How can I be efficient with my pcb design?
Simon Merrett wrote 03/29/2018 at 00:24 • 1 pointI'm designing a pcb to be supported in the slots of an extruded aluminium enclosure, approximately 200mm x 55mm https://imgur.com/TFKDqkU . I need to put parts at either end of the pcb but much of the middle will be unpopulated. Anyone got any top tips about how I save on wasted pcb, using the standard board houses (dirty PCBs, JLPCB, seeed etc)? I'm particularly hoping for suggestions about the board geometry. Should I cut it in half (making each end smaller) and use wires to connect each end? Are there any nifty tricks that save material?
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Similar to that, you could do both halves as 'L' shapes (with the other rotated 180): think of it a bit like two tetris L blocks with the circuits of interest at the short leg of the 'L' and a long (thin) piece that can carry signals. The version you have manufactured places the long length down the side of the opposite short leg (so both short legs can touch) but in the case the long legs are placed against the top of the short legs (so both long legs can touch). Going back to the tetris analogy, if the original 'L' was in a 3x2 grid then in the case they'd be more shaped like 4x2 as a pair but at the board-house you'd arrange them more akin 3x3 (okay, it doesn't work very well as a tetris game because it'd not be quite so cube like, but hopefully it illustrates the two arrangements).
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Makes sense, thanks - could also do an "E" meshed with a "3" shape.
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I'd probably do each side individually, and then another long thin PCB acting as the "cable"
Kinda like this:
http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/162049286927-0-1/s-l1000.jpg
Headers on each PCB to make connecting easy.
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Love it, thank you @Jarrett
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