Resistors

These little pieces are used to resist the current in your board, and you will use them as a way to control the different voltages on your board. Think of it this way, there are many different types of components that can go on your board and they all have their own voltage and current. With all of these combined, your printed circuit board prototype will short-circuit in just a matter of time, thus the need for a resistor to keep everything controlled.

Capacitor

Typically, capacitors are used to introduce time-delay in a circuit. Sometimes, time-delays are needed as a way to make the board more stable, meaning it will cut down on everything running at once. Considering that a typical board is two to four layers, with no drill holes less than 10 mils in diameter with a 5 mil minimum for air gaps and trace widths, there is a lot running in every layer of every board. A capacitor makes sure things run to capacity, and nothing more to ensure to the board doesn’t overheat.

Transistor

A transistor is easily understood as a switch that is controlled by an electric signal. It is used to control the current that goes through its base, and it will redirect currents based on their size to where they are needed on the prototype PCB.

Integrated Circuit

This component is simply a larger electronic circuit that has been shrunk to fit into a smaller chip in order to save space. These are quite versatile and can be anything from an amplifier, a USB chip, to a converter.

These four different components serve as the basis for the multitude of components one can find in the world of printed circuit board prototypes. If you are interested in learning more, contact PCB unlimited today.

The post A Quick Debrief on PCB Components appeared first on Blog PCB Unlimited.

But now, Microsoft may have come up with an alternative. Their research team has created what they’re calling a “situated display.” Essentially, it’s a small screen — about the size of the stickynotes we’re used to — that you can move around and stick to surfaces like your desk or computer monitor. It has an ePaper display (like the kind you’d see on an e-reader) and uses solar cells to generate energy. The solar component is particularly exciting, as they can use both indoor and outdoor lighting to generate energy — thus eliminating the need for charging.

And what’s underneath that ePaper? A prototype PCB, of course!

Yes, this is just one of the countless modern devices that depends on circuit board prototyping.

The Microsoft research team reports that they mounted the e-Paper film to a prototype circuit board to create the display screen. Prototype printed circuit boards are used in virtually any electronic device, and these prototype PCBs are responsible for defining the pixels shown through the display.

What’s shown on the display is updated via another device (which undoubtedly also contains printed circuit boards), like a smartphone or tablet. The display can change depending on the type of information you want shown: weather, sports scores, stocks, a timer, or the types of personal reminders we’ve always written down on sticky notes.

Though the display resolution is fairly low-quality, it has the potential for further advancement. The creators of this situated display prototype have noted that, despite its simple concept, there’s nothing else like this currently on the market.

With so many new potential applications discovered every week, it’s easy to see why annual U.S. revenue for circuit board and electronic component manufacturing reached around $43.3 billion in 2013. Prototype PCBs are an essential component of inventions like these.

Though these displays are still in their infancy, it will be interesting to see whether consumers embrace the idea (especially if they don’t represent a large expense for customers), or whether they’ll stick with tradition. After all, many people predicted e-readers would replace books by now, and that still hasn’t come to pass.

Even so, as the technology continues to grow, we’ll be keeping a watchful eye on these situated displays.

The post Paper Post-Its May Be Replaced By Microsoft’s Electronic Version appeared first on Blog PCB Unlimited.