading to the serial, wait for 1 second and start all over again.
• Here's the video demonstration of LED Blinking with NodeMCU:

So, that was all for today. I hope you guys have enjoyed today's tutorial on LED Blinking with NodeMCU. In the next tutorial, we will have a look at How to connect NodeMCU with webserver. Stay Tunned. Thanks !!! :)

ESP8266 based WiFi Modules for IoT Projects

The Internet of Things (IoT) and the Industry 4.0. Distinct technological revolutions but with a common goal: To integrate equipment (digital or analog) to a computer network.

And to be part of this revolution, the developer goes out of its way to include wired ethernet modules or WIFI modules in its circuits. Which increases complexity, circuit size and development cost.

What if I told you that already has a built-in WIFI microcontroller? And that it fits in the palm of your hand? For just 1 US dollar?

Today I’m going to introduce you to the ESP8266 microcontroller, from Espressif. And for those of you who already program in 8Bit microcontrollers like the Atmega328 (one of the most common on Arduino) and struggle to build your code in the modic SRAM’s 2KB and Flash memory’s 32KB… The ESP8266 offers 32KB to RAM and 512KB to Flash Memory … expandable up to 4MB.

 Did I get your attention? So, let’s go to a summary of the specs, provided by the manufacturer itself:

• 32-bit RISC architecture;
• 80MHz processor (can be expanded up to 160MHz);
• Operating Voltage of 3V;
• 32KB of RAM memory for instructions;
• 96KB of RAM memory for data;
• 64KB of ROM memory to boot;
• Flash memory preview by SPI (512KB to 4MB);
• Wireless 11 b/g/n standard;
• Operating modes: STA/AP/STA+AP;
• WEP, WPA, TKIP, AES security;
• Built-in TCP/IP protocol;
• QFN encapsulation with 32 pins;
• Main Peripherals: UART, GPIO, I2C, I2S, SDIO, PWM, ADC and SPI;
• Architecture with prediction of operation in energy saving

At this point you may have noticed that I stated that the ESP8266 has a 512KB Flash memory, extendable up to 4MB, but then I said that the module only provides this memory per SPI. Before explaining this, I want to draw your attention to another important point: The ESP8266 has a WIFI module inside a QFN package. WIFI is radio frequency! And how does it work without an antenna? The answer is: It doesn’t work!

The ESP8266Ex chip (this is its full name) needs an antenna to be connected to your antenna’s specific pins as well as a FLASH memory IC.

Started to get complicated? Don’t worry. With the idea of making the chip more accessible, several modules were developed that already include an antenna and a memory chip.

Understanding the need to include an antenna for the WIFI, a memory IC in the SPI and making pins more accessible, several manufacturers started working on ore “friendly” ESP8266’s versions. Among the best known are the ESP-01, ESP-03, ESP-05, ESP-07, ESP-12E, ESP-12F and NodeMCU. All of them have the esp8266 microcontroller in common, but they vary in size, antenna availability, memory size and pin availability. There are others, but today we’ll talk a little about them.

Where To Buy?
No.	Components	Distributor	Link To Buy
1	ESP8266	Amazon	Buy Now

ESP-01

It is the most common module in the ESP8266 range. It is compact (24.8 x 14.3 mm), the WIFI antenna is built in the board itself and has two GPIO pins that can be controlled according to programming. There are two significant drawbacks to this card:

• The pins are not intended for connection to a breadboard. Although they fit well, they end up shorting So, they necessarily need wires to extend the pins.
• The two available GPIOs play an important role in the board So it is necessary to pay attention to the level (high/low) when the board is initialized, or the board may mistakenly enter in programming mode. So, pins are safer operating as Outputs than as Inputs.

ESP-03

 

This version comes with a ceramic antenna, 7 GPIOs (two are those of the ESP-01 that require attention), a pair for UART, in size 17.4 x 12.2 mm. Smaller than 01? Yes! But that comes at a price: The encapsulation is another.

ESP-05

• No GPIOs available, it actually doesn’t even have a built-in antenna.
• This version was thought to incorporate WIFI to some other microcontroller (with the smallest possible size: 14.2 x 14.2 mm), so it has an external connector and UART pins to be manipulated by AT commands.

ESP-07

• The ESP-07 has both a ceramic antenna and an external connector. Looks a lot like the ESP-03, but leaves the meager analog pin available.
• In addition to incorporating a metallic cover that protects the circuit against magnetic interference.

ESP-12E and ESP-12F

Built-in antenna, 11 GPIOs, UART available, SPI available (not exactly, it’s still being used by the flash memory CI, but now you get the option to disable the memory and associate a larger one), an ADC pin (pause here to explain because it’s not that useful, The board operates with 3.3V, but the ADC is 0 – 1V. Low resolution, plus the big risk of damaging everything.).

The ESP-12E would be icing on the cake for the ESP8266’s boards, but the ESP-12F version handled an improvement in the antenna design and a little more pin protection.

NodeMCU

The NodeMCU module is to the ESP-12s as the Arduino UNO is to ATMEGA328s. A board with a protoboard compatible pinbus, all ESP-12 pins available, a 3.3V regulator to power the module (the VIN pin can receive 5V) and a UART – USB interface that turn the nodeMCU into a plug an play module.

There are versions with the ESP-12E (increasingly rare) and with the ESP-12F.

Now that we know a little more about the hardware, let’s take a look at how to program it.

There are different ways to programming the ESP8266. Different methods, different languages, among the most common, we have the ESP-IDF (manufacturer’s official. C programming) and others recommended, also, by the manufacturer: NodeMCU (Lua Script), Arduino (C++), MicroPython (you get one candy if you guess the language). It is possible to work with it in PlatformIO as well.

ESP-IDF

The ESP-IDF is the official Espressif solution. The SDK has a number of precompiled libraries and works with the Xtensa GCC compiler.

