Printed Circuit Board is a plastic board that is used for connecting electronic components together. They are widely used all over the world in computers and electronics. Children toys these days usually contain this board. With Safety becoming more in the forefront on our collective priorities, manufacturing materials are now made from a material that is nonconductor of electricity, like plastic or fiberglass with all aspects of components carefully thought out for safety.
To be more precise, PCB is a flat, rigid board that holds chips and several other electronic components. The board is usually made of two to ten layers which interconnect the components through copper pathways. Printed Circuit Board Assemblies are used in children’s toys. The main PCB present inside the toy is called a ‘motherboard’ or ‘system-board’. On the other hand, the smaller ones which get plugged into the slots in the motherboard are called as ‘cards’ or ‘boards’.
The PCS is also known to be an etched circuit. A copper foil is put over the plastic or fiberglass base present on each layer. It is then covered with photoresist. As the process begins, the light is beamed through a negative image present on the circuit oaths and onto the photoresist. This hardens the areas that will be present after etching. The unhardened areas are washed away when it is passed through an acid bath. Glue is used to hold together the finished layers.
Before Printed circuit boards started getting used in toys, they were used back in 1940’s for connecting discrete components together. When the 1960’s rolled around, the PCB’s started getting widely used in all electronic systems, but still kept being widely used for connecting discrete components. With time, Integrated circuit chips emerged and begin to get added to the boards. By the 1980’s, PCB’s were holding numerous chips on them. At present, printed circuit boards usually connect chips having only few discrete components. But, every chip contains either few thousands or hundreds of millions of transistors.
With the new PCBA technology, children’s toys become safer and fun. Anyone who is involved within the PCB industry is well aware that the surface of PCB has a copper finish to it. If they are left without any protection, they deteriorate and oxidize, thus making the circuit board unstable. Due to the surface finish, a critical interface is formed between the component and PCB. There are two important functions of the finish; to provide solder-able surfacing during the components assembly on the PCD and to protect the exposed copper circuitry.
Why are PCB’s so popularly used in toys? That is because of the following advantages:
- Low Electronic Noise: When PCB’s are properly laid out, they minimize electronic noise that can reduce performance. The electrical components present on the PCB are organized in a way that there is low pickup of electromagnetic waves and less radiation.
- Ease in Diagnostics and Repair: PCB’s are quite helpful when it comes to performing diagnostics due to a number of reasons. The components present on the PCB are well designed and labeled clearly on the board, which leads to easy installation and repair.
- Compact Size: They are very small in size and at the same time contain a number of electronic components.
Our design team here at Giltronics Associates would like to partner up with you on new and existing projects to cut your design & manufacturing cost in your electronics prototypes design and/or the printed circuit board and electronics assembly – PCBA’s. Our engineering team can design in new cost cutting materials and enhance the electronics to overcome your competitors. Contact us today!