Tag Archives: Layout

LEDs: Seeing Double

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Duane

Like I do so often, I’m being a bit redundant. While I’m all for stamping out and eliminating redundancy, this is redundancy with a purpose (not a porpoise). Not long ago, in a galaxy not far away, I blogged about … Continue reading →

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Via in Pad X 8

Posted on September 7, 2012 by Duane

Here’s an interesting via in pad case. On the one hand, the footprint is very symmetrical and clean looking. On the other hand, it has open vias in the pads. At first glance, I thought this was a DIP footprint … Continue reading →

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Oh MSOP, My MSOP

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Duane

In the land of prototypes, sometimes “close enough” is good enough. That can save money on PCBs and assembly when a particular package version of your part is out of stock. But, it’s not universal. Sometimes you can’t go that … Continue reading →

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ValueProto from Sunstone

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Duane

I think I’m done with the Geiger counter layout. Now I just need to get the thing built up to see if it works. I’m pretty sure, but you never know. I have an idea … I’ll build a prototype. … Continue reading →

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Via Current Capacity

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Duane

After my blog item last week, Michael asked a question about my Via in Pad Myth #5. He asked: I have a question about vias. I have seen charts on the current carrying capacity of traces, but what about vias? … Continue reading →

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0.4mm Pitch BGA Redux

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Duane

I’ve written about it before, and again here. When dealing with new technology parts, it’s really important to look up all of the manufacturer’s component information that is available. I’m going to quote from the Texas Instruments document “PCB Design … Continue reading →

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AT Tiny is Tiny

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Duane

I just spotted a note on Twitter, from SiliconFarmer, referring to the ATtiny44A coming in a 0.45 mm pitch QFN as well as a 0.5mm pitch MLF package. (In practice, an MLF is the same as a QFN, by the … Continue reading →

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