For a long time, the company has released RTOS and NON-OS versions in parallel. But since 2020 no NON-OS versions have been released (except minor bug fixes). Other modules from Espressif were born exclusive to RTOS versions, probably this was already part of the decision to bury the NON-OS. IN 2019, the company released a note stating that it would keep the main version, but that it would only operate in the correction of critical bugs. It even released some new features after that, but it doesn’t compare in quantity to the RTOS version.

This is without any doubt the most specialized tool that allows for the greatest customization at a low level. Drivers and libraries are customized for company modules. And specialization directly reflects on performance.

But the ESP-IDF lacks in complexity and size of the active community. Which ends up making the solution’s development a little slower. How does this happen? The programming is done in C- ANSI, in some cases with the directly treatment of registers, creating a more verbose code. More verbose? More chances for bugs. Also, active community is something that needs to be looked at when using any technology. Whether for creating new libraries or for sharing issues and solutions. The ESP-IDF user community exists, but it is much smaller than the others that will be presented here.

NodeMCU

The NodeMCU is an ambiguous term, it can either be used to indicate the NodeMCU module (hardware) or the NodeMCU development environment (software), both can be used together. But not necessarily. Let’s go to the software one.

The NodeMCU is a Lua-based firmware specific to the ESP8266 and uses a SPIFF (SPI Flash File System) based file system. This firmware is installed directly in FLASH memory, which allows the code’s execution in real time, without the need for compilation.

It offers a library structure for native functionality and for sensor’s integration, such DS18B20 or BME280, which make programming more dynamic.

The NodeMCU has been popular for quite some time. But it has three serious problems that have started to reduce its use.

• The Firmware NodeMCU, installed in FLASH, takes up a lot of Especially if the full version is included.
• It was developed based on the NON-OS version, so, firmware bugs started to get more complex to
• The memory management is quite complex in some cases. Because it didn’t compile, some memory overflow issues could only be noticed at runtime. (This was the reason I stopped using this method).

Arduino

The Arduino platform, undoubtedly the best known in the world when it comes to microcontrollers, is also on the manufacturer’s list of nominees.

The Arduino was built as software-hardware relationship that makes microcontroller’s development more accessible to non-specialists. The hardware complexity was minimal (in some cases none) and the software started to be treated in a high-level language (C++), allowing even object orientation.

Because it is so accessible, some members of the software’s community have started to be collaborators in building libraries (Only to control LCD displays, I know four), some sensor’s manufacturers offer official versions as well. Constantly updated material. Etc. Etc.

The Arduino architecture started with the Arduino Uno board (which uses an ATMEGA328), expanded support to other boards and… for some time now, it has support for ESP8266 in different modalities. There is good compatibility with standard Arduino libraries and it has its own.

MicroPython

I Don’t know the MicroPython in practice (yet), but as the name advertises, it allows programming in Python. Like NodeMcu, it deploys a firmware to FLASH memory and has well- defined libraries for hardware usage.

The space occupied in Flash is well optimized (not even compared to NodeMCU chaos). It seams to have a very active community. As for programming complexity I don’t have much information. But if you program in Python, I think it’s worth the experience.

PlatformIO

The PlatformIO is not really a development platform, but it allows an integration with other platforms to simulate the board. If you don’t have an ESP8266 on dang yet, it might be a good choice for your first steps.

However, there is a natural limitation when simulating a module whose flagship is WIFI.

Don’t you know where to start?

Personally, I think that the Arduino environment is perfect for prototyping. It’s easy to get results pretty quickly to validate a proof of concept. But in some cases you can go beyond that. If your project doesn’t demand maximum performance from the ESP8266, even the production version can be built here.

For a project that requires a lot of hardware precision, I don’t recommend intermediaries. Nothing will perform better than IDF.

For educational purposes, our next articles will use the NodeMCU board programmed on the Arduino platform.

What is JLCPCB Parts Pre-order Service?

Parts Pre-order  Service provides customers order components and saves them for their JLCPCB SMT service. Consumers prepay for the parts and buy the required components in advance to ensure sufficient components are ready anytime. Meanwhile, they can immediately arrange the supply of parts through the advance sale for their electronic products. The parts save in their own library, safe and easy.

Pre-order service accumulates different demands from people all around the world, is making parts need more clear and easier, therefore JLCPCB cooperates with customers to help complete orders, the order in large quantities, help win more discounts, and create maximum value and benefits for customers.

JLCPCB Parts Pre-order build up supply amid a global shortage

The shortage of components caused panic purchases,and the result of panic buying is the continuous soar in component prices. Since 2020, the production capacity of components has been insufficient due to the epidemic for all the world. Hardware companies in various countries around the world have joined in races for component resources. Meanwhile, the epidemic has caused more companies to arrange for employees to work from home, which indirectly promotes the demand for electronic consumer products has increased sharply. Consumer electronic products are the most suitable products for work and personal entertainment at home.

Strategy Analytics reported global consumer electronics market revenues to increase by 7% in 2020 News on February 4th, Strategy Analytics' latest research report "2014-2024 Global Consumer Electronics Market Forecast" pointed out that in 2020, strong consumer demand for home computers, tablets, and game consoles will promote consumer electronics Trade gains reached 358.5 billion dollars, an increase of 7% over 2019.

Therefore from this point of view, the production capacity of components is insufficient, and the demand for terminal electronic products has increased day by day, which has increased component consumption. Due to insufficient production capacity but increasing consumer demand is continuing, leading many technology companies or the consumer electronics industry to start a global search for components to ensure stable production and operation. Coupled with the rise of the online education industry in 2020, many schools arrange students to study at home, and the demand for educational electronic products has also grown sharply. Components are downstream products. The insufficient supply of terminal products has caused many consumer electronics companies to directly join the ranks of competing for components. The lack of supply has caused global electronic businesses to panic, and components have also risen due to the situation, and prices have continued to rise. Many merchants are facing the same difficulties that they are pouring more money, but cannot buy it, so the emergence of component pre-order services can reduce the insecurity, help to solve the global shortage.

JLCPCB ensures Stable Parts Supply

A good PCB Supplier is expected to have a stable supply foundation: replenishing goods in time when demand increases; inventory prepared even demand decreases.

