Monday, March 9, 2015

Printed Circuit Boards - Design Mistakes to Avoid

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are needed for most electronic devices and applications and the fabrication process is important for creating a PCB that will work best in the specific application.  But how should you approach PCB design to lower the cost of production and make for an easier assembly process?  The best way is through design for manufacturability, or DFM.  Designing a PCB according to DFM guidelines takes the processes and capabilities of PCB manufacturing into account to ensure that you create the most efficient PCBs for your application at a lower cost.

PCB Design Mistakes to Avoid


Submitting a Design Without Discussing your Application with the Manufacturer

A variety of materials are used to manufacture PCBs and the different materials can better suit specific needs.  It is beneficial to discuss the application you have in mind with your PCB manufacturer to determine which materials will be the most effective.  Different materials can be used for flex, high speed, RF, high temp, and RoHS circuit boards and certain materials may have a lead time of a couple weeks.  Talking to your manufacturer will help you determine which materials are the most available.

 Submitting a Design Without Knowing the Impedance Information from the Manufacturer

Every PCB fabricator builds PCBs at different tolerances which will affect the target impedance or stack-up in different ways.  It is important to establish your impedance requirements with the manufacturer before the fabrication because if the PCB is not built to your requirements, it may require adjustments before it can be used.  Making sure the manufacturer knows your impedance requirements before fabrication will help you avoid the need to make further adjustments which will save you lead time and money.

PCB Design with EI Connect


Regardless of the application, communication with your PCB fabricator before your PCBs are built will help you create and submit a PCB design that will best suit your needs.   Making sure the PCB design follows DFM guidelines will help ensure that your PCB is built to handle your specific application without the need for further adjustments.  If you have PCB designs to submit for fabrication, contact Electronic Interconnect.  We provide instant quotes for a variety of PCB types including zoom, multi-part, metal core, and bare bones PCBs.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Electronic Interconnect to Attend the Strategies in Light Show in Las Vegas

For over 15 years, the Strategies in Light show has been one of the biggest events of its type in North America.  Professionals from all aspects of the industry from LED and lighting professionals to professionals in manufacturing, testing, and packaging attend this event to build professional relationships and learn about current issues that are relevant to the industry.  This year, Electronic Interconnect will be attending this event which will start on February 24 and run through February 26 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.


The Strategies in Light expo is the largest show related to LED and lighting and this year there is also the co-location of The LED Show which focuses on the LED lighting industry.  Attendees at the Strategies in Light show can visit over 300 exhibitors that offer the latest products and services of the industry, learn about business and technological issues from the most trusted names in the industry, hear the Market Review for 2015, network with thousands of professionals of the industry, and attend workshops and conference sessions to learn more about the current issues of the industry.
Those that would like to attend the Strategies in Light show can register on the website for the convention.  Electronic Interconnect will have an exhibit at the convention in which attendees can learn about our latest PCB products and services.  We offer PCB manufacturing and testing services that we perform within our state-of-the-art facility in Elk Grove Village, IL.  You can contact us to learn more about our services and make sure to visit us if you are attending the Strategies in Light expo in Las Vegas.

Monday, December 1, 2014

Best Value PCBs for Controlling Heat

Expert Printed Circuit Board Thermal Management and Metal Cladding

Electronic Interconnect – The PCB Experts

Electronic Interconnect is a reliable manufacturer of high quality PCBs – up to Class 3. We specialize in and focus on the design and manufacture of PC boards.
With nearly 30 years of experience, our customers have benefited from our unique technical advancements and distinct advantages, such as thermal management, use of metal cladding, heavy copper and outstanding solder-ability.

Effective Use of Thermal Management

Today, many PCB materials, constructions, and configurations for electronic assemblies require special thermal management to ensure continued operation without excessive heat issues, such as
- Hot spots
- CTE mismatch
- Solder joint stress
- Thermal fatigue failure
- Shock and vibration issues
While thermal management is important for any electronic assembly that is smaller, faster and stronger, it has become a critical part of PCB design for:
- High-power devices
- RF and wireless applications
- LED lighting boards
- DC/DC converters
- Electric motor controls

Thermal Management Expertise

As PCB specialists, we have become experts in the use of metals and Thermal Management. As a result, our PCBs exhibit faster heat dissipation, longer life and reduced energy needs. Our heat management capabilities include UL-certified metal-clad PCBs with various thicknesses of dielectrics and metal bases, such as aluminum and copper.

Materials Expertise

The combination of our knowledge and dedication to thermal management in PCBs, our expert processes and the use of many thermal laminates, allow us to optimize the performance and reliability of metal clad PCBs and provide the best solution to our customers. We manufacture boards with optional metal bases, provide metal cladding and use heavy copper weights.
Electronic Interconnect offers design counseling services to support the Thermal Management program.

Electronic Interconnect specializes in Thermal Management PCBs with broad capabilities in design and manufacturing.

