Category: Embedded systems

The following are the advantages and disadvantages of printed circuit boards.

Advantages

• Compact size

Because of technological advances, VLSI (Very Large-Scale Integration), GSI (Giga Scale Integration), and ULSI (Ultra Large-Scale Integration), lakhs and crores of components can be put into one single IC, which can be used on a PCB.

• Lightweight

Materials used for PCBs are very lightweight, and even the weight of components is very low. When you use SMD (Surface Mounting devices), this weight goes even lower.

• Cost-effective

In the mass production of a PCB, it becomes super cheap and affordable

Disadvantage

• Repairing the problem

PCB cannot be repaired to the root level because of the complexity involved. You can use new components to change older ones, but deep troubleshooting is very difficult, and not everyone can do that. It requires a high level of expertise.

• The initial machinery cost is high

The cost of PCB manufacturing machines is very high, so the initial cost is very high.

• Low modification possibilities

PCB designs are very rigid and have very little possibility of modification as such. On the other hand, if you have made something on a breadboard, you can modify the design very easily.

Everyone must have seen a green (mostly) board with copper tracks on it and components soldered to the board.

It is a fixed circuit connection board that is used to make electronic circuits more viable. If the circuit is basic, then the testing circuit can be on a zero PCB/breadboard. Then, a fixed circuit can be made on a successful trial.

The base layer of a PCB is an insulating layer on which copper conducting paths are laid. PCB can be made one layer on another, which is called a multi-layer PCB. The material of this layer is generally a FR-4, fiberglass/ epoxy composite.

Electrical components are connected through these conducting paths. The soldering technique is used to fix the electrical components on the board. In which solder (tin+lead) alloy is melted and fixed to the leads of components and copper track.

Multilayer PCB has a bias (holes) drilled through which one layer connects to the other.

Two popular types of components are used to manufacture PCBs

• Through hole
• SMD (Surface Mounting Devices)

Through-hole components have leads/ legs that pass through the PCB, and soldering is done on the other and on other.

SMD components are mounted on the same surface and are generally very small as compared to normal through-hole components.

Solder mask is a non-conductive layer that gives PCBs their green color. It is used as an insulating layer that is applied to the PCB.

Silkscreen is a layer that is used for labeling or printing some message on PCB, like component name, symbol, numbering, website name, brand name, etc.

Examples of a few components used in PCB manufacturing are as follows.

• Resistor
• Capacitor
• Inductor
• Diode
• Transistor
• IC (Integrated Circuits) etc.

Today, electronics are present everywhere, from the underwater sea to space. It is because of the intelligent performance of the electronic device, which was previously controlled by software in the processor chip.

Nowadays, it is controlled by artificial intelligence.

Electronic devices for healthcare can be categorized into the following major categories

• Diagnostic devices

These devices are used to find out the actual problems in the human body by taking images or plotting graphs by different methods. MRI, CT scan, X-ray machine, ultrasound machine, ECG, EEG, etc., come under this category.

• Surgical robots

These are highly sophisticated and can be used completely or semi-automatically by doctors. They can do complex surgeries like heart transplants, brain surgery, and other complex tasks at a very low mistake rate. They can perform tiring tasks so efficiently that it is impossible for humans to perform.

• Laboratories

Lab instruments play a crucial role in finding the exact cause of a medical ailment. These devices accurately find out the problem, not just for one sample but for hundreds of samples at once. Their accuracy is unmatchable for humans to copy.

• Therapeutic devices

Pacemakers and insulin pumps come under this category, in which the heartbeat and insulin level, respectively, of a diabetic person are controlled.

• Monitoring devices

Monitoring devices continuously monitor the parameters of the health marker of a patient. So that further medical steps could be taken for the well-being of the patient.

Edge computing is a concept related to making data storage closer to the location where it is required.

Nowadays, we are seeing more of the opposite of this; our data, files, photos, etc., are being saved in cloud storage, which is located at a distant location. There is a latency in retrieving the data because of the distant location. Cloud storage has its advantages, as it is very cheap compared to local storage capacity. Second, you can also scale your storage capacity according to the requirement.

But some negative points are also there, which are important to think about, like what about the security? If someone hacks the cloud storage center, what will happen to my data? The second delay is in retrieving data from storage centers.

To solve these types of problems in important areas, the concept of edge computing is used, where real-time data processing, IoT devices, robotics, vehicle robots, etc.

Advantages of edge computing

• Real-time processing of data
• Efficient processing of data
• Faster processing
• Privacy protection

Disadvantages of edge computing

• Can be costly
• Insufficient storage
• Low processing power
• Local area coverage

Flexible electronics nowadays are becoming more and more popular.

It is a technology in which electronic circuits are made on flexible plastic substrates. These materials are polyimide, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), and Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU).

Flexible electronics can be made with photolithography. These circuits have the same design as PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards). Copper strips are made for conductive media.

Flexible electronics have sensors, ICs, antennas, displays, etc., which are normally made in PCBs.

Even flexible electronics could be planted on the skin of human beings. But it is suited for wearable, which could be used for sensing different parameters like heart rate, steps, breathing patterns, etc., and making a report.

It has a market of around 40 billion dollars. The electronics market is 2 trillion dollars worldwide. Wearable electronics are 2% of that market.

Major advantages of flexible electronics

• Flexibility

Most important is their flexibility, which is not possible in conventional PCBs.

• Cost

Costing will also be less because of the small structure and nanotechnology.

• Lightweight

Carrying flexible electronics is way easier than conventional PCB-based electronics.

• Nature friendly

Less material is used, even if it’s not biodegradable, and paper-like material substance use (which is biodegradable) makes it nature-friendly.

Major Disadvantages of Flexible Electronics

• Durability

Durability could be less due to damage that could be done to the circuit by anything.

• Limited power

Power limitation is there, which would limit the use of flexible electronics in many things.

• Lower integration density

Because of the thin design, it has very little space to pack a lot of circuit components.