We are facing a global component supply shortage, although every PCB manufacturer makes every effort to ensure that its SMT service is not affected in any way, things are always out of control. Global production capacity cannot keep up when the world is unstable, the reasons many from the global economy, the global political situation, the epidemic, etc. The shortage of components will continue. What should we do?

Therefore, pre-determining components and ensuring a stable supply is one of the ways to solve the problem. As a PCB manufacturer, it is impossible to estimate or correctly understand the component needs of each customer. It is difficult to guarantee that there will be no shortage of materials. When there are many parts in stock, and a customer may order a lot at a time. It seems parts pre-order service make everything go easily. Customers request parts in their account, it is a private library. requesting and saving parts in the personal account, just take them out when you have SMT order needs.

For JLCPCB, when they receive the requests, they can understand which kinds of parts people demand. Meanwhile, when JLCPCB accumulates many orders from parts, they can have more negotiable advantages when they help to buy the parts from other parts suppliers, which has a large discount for the entire purchase. This is equivalent to a joint collaboration to complete a task. The component reservation can inform JLCPCB customers' component requirements, accurate to the model and quantity. JLCPCB conducts global collection and purchase, and the entire purchase is highly discounted and easy.

JLCPCB reduce parts cost

Price discount is one of the advantages of component pre-order service. Since it is purchased online, all prices are open and fair.

Customers have a choice for whether to buy after confirming the price of the components. JLCPCB also implements a policy of more refunds and less replenishment for the pre-ordered components, so it's worry less about payment is gone because pre-order service failed cause. As we know, the global PCB company has good service for both price and quality. They are able to gain more low-cost but high-quality parts from global components suppliers. And also we know the components from component agents or original manufacturers, there will be a corresponding purchase price. In order to protect their own interests, MOQ is a common method to components suppliers. Generally speaking, different purchase quantities have a corresponding purchase price. Only when the purchased quantity reaches the corresponding standard line will the price change. Component vendors will naturally give larger customers more favorable prices, while SMEs or individual customers bear greater cost prices. Therefore, JLCPCB is equivalent to providing a platform for the collection of component requirements. When it reaches the larger MOQ of component vendors, the preferential strength will be even greater. Therefore, it is not difficult for us to see that the pre-order service prices of JLCPCB components are more favorable.

How to use JLCPCB parts pre-order service

Step 1: Log in to JLCPCB

3 essential functions in your Parts Manager

• My Parts Lib.
• Order Parts.
• New parts request.

Step 2: Check the guidelines to determine if there is a need to use the pre-order service My Parts Lib Instruction

• Customer can build their own parts lib for JLCPCB assembly service via pre-ordering parts, there is no inventroy cost when using for assembly orders.
• Inventory loss equals 0.03% of minimum package each year.
• Please consider the minimum required quantity and attraction quantity during assembly process.
• Currently, the pickup service is not available, the parts you store in JLCPCB can only used for assembly orders.

Step 3: confirm whether the component can be pre-ordered before placing an order

• Basic parts can be pre-ordered, minimum quantity required.
• In-stock extended parts can be pre-ordered, no minimum quantity required.
• Non-stock extended parts recommended to pre-order, minimum quantity required.

Step 4: Order Parts

• JLCPCB (80k+ in-stock components) +LCSC  parts provided.

• Instruction for the minimum and maximum quantity.

• Pre-order parts at LCSC
  • The components purchased in the LCSC mall need to be quoted and purchased.
  • There is a minimum order quantity requirement.

Step 5: Payment

After the purchase is completed, you can view the corresponding record and delivery description on the shopping cart, click secure checkout to pay.

• JLCPCB will email the pre-order customers when the quote is ready to check the price, leading time, etc.

• The order is kept in the shopping cart for 1 hour, and the payment will be automatically canceled if the payment is overdue; when the customer is added to the shopping cart and has not paid, the system will have an email reminder (the link in the email will go to the private library page)

• Please note that those parts are only used for your SMT orders, so they won't be shipped separately.
• Please complete the payment within one hour, or the order will be canceled automatically because the parts' inventory may change each second.

Step 6: Confirmation

• Check the status of the ordered parts in the " Parts Order History " page.
• For in-stock items, the parts will usually be shown in your own library immediately after you make the payment.
• For the pre-order items, the exact price will be confirmed within 48 hours after the initial payment is done. Money will be refunded or will need to be refilled, depending on the final quotation.

Step 7: Cancellation

• After the customer canceled the order, the refund record and actual effect can be viewed on the part order history page.

Step 8: Making new parts request

• Making a new part request is a little bit different from the pre-order service, which needs to submit a request, once the “new parts request” is approved, then you can pre-order them.

 Notes:

1. Click "Submit a Request" to request adding new parts for assembly.
2. Working hours: Mon. - Sat. 9 am - 6 pm GTM+8
3. The review will be completed in 2 hours when working hours.
4. The approved parts will be available the next business day.

Approved

• You can apply for the new parts request, when the new parts request is approved, you can pre-order the parts you requested.

Unapproved

• If your request is not approved, go to the page to make a personal request in detail, the information needed as follow(must require):
• MFR PART= Original model
• Footprint = footprint
• MFR# = brand
• PACKAGE=Packing method (tape, pallet, bag, tube, box)
• Datasheet = Package Manual

Get Help With Math Homework from a Reliable Service

Mathematics and its branches make a group of disciplines that appear the most challenging for students. While you could have an innate talent for sciences and good memory, this can’t be the only thing to rely on in learning maths.

It also requires consistency and tireless work. What makes math studies even more difficult is that students often have to master many disciplines at the same time – algebra, geometry, mathematical analysis, statistics, etc. Not counting other vital college subjects.

With such great pressure, it seems impossible to succeed in every single subject. In fact, it would be impossible but for the technologies, we have nowadays. Thanks to the wide popularity of academic help services and their availability, students can receive immensely useful advice for most of their academic subjects, including mathematics. One of such online help platforms for struggling students is AssignMaths.com which provides math help of all difficulty levels. Read this article further to find out how its features can help you get math tasks solved and reach greater excellence in mathematics.