Metal Clad PCB (MCPCB) Capabilities

The use of heavy metal and metal cladding is critical to effective thermal management of PCBs. Electronic Interconnect has very deep experience and broad capabilities in this area of specialization.
- Heavy copper capabilities up to 10 oz.
- UL approved MCPCBs up to 6 oz.
- Metal thickness from 30 mil to 125 mil
- Solder masks with high reflectance
- RoHS compliant
- Multi-layer and hybrid FR4 construction
- Many construction options

Flexi-Thermal PCBs

Often called Conformable MCPCBs.
- Metal Core PCBs (MCPCBs) from 0.004”
- Breakdown voltage AC from 2.5Kv to 10Kv
- External/internal radius up to 60°
- Extremely low thermal impedance
- Halogen-free, RoHS compliant

Direct Thermal Exchange (DTE)

With DTE technology, the thermal conduction path operates efficiently as a heat sink.
- Direct thermal conduction path
- Heat dissipates through Z axis
- No thermal transfer through the dielectric
- Resistant to UV and thermal discoloration
- Low thermal impedance
- 135W to 300W/mK conduction achieved
- Fast heat transfer rate through DTE pad
- Utilizes any base metal thickness
- Utilizes standard dielectric for the circuit area
- Utilizes FR4 epoxy, polyimide or any typical dielectric
- Other base metals available
- High power capacity
- No thermal via required

PowerLink PCBs (PLPCBs) with Heavy Copper 

There are multiple benefits of PLPCBs, ranging from smaller PCB size to extended life. They utilize a minimum of two copper weights on the same layer for the buss bar application.
- UL approved up to 6 oz.; capabilities to 20 oz.
- Use of multiple copper weights on same FR4 plane
- Prevents circuit failure
- Reduces number of connectors required
- Increases mechanical strength
- Higher current carrying capacity
- Use of high temperature dielectric material

Fabrication for Thermal Management

Precise machining tolerances and high-quality fabrication services at Electronic Interconnect enhance thermal management and long-term board reliability. A variety of laminates are available, based on the T-lam thermal lamination system, which includes:
1. Single side with a thermally conductive dielectric.
2. Double-sided with a thermally conductive dielectric on two sides of metal base.
3. Hybrid IMPCBs with FR-4 and a thermally conductive dielectric
4. Multi-layer construction with FR-4 and thermally conductive dielectrics on the metal base.

Electronic Interconnect uses advanced thermal management technologies to create PCBs for a wide variety of applications, such as LED lighting and power inverters.
The materials used feature strong thermal performance with high dielectric strength and low capacitance. They can eliminate the need for fans, heat sinks, and heat spreaders.

Download the PDF Brochure on Printed Circuit Board Thermal Management


Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Meet Electronic Interconnect at the Design-2-Part Show in Portland, OR

We hope you will be able to join Electronic Interconnect today and tomorrow at the Portland Expo Center - Booth #244!

From design ideas, to custom/stock parts, through final assembly, you will find the instant answers you need at this show. This is the largest design and contract manufacturing show in the Northwest.


For over 39 years, engineers and product manufacturers have relied on Design-2-Part Shows to find the best custom components, parts and contract manufacturing services. Each show features hundreds of job shops and American contract manufacturing suppliers exhibiting their skills in design, prototypes, production runs, value added services, assemblies, electronics, and much more.

Electronic Interconnect has been a leading PCB manufacturer for over 20 years. You can find us at the show under the following service categories: Fabricating - Printed Circuit Boards • CAD Design Services • Assemblies - Printed Circuit Boards • Circuits - Flexible • Printed Circuit Boards - Aluminum Clad


Monday, October 20, 2014

Stencils for PCB Prototypes

Electronic Interconnect is now offering Prototype Stencils which we can ship along with our quality fabricated printed circuit boards!

To find out more about this low-cost and highly affordable solution for prototyping your next great PCB project, please visit our website for more details on Proto Print Stencils.

Friday, October 3, 2014

TrikStik III - a stand-alone single-board computer

The TrikStik II is a stand-alone single-board computer with integrated real-time operating system and interactive macro control language.

The TrikStik III is a full-featured DAQ computer mounted on a handy modular plug-in PCB.
It consists of a high speed micro-controller capable of executing up to 8 MOPS (million operations per second) with a USB interface and an IDC 26-pin connector.


The TrikStik III has on-board FLASH memory, EEPROM, RAM, 8 MHz oscillator, high speed UART, two high speed serial communications channels, 23 programmable input/output ports, counter/timers, PWM output channels, six channels of 10-bit analog to digital converters, an analog comparator, internal and external interrupts and everything necessary to implement a wide variety of high performance control and monitoring circuits.

In addition to the native capabilities of the micro-controller, a real-time operating system with stored program, on board command interpreter, with multitasking capabilities and macro commands is included at no cost.

Read more at http://www.eiconnect.com/product_detail.aspx?b=9

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Electronic Interconnect to Attend the SMTA Capital Expo

Meet Electronic Interconnect (EI) at the SMTA Capital Expo on September 9th, 2014!

SMTA Local Expos and Tech Forums have become one of the great benefits of local chapters. Attendees get valuable technical info, meet leading suppliers, and get a FREE lunch. Exhibitors get a great opportunity to connect with people in their region who want to know about their products and services.


Why visit Electronic Interconnect at the expo?

• Understand Electronic Interconnect and convey your suggestions and concerns.
• See how Electronic Interconnect has expanded its online capabilities.
• See EI's LED & Metal PCB capabilities. Have a glimpse of Flexible LED PCB technology.
• See Superconductive PCB from Electronic Interconnect.
• Available PCB discounts and promotions.

Sign up online: REGISTRATION for the expo.

 When: Tuesday, Sep 9, 2014
 Where: 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723
 Exhibit Hours: 10:00am - 3:00pm

About Electronic Interconnect

Electronic Interconnect is a USA based PCB manufacturer and 1-stop shop for PCB prototype and design, taking your schematic to printed circuit boards.Our products are manufactured in the U.S.A. under ISO 9001:2008 standards. Since 1985, serviced design engineers and contract assemblers through out the U.S, Mexico, Canada, South America and Asia. Our mission is to manufacturing high quality printed circuit boards with fast turnaround and a goal of reaching 100% customer satisfaction.

Electronic Interconnect is looking forward to see more customers at the SMTA Capital expo!