When I was an application engineer writing data sheets, I always the following debate with the marketing engineers while writing the document. This is a typical data sheet front page schematic. Not zero noise, that’s simply not possible, but the lowest noise. A well-designed PCB, on the other hand, will provide the best efficiency and lowest noise. It really is true that a switcher with all the component values chosen perfectly can fail to work at all, interfere with other circuits, including its own node, or blow up, what veterans call, “Letting the magic smoke out.” All this can occur if the PCB is not designed properly. With an eye for the best possible electromagnetic compatibility, or EMC. I’m going to take you through all the major parts of routing your PCB.
#Altium pcb design tutorial how to#
Finally, I’ll discuss how to take advantage of multiple layers if you happen to have such luxury, and how to deal with single layouts if you have to deal with that special challenge. The last components to be placed are the signal level, or analog parts. EMI reducing snubber filters are next, followed by the actual control IC and the often forgotten gate drive paths. From there, input capacitor will be placed. I’m gonna start with the challenge of the switch node. In this final section on PCB layout, we’re going to look at reduced schematics from the mocking department as compared to practical ones. Since this section takes all the theory discussed in the previous two, it represents a step-by-step application of it all for a practical PCB design. If you haven’t seen parts 3-1 and 3-2 yet, I strongly encourage you to do so. Welcome to section, 3-3 of our Power Supply Design Tutorial.