Receive Qualified Help With Math Homework: What Benefits You Can Get With AssignMaths

What is crucial for you to understand right now is that math skills are in quite high demand and are likely to remain in demand for decades to come. Even if math is not your major and you are more passionate about languages, coding, biology, or chemistry, being able to solve mathematical problems is a basic skill that most employers search for.

It doesn’t mean you should work your fingers down to the bone to become the best student in a math class or do your homework flawlessly every time. It’s more a reminder that along with your main skills you will need to think analytically so you can’t stop developing in this area.

It is also perfectly okay to need math homework help sometimes. With mountains of college assignments, you can’t cope with everything equally well. So why not get high-quality assistance from a team providing legal help in academic disciplines? This won’t break any law, won’t cost a fortune but will give you a chance to see how experts get the tasks done.

So, if you’re looking for someone who can make math homework easier, AssignMaths is a nice service to consider.

You will love this math homework helper platform for a number of features, including:

1. Certified experts to help you with any math task.

The help with math homework from AssignMaths.com isn’t limited to algebra equations. Here you will find authors who work out smart math assignment help solutions to the specific assignment you have a problem with. These solutions are never replicated or ‘sold again’ after you pay the team at this helper website. Besides, there is no formula to complete even the most similar assignments so these authors apply a different approach every time. Authenticity is highly prized at this service and is an unbreakable rule of its work.

2. Affordable Prices

The logic behind price formation at any help with math homework platform is the same: the more urgent the task – the higher the cost for it. Besides, the prices depend on the volume of content in the output and the academic level of tasks. In comparison to many other online math homework help websites, AssignMaths is still an affordable place to consult. You can do much to lower the price of your paper. For example, try to place each of your next orders in advance, when there is still time to complete and review the assignment a few times.

3. Free Revisions

In providing help with math homework, there still remains a human factor. AssignMaths is the team that knows it and is ready to become better by responding to your feedback and improving the answers at request. The moments of acknowledging a mistake aren’t too pleasant but the team values them as additional opportunities to grow.

4. User Confidentiality

Every student considering this place as a potential math helper can count on the safety of their private data and its reckless protection. All of your info including logins, emails, passwords, credit card details, or addresses is kept under encryption to guarantee smooth work of the service and a risk-free user experience. High-security standards are among the vital things that actually build up the team’s reputation and make students want to stay with them.

5. Chances for ordering samples.

For the brave and fearless who turn to expert math helpers only in a dead-end situation, there is a great way to learn how to solve math tasks. If you’re among the students who think ‘Can’t I use my own head to do this hw task?’, having sample tasks is perfect.

The first reason is that you learn by using them in practice. Sure thing, this method requires some brain work and effort and, that is why turns out highly effective. Secondly, using samples will let you get acquainted with the specific author at AssignMaths and make your conclusions about their mastery. Ordering sample tasks from a few authors is a nice way for a beginner to choose a writer to trust with their college task.

Finally, math task samples will serve as examples in different situations. So, you will gradually shift your focus from one-off solutions and try to use every answer as a formula in solving similar assignments.

In a nutshell, you do not have to stress out when having a challenging math task that seems nearly impossible to solve. Whether you need instant math help online or want to order homework in advance, feel free to contact AssignMaths.com. This qualified team will go above and beyond and use all of its competencies to provide high results.

Get in touch with them by texting anything like ‘Help me with my math task, please’, choose the author, specify the task details and deadlines. We promise that you will not be disappointed.

PCBA: Definition, Types, Material, Manufacturing Process, Price & Applications

Hey Guys! Hope you’re well. I welcome you on board. In this post today, I’ll walk you through PCBA (Printed Circuit Board Assembly) in detail. It's our 4th tutorial in the PCB learning series.

In the 1st tutorial, we studied printed circuit board(PCB) in detail and learned that PCB provides physical support and electrical connection through conductive copper layers for the electronic components placed on the board. We have seen in our previous tutorials that when we place our PCB order on some PCB fabrication house, they provide us with a PCB board without electronic components. We have to solder the electronic components on the board. But now these PCB companies also offer a service to provide finished PCB boards with electronic components attached. Such a finished PCB board with electronic components is called PCB Assembly(PCBA).

You can place these components by yourself, if you know how to solder them on the board or you can outsource it to the PCB company for the smooth insertion of these components on the boards without compromising the quality of the PCB. Curious to know more about PCBA? Keep reading.

PCBA Definition

• PCBA(Printed Circuit Board Assembly) is a complete PCB board, where electronic components are mounted by the PCB company.
• Several steps are involved in the Printed Circuit Board Assembly manufacturing process.
• Each step must be in harmony with the next one to ensure a seamless production process for getting a quality final product.
• A PCBA normally passes through a reflow furnace heating to develop a mechanical connection between the components and the PCB.

Let's have a look at the Manufacturing process of PCBA in detail:

PCBA Manufacturing Process

The PCB undergoes DFM(design for manufacturability) check before the actual PCBA process even starts. The DFM check cross-checks the final PCB structure with the initial blueprint of the design. This check identifies any missing links or potentially redundant and problematic features in the final PCB design.

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If PCB doesn’t undergo this check, the PCBA process can create trouble in properly mounting the components on the board and maintaining a flawless electrical connection between them. DFM checks not only reduce the cost of the manufacturing process but also ensure the overall functionality of the PCB.

PCBA production process comes with the following steps.

1. Solder Paste

Before adding components on the board, a solder paste is added to the areas, where components rest on the finished PCB. The solder paste comes with greyish tiny balls of metals and is mixed with the flux that turns to a chemical composition and should be added in the right amount & in the right areas of the board.

To add the solder paste, a mechanical fixture is used to hold both the PCB and solder stencil in place. An applicator then takes the solder paste in precise amounts and places it on the desired PCB areas. The machine rolls the solder paste evenly on the intended PCB areas. As the stencil is removed, the solder paste sits on the desired areas.

