Tag Archives: solder mask

US Commitments

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Gene

When I heard early this month that Foxconn (Hon Hai) chief Terry Gou offered to train Americans in electronic manufacturing I recalled one of Apple’s excuses for putting its production in Asia, much of which went to Foxconn which now … Continue reading →

Posted in Weiner's World | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Screaming Circuits Blog | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Passively Annoying

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Duane

Passive components can be kind of offensive sometimes. I can understand them in analog circuits or charge pumps. But the fact that we need to put them all over our digital logic is just rude. Technically, I understand why they … Continue reading →

Posted in Screaming Circuits Blog | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Small Open Vias

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Duane

Pad parts change and so do vias. Our standard policy here is that open vias in pads are bad. We from time to time recommend ways to plug them. Generally, you have several options. Like this post shows. However, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Laying It Out, Screaming Circuits Blog | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Random Via-In-Pad Myth #5

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Duane

Myth #5: When you need thermal vias, more is better, bigger is better Hmmm. Logically, this would seem to be the case. There are limits though; especially if you want a reliably assembled product. Older parts with heat slugs easily … Continue reading →

Posted in Laying It Out, Screaming Circuits Blog | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

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 →

Posted in Laying It Out, Screaming Circuits Blog | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Little Chippy Challenges

Posted on November 10, 2010 by Duane

And “chippy,” in this context, refers to chip caps and any other tiny two-connector components. When considering surface mount, most people think of the many-connector parts, like BGAs and QFNs as the challenging components. That’s mostly true. However, the little … Continue reading →

Posted in Hot Wires, Laying It Out, Screaming Circuits Blog | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Pad is as Pad Does

Posted on November 4, 2010 by Duane

I’ve recently written a bit about solder mask and pads relative to BGAs. In most cases, we recommend NSMD (Non Solder Mask Defined), or copper pad defined, pad for BGAs. With the BGAs, the NSMD pads will permit the BGA … Continue reading →

Posted in Screaming Circuits Blog | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Green Apples

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Mike

Old friend Michael Carano tweets that the main PCB inside the iPad has a darker solder mask. “Is Apple hiding something?” he asks. (The link shows the photos, too.) If you are on Twitter, be sure to follow Mike (@mikecarano1).

Posted in Hot Wires | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Mask Control

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Duane

I wonder. Is solder mask difficult to control in most CAD packages? Or do we just not need to control it very often so we forget? Take this little footprint here. It looks like someone just used a little flood … Continue reading →

Posted in Screaming Circuits Blog | Tagged | 5 Comments