1. Automated Printed Circuit Board Development
Dec Team Members
Colin Burnett – CprE & EE Khawaja-Shahzad Butt – CprE
Christopher Rieck – EE Christopher Sosnowski – EE
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Gary Tuttle
Client
ECpE Senior Design
Many ECpE senior design projects require the fabrication of a circuit board. To aid these projects, the focus of this project is to provide documentation on the available choices to obtain a circuit board by means of “do-it-yourself” methods or out-sourcing to a commercial company. The documentation will be in the form of an interactive web site and a printed document and will contain a flow chart and step-by-step instructions.
Abstract
Estimated Resources
Financial Budget and Other Resources
Table 1
Introduction
Problem Statement
To reduce research time spent by other senior design groups on circuit board fabrication by providing documentation on how to fabricate or obtain a circuit board
Operating Environment
Operating environment to be determined by end user
Intended Users
ECpE senior design students
Intended Uses
Guide the user in obtaining or fabricating a circuit board
Expected End Product
Tutorial and flow chart document:
Flow chart for determining which process to use for circuit board fabrication
Fully documented procedures for each fabrication process
List of commercial circuit board fabricators and their capabilities
Interactive website:
An online version of the flowchart
Assumptions and Limitations
Server to host interactive website is sufficient
Students have access to web site via the Internet
Students are capable of generating a board layout
Materials and facilities are available
Personal Efforts
Figure 1
Proposed Approach and Considerations
Proposed Approach
Execute each fabrication process and document with digital pictures
Create the flow chart from process execution and research
Technologies Considered
Static vs. dynamic web page languages for the interactive website
Available fabrication techniques: milling, wet etch, & commercial fabrication
Testing Considerations
Test scenarios to check accuracy and correctness of flow chart
Use previous senior design projects as additional test scenarios
Interactive website results match the flow chart for identical test scenarios
Interactive Website
Project Schematic
Project Requirements
Design Objective
Concise, non-intimidating, thorough documentation of each process
Functional Requirements
Provide documentation to help senior design students obtain a circuit board
Provide step-by-step instructions to fully explain how to create a circuit board
User friendly website
Design Constraints
No physical constraints
Fabrication process complexity
Milestones
Problem definition
Technology and implementation consideration and selection
Process design
Process testing
Process demonstration
Process reporting
Outsource
Easy do-it-yourself steps
Desired Circuit Board
Summary
Many ECpE senior design projects have the need for a circuit board. To save these projects time, effort, and money this project will guide the user to the best decision for their project’s requirements and specifics. To accomplish this important task we will:
Research the numerous available methods
Document the steps
Set up the MRC PCB lab
Design & implement an interactive website
Provide a document containing full instructions and images to perform each process
The interactive website will compliment the document by being more readily accessible and usable. Through this project other senior design projects will be able to focus on their designs and not have to research about obtaining or producing a circuit board.
Your Circuit Board Solution Guide