2. SMT Assembly

After properly adding the solder paste on the board, the board is then passed through the pick and place process, where the robotic machine is used to pick the surface mount components from the reels and place them on the intended areas of the board.

The components added remain in the desired areas due to the sticky feature of the solder paste. The solder paste comes with enough bond strength that keeps the components in place.

Earlier this procedure was practiced manually by humans. However, the inception of advanced technology removed the need for this erratic manual process, since the automated process by machines is more accurate and efficient than the traditional manual process.

3. Reflow Soldering

Once the electronic components have been placed in the desired locations, they remain there due to the presence of solder paste. The board then undergoes a Reflow Soldering process that solidifies the solder paste to keep the components at the required positions.

In this process, the finished board is transferred to a conveyor belt that passes through a big reflow oven having a series of heaters; the temperature of these heaters stays around 250^oC which generates gradual heat to bake the board. At this stage, the temperature is high enough to make the solder melt, keeping the components tightly in place.

Once the solder has been melted down, the finished product is then passed through a series of cooler heaters that cools down the melted solder paste, giving it strength and creating a permanent solder joint to firmly connect the surface mount components with the board.

This is the reflow soldering for the one-sided PCB. Know that for two-sided PCB the stenciling and reflowing will be done separately for each side.

4. Inspection

Once the reflow soldering has been done, the assembled board undergoes a proper inspection where the functionality of the board is tested. As the PCB passes through a reflow soldering process, it may result in poor connection quality or in worst cases, the elimination of the entire connection. To check these problematic features and common errors, the assembled board undergoes a careful inspection.

• Optical Inspection: Recognize that, manual inspection is not an option for inspecting hundreds of surface mount components on the boards, instead, automatic optical inspection is exercised to look for the defects and errors in the board. In optical inspection, an automatic optical machine is used that comes with high-powered cameras that are located at different angles to monitor the connections. The solder connections reflect light at high speed with different intensities, allowing the machine to analyze the connections of lower quality.
• X-Ray Inspection: For complex and layered circuit boards, the X-ray inspection method comes into play, where X-rays are used for the inspection. With X-rays, layers become transparent, helping you see through the layers and identify the common problems on the board. These inspections are carried out before the final functional test inspection which involves the steps to make sure the board is fully functional and does the job perfectly.

5. Plated Through Hole Components

Based on the type of PCB board and the components used, the PCB assembly may go beyond the scope of SMT components insertion. In that case, Plated Through Hole(PTH) components insertion is used, where holes are drilled on the board and go completely through the board establishing a conductive path from one side of the board to another. Solder paste is not used in this case because it won’t stick and creeps into the drilled holes. In this PTH process, two types of soldering processes may be used:

• Manual Soldering: This soldering is manually done by humans. In this process, one person at the station is given the task to insert components in the desired PTH area. Once finished, the board is transferred through a conveyer belt to another station where another person is destined to insert another component. The cycle continues until each hole is filled with the desired component.
• Wave Soldering: Wave soldering is an automatic process. Once the PTH components are placed on the desired hole areas, the board is transferred through a conveyer belt that passes through a special oven that smears the layer of melted solder on the bottom of the board, soldering all pins at once.

6. Functional Test

In this process, the finished product undergoes the final inspection called the ‘functional test’ where simulated power signals run through the PCB to analyze the electrical characteristics of the board.  If voltage, current or signal output in these characteristics show sudden fluctuation beyond the permitted range, it means the board has failed the test.

7. Feedback

It is important to investigate any failures to guarantee the functionality of the manufacturing process. The recommended place to monitor the output and the potential errors is the optical inspection stage because errors are detected and rectified at this stage. This saves time ^ & money and avoids PCB production with similar defects.

Where to place PCB Assembly order?

• JLCPCB is an excellent PCB fabrication house that also provides PCBA services.
• From solder paste printing and SMT to reflow soldering and optical inspection, the board goes through every step with careful scrutiny, ensuring top-quality finished PCB assembly with electronic components.
• If you’re looking for reliable and economical PCBA service, you should give JLCPCB Fabrication House a try, you won't regret it.
  

PCBA Pricing Factors

• The price of PCBA is obviously more than the manufacturing of a simple PCB board. In PCBA, electronic components are mounted on the PCB using SMT technology.
• The size of the circuit board and the number of components that need to be mounted on the board plays a key role in defining the overall cost of the assembled circuit boards.
• Moreover, the total number of holes and their sizes are also important factors while defining the price of the board.
• Similarly adding more layers to the board and the type of material used will influence the cost.
• The customization in the manufacturing process will affect the cost; the more custom features you would like to add to the board, the more the cost.

PCBA Applications

PCBs are the backbone of electronic devices used for commercial and domestic purposes. More often big electronic companies don’t spend time in designing the PCB and then separately mounting the electrical components on the circuit boards. They purchase PCBA services, where circuit boards come ready-made installed with the components.

The common PCBA applications include:

• Companies prefer PCBA services for making consumer electronics, calculators, and smart toys.
• PCBA services come in handy in the manufacturing of auto parts.
• Automotive companies buy PCBA services to install circuit board assemblies in the antilock brake system, airbag control, audio-video system, engine timing system, ignition system, and more.
• The circuit board assemblies are used in heart-related applications live developing the pacemakers and heart monitoring devices.
• Military and defense systems prefer PCBA services for making the defense system, aerospace, naval, and aviation applications.

That’s all for today. So far, we have discussed the basics of both PCB and PCBA, now we will have a look at the Top PCB Manufacturers to place your order. Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this article. If you have any questions, you can pop your comments in the section below. I’d love to help you the best way I can. Thank you for reading the article.

Top Printed Circuit Board Manufacturers Online

Hi Guys! I welcome you on board. Happy to see you around. In this post today, I’ll walk you through Top Printed Circuit Board Manufacturers Online. It's our 5th tutorial in the PCB learning series.

Whether you’re a hobbyist working on your electronic project or someone who wants to develop an electronic product, PCB is an integral part of creating electronic units. With scores of PCB manufacturers available online, it’s very challenging to pick one that absolutely resonates with your needs and requirements. So how do you keep up when almost every company claims to be the best on board?

We’ve picked the top printed circuit board manufacturers online that you can select for developing your electronic projects.

Let’s get started.

Top Printed Circuit Board Manufacturers Online

The top printed circuit board manufacturers include:

1. JLCPCB

JLCPCB tops the list for several good reasons. Introduced in 2006, JLCPCB comes with advanced PCB technology that ensures both academic and compact products with fully automated production lines. They offer an easy-to-use online system to order PCB; you just need to fill up your requirements on the online form and upload the Gerber file, and you’ll get a quick quote based on your needs.

Whether you need a single PCB for your project or you want orders in volumes, JLCPCB is a one-stop shop for providing PCB prototype and SMT assembly services. More often, you’ll get PCB delivered to your doorstep within 3-5 business days, however, it also depends on the nature of the PCB and the carrier you choose for delivery.

You can pick different features to be included in the final product i.e. number of copper layers, substrate material, maximum dimensions of the PCB, dimension tolerance, and board thickness, making sure you get exactly what you ordered online.

The commitment of JLCPCB is second to none and we’re not even bragging since the hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers are solid proof of their durable and long-lasting products stuffed with innovation and precision.

Plus, they also offer a PCB Panelization service which suits you best if you want smaller PCBs with unusual shapes in bulk orders. This will not only save money but also ensures an efficient manufacturing process with a durable product.

2. PCBWay

PCBWay is another top-notch PCB prototype and fabrication company. They are committed to satisfying customers around the world with reliable circuit boards where the final product goes through advanced testing and inspecting equipment including an X-ray inspection machine, automated optical inspection machine, and flying probe tester.

They are equipped with online pricing software where you can get a rough estimation of the PCB you want to be manufactured. In addition, they also offer a PCB assembly service for successfully mounting the electrical components on the board.

Know that with PCBway, you’re in direct contact with the company as they are not a broker and you’ll get standard PCBs at an economical price with no extra charges. Moreover, you can monitor order fabrication and processing status online to make sure you’re not left behind in the process.

Different types of circuit boards they produce, include: standard PCB, multi-layer PCB, flexible PCB, rigid-flex PCB, rigid PCB, high-frequency PCB, thick copper PCB, HDI PCB, LED PCB and aluminum PCB.

3. AllPCB

AllPCB is a PCB fabrication company that provides customized integrated solutions to meet your electronic needs. They carry high-precision processing equipment that guarantees flawless operation where every PCB goes through strict 100% AOI testing and ruthless inspection.

If you’re looking for reliable and top-notch PCB fabrication and PCB assembly service, your search is over since AllPCB is there to help you deliver durable PCB exactly meeting your needs and requirements.

Normally, they ship the finished product within 3-5 business days, however, it also depends on the complexity of the order and the shipping cost may vary based on the size, weight and destination of your circuit boards. Furthermore, they also offer PCB Panelization which helps you place an order in bulk for the small-sized PCBs that saves both cost and time for the manufacturing process.

4. PCBgogo

PCBgogo is a highly specialized PCB Prototype Company, providing state-of-the-art medium and small-volume PCB fabrication. They adhere to the strictest standards in manufacture and assembly and also come with ISO 9001:2015 quality management system.

Introduced in 2017, PCBgogo is UL certified which guarantees the product’s reliability with a careful inspection where all circuit boards are thoroughly tested before being delivered. They carry the latest professional production equipment to ensure a seamless PCB and PCBA manufacturing process.

Moreover, you cannot only track your PCB and assembly order status online but also get notified of the manufacturing process and the shipping status of your order. An instant online quote option is available that comes with a transparent price structure making sure you get the final product with the exact features that you ordered online.

PCBgogo believes in 100% customer satisfaction instead of merely meeting financial goals. The fastest fabrication time is 2-3 business days, however, you can expedite the process and make it 12-24 hours on demand.

5. Atechcircuit

Founded in 2003, A-tech Circuit specializes in fast PCB prototypes, PCB manufacturing, and assembly services. A large inventory of stock PCB helps them cover a wide range of industries including telecommunication, aerospace, medical, automotive, and more. The staff contains highly trained experts that go the extra mile to comply with your PCB requirements. Customer satisfaction is their priority and they make sure you come back again and again for what they have to offer.

Their products and services are 100% in compliance with IPC-6012 & IPC-A600F standards and they are ISO9001:2008, ISO14001, TS16949 and UL certified. The types of PCBs that A-tech Circuit manufactures are rigid-flex PCB, flex PCB, FR-4 multilayer PCB, microwave PCB, metal core PCB and HDI PCB, so you don’t have to search for a new manufacturer for your electronic projects.

6. Unimicron

To meet the increasing demands of circuit boards in consumers’ electronics, Unimicron is another leading PCB fabrication company in the club. They are committed to designing customized PCB designs with an additional focus on maintaining the efficiency of the product with an efficient manufacturing process.

Started in 1980 as a small sheet metal and stamping company, Unimicron has not only continually evolved but also welcomed innovative ideas to manufacture and prototype circuit boards and make them align with the customer’s demands.

Moreover, high-end materials and sophisticated advanced technology are always considered in the manufacturing process. Unimicron has recently participated in new product and technology development projects with research institutes including IZM in Germany and Georgia Institute of Technology in the USA.

In November 2020, they received the “National Occupational Safety and Healthy Award” which is a helpful clue on how safe and secure is their production equipment.

7. PCBCart

Established in 2005, PCBCart is a professional PCB production service provider that takes pride in providing outstanding service in more than 80 countries around the world. Apart from high-quality PCB fabrication, they also offer PCB assembly and components sourcing services.

It is a one-stop production solution to your electronic needs serving companies of all sizes. Plus, they also offer an option to order a sample before you order in bulk, making sure you get the exact product meeting your needs and requirements. The manufacturing process is transparent and clear and you’ll never be left in the dark, as you can monitor and track your order in action and the processes it goes through before the final product is ready to deliver at your doorstep.

In PCBCart, the PCB fabrication complies with IPC 2 as quality grade, while PCB assembly is with IPC 3 and they follow strict manufacturing guidelines to ensure the reliability and functionality of products, including ISO9001:2007, TS16949, UL, RoHS, etc.

8. Zhen Ding Tech

Zhen Ding Tech strives to provide multiple customized solutions to customers around the world. The company serves a range of industries and electronic companies including IoT, Artificial Intelligence, 5-G technology, aerospace and military.

Every step in the manufacturing process follows strict guidelines, ensuring the precision and accuracy of the finished product. Use of automated production lines to ensure seamless production and on-time delivery put this company ahead of the curve.

Another aspect you may want to consider before hiring the PCB fabrication company is the qualified and trained staff. Zhen Ding Tech comes with highly skilled professionals that not only help you in the design process but also provide valuable suggestions in picking the right circuit board for your application.

9. Suntak PCB

Founded in Shenzhen in 1995, Suntak PCB is another top-notch PCB manufacturing factory on board. The company adheres to bringing in new trends in PCB design capabilities to stand out from the crowd.

As a full-category PCB manufacturing group, Suntak PCB makes PCBs that are used in communication equipment, smartphones, and automotive electronics. In the last two decades, they have established long-lasting relationships with world-renowned communication equipment manufacturers by providing customer-centric and impeccable service.

We love their mission, value and vision statements that put customers first by providing rugged and firm products using advanced and cutting-edge technology.

10. Kinwong

Kinwong is a PCB fabrication company that works ahead with clients to provide customized circuit boards for the development of the electronic project. Founded in 1993, Kinwong is the world’s leading PCB manufacturer that owns 5 production bases and 11 factories in China. The company is committed to serving its customers with more than 13000 employees worldwide.

With the main focus on incorporating innovation with the latest technology, Kinwong is specialized in producing automated circuit boards to make the electronic device thin, robust and lighter. They are one of the few domestic manufacturers that handle metal base PCB, flexible PCB, rigid PCB and rigid-flex PCB.

They have a dedicated department that is responsible for the systematic management of suppliers, ensuring a quick and automated supply chain for the prompt production of circuit boards.

Conclusion

Not all PCB manufacturers are equal. Some are better than others. We’ve shortlisted the top 10 manufacturers online that you can pick from. Again, it is advised to do your due diligence and gather enough information about the company you want to work with, this will not only save time but keep you from a lot of trouble later.

That’s all for today. In the next tutorial, we will have a look at the Top Circuit Simulators. Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this article. If you have any questions, you can approach me in the section below. I’d love to help you the best way I can. Thank you for reading this article.

What is PCB Panelization & Why do we need it?

Hello Friends! Hope you’re well. Today, I am going to share the 11th chapter in the PCB learning series. In today’s post, I’ll walk you through PCB Panelization, where we will discuss its definition, types, combinations, manufacturing guidelines etc.

In PCB companies, CNC machines are used for PCB manufacturing and assembly. These CNC machines are capable of designing PCBs of quite large sizes. But normally, small-sized PCBs are used in electronic products. So, in order to fully utilize the power of CNC machines, PCB design is replicated multiple times(let’s say 10) and this final design is then fed to the CNC machine. This process of manufacturing multiple PCBs on a single board is called PCB Panelization and the final board created is called PCB Panel. A PCB Panel containing 6 PCB designs is shown in the below figure:

I hope you have understood the basic concepts, now let’s have a look at the definition of PCB Panelization:

PCB Panelization Definition

• PCB penalization is a process of manufacturing/assembling multiple PCB boards, by designing them on a single board (called PCB Panel).
• Once PCB Panel is manufactured, it is depenalized and separate PCB boards are plucked out of it.
• PCB Panelization is the most commonly used PCB manufacturing technique, as it saves both time and cost.
• If you have ever ordered any PCB then you must have the idea that as we increase the number of PCBs(to be manufactured), the cost reduces significantly, that’s because of PCB Panelization.

Why need PCB Panelization?

PCB Panelization is the most commonly used manufacturing technique because of its numerous advantages. Let’s have a look at a few scenarios, where PCB Panelization proves helpful:

Small Sized PCB

• If a small-sized PCB is manufactured on these CNC machines, the machine will consume almost the same power as that of a large-sized PCB.

• So, if the PCB design(to be manufactured) is of small size, it is replicated over the panel and with a slight increase in the price, multiple designs are manufactured.

Product Designing

• In product designing, the PCB order normally ranges between 10k - 100k.
• In such cases, PCB Panelization is used to save time and cost.

Combinations of PCB Panelization

In PCB Panelization, we have three types of combinations, termed:

1. AAAA Combination
2. ABAB Combination
3. ABCD Combination

1. AAAA Combination

• In AAAA Combination, PCB Panel has identical PCB designs on it.
• This combination is used when small-sized PCB designs are needed to be manufactured.
• For example, a car locking RF remote has a single PCB in it as it's a very small product.
• So, the company manufacturing this product must be using PCB Panelization in AAAA Combination.

2. ABAB Combination

• This combination is used in designing PCBs for medium-sized electronic products i.e. small toys, calculators, handheld devices etc.
• In such products, around 3 to 5 small PCB designs are used, which are interfaced together in the final product.
• So, for designing multiple PCBs of a single product ABAB combination is used in PCB Panelization.

3. ABCD Panelization

• In ABCD Combination, the PCB Panel has different PCB designs on it.
• This combination is normally used by PCB companies as they combine all single PCB orders on a PCB Panel to save time and cost.
• This combination is a bit tricky as it involves extra care for each PCB design.

Depanelization Methods:

• Depanelization is the method to remove the smaller PCB boards from a PCB Panel.
• Normally, two types of depanelization techniques are used, named:

1. V-Scoring
2. Tab Route

Let’s have a look at these Depanelization methods, one by one:

1. V-Scoring

• V-Scoring, also known as V-grooves, is a method of placing a straight-lined V-shaped groove between the PCB designs.

• While applying the V-grooves, it is important to create a cut of an equal depth i.e. 1/3 on the bottom and 1/3 on the top, making sure the middle part ‘the web’ remains connected.
• This method is useful for boards with regular shapes with sizes over 75mmx75mm.
• It is advised to use machines and fixtures to depanelize the boards, as manual removal can damage the components placed at the edge of the board.
• Know that the V-scoring is a continuous process and cannot be stopped in the panel, however, if you have multiple different boards to be depanelized, it’s better to use the following tab route method.

2. Tab Route

• In this method, small tabs are created between PCB designs on the PCB Panel, these tabs have spacing between them.
• This method is useful for the depanelization of ABCD combinations i.e. different circuit boards.

3. Breakaway Rail

• Breakaway Rail, also called Edge Rail, is simply the marking of the PCB Panel border to avoid any damage to PCB boards at the margins.
• The Edge rail is simply removed during depanelization and both V-scoring or Tab Route could be used.

PCB Depaneling Technologies:

Now, let's have a look at the PCB Depaneling Technologies used to separate the individual PCB Boards from a PCB Panel. A few of these PCB Depaneling technologies are as follows:

• Pizza Cutter/V-Cut
• Water Jet Cutter
• Laser Cutter
• Router
• Saw
• Punch
• Hand Break

Pizza Cutter/V-Cut

Pizza Cutter is a rotary blade, with a motor. The Motor rotates the blade and PCB Panel is placed in front of the blade to cut into pieces.

Water Jet Cutter

Water Jet Cutters use a high-pressure stream of water to cut the PCB Panel. Abrasive particles are added to the water stream to make the cutting smooth. A water Jet cutter can be used for various PCB materials i.e. metal, aluminum etc.

Laser Cutter

A high Laser Beam is used to cut the PCB Panel into individual PCBs. Laser Cutting has high precision and accuracy as compared to any other method.

Types of PCB Panelization:

The four types of PCB Panelization include:

1. Order Panelization

• To order panelization, a single PCB design is replicated all over the PCB Panel.
• This is the most common type of Panelization used in manufacturing industries.
• Though you may come across a few operating difficulties while using this Panelization, it doesn’t compromise the quality of the final product.

2. Rotation Panelization

• In rotation Panelization, the circuit boards are rotated either 90 or 180 degrees, to save material cost.
• This panelization is normally used for designing irregularly shaped PCB designs.
• Suppose you are working on triangular-shaped PCB designs, then it would be the best practice to place the alternative one upside down, as shown in the below figure:

3. Combination Panelization

• Combination Panelization, also called characteristics Panelization, is a special type of Panelization that involves combining different types of circuit boards based on the combination principles.
• It is beneficial for designs containing different circuit board combinations in electronic units like toys and household appliances.
• We have already discussed those combinations i.e. AAAA, ABAB and ABCD.

Things to Consider for PCB Panelization

The following things you must consider during the PCB Panelization:

• Panel Size: Different manufacturers use different panel sizes. The panel size mainly depends on the size of the board you want to be manufactured. It is beneficial to work ahead with your PCB CM (a contract manufacturer) and ask about the Panel size of the manufacturing units. If necessary, you may need to alter the PCB size to accommodate the standard panel size.
• Layer Stackup: Not only multiple PCBs can be laid out on the panel, but Panelization ensures a cost-effective and efficient manufacturing process. And if you want to panelize multiple circuit boards, it is a good idea to keep identical layer stack-ups for all boards.
• Panel Structure: The circuit boards will usually require certain clearances to the edge of the panel and to each other and will generally come up with alignment holes. Again, coordinating with your CM can help you produce a final circuit board that can be effectively panelized.
• Panel Layout: The boards are placed to effectively use the space of the panel and the direction the board will take during the soldering process is a major concern. To effectively panelize the circuit boards, it is a good idea to work ahead with your CM to define the direction of the board through the soldering process.
• Breakouts: The panels are either depanelized with V-groove or with the routing method. The space you require between the components and the edges of the board is mainly dependent on the depanelized method you pick. The routing method requires 0.125 inches of space between the components and board edges while the V-groove method requires 0.075 inches. These board edge clearances keep the solder joints from major damage during depanelization of the board.
• Component Clearances: Components coming out of the board edge may require additional clearances based on the requirements of the manufacturing processes. If the components are large and overhang the edge, the clearances should be more than already defined for the V-groove and routing depanelization method.
• Panel Tooling: The board panels will require their own fiducial marks and tooling holes to resonate with what is on the circuit board.
• Physical Support: Different boards come with different thicknesses and sizes. Sometimes, additional support is required to keep the boards from sagging during the manufacturing process. To achieve this, a brace is included in the panel based on the board layout.

Advantages of PCB Panelization:

PCB Panelization is not only suitable for producing smaller circuit boards but also leads to an efficient production process. The following are common advantages of PCB Panelization:

• PCB Panelization saves both time and money and is the best technique for the mass production of circuit boards.
• It is a faster and more efficient process to handle multiple smaller boards as part of the large sheet.
• Normally, an 18x24 inch panel size with ½ inch perimeter of board edge clearance is used for the standard panels, however, it is advised to ask for the fabricator’s standard panel size before you even start designing the PCB layout. Since the boards produced using the fabricator’s standard size are cost-effective and help you manufacture multiple boards in less time.
• Product safety is important, especially when you are working in an extreme environment your boards may come across vibrations and shocks as you pass them through the assembly line. PCB Panelization saves your boards from those shocks and ensures the safety of the boards.

That’s all for today. With today's lecture, we have completed the second section of the PCB learning series. In the next section, we will have a look at the Types of PCB boards one by one. Hope you find this article helpful. If you have any questions, you can approach me in the section below. I’d love to help you the best way I can. Thank you for reading this article.