Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
surface-mounted components rather than through hole, and use the smallest package size
for each component that will work with whatever manufacturing process you choose.
How you ultimately decide to manufacture your boards will drive many of your design
decisions. If you have the resources to create double-sided or multilayered boards, you
can drastically reduce the footprint of your board. For example, with the Replay construc-
tion kit, double-sided boards enabled the pieces to be cut in half relative to their
single-sided counterparts (
Figure 7.3
). Take careful note of the trace size limitations for
the manufacturing process you use. Additionally, if you plan to manufacture your boards
with an external service, factor in additional costs created by cutting from a
non-rectangular board.
(Source: Images CC-BY-SA Tiffany Tseng)
Figure 7.3
Size reduction resulting from transitioning from a single-sided board (left) to a
double-sided board (right).
Determining Your Board Outline
After sourcing your electrical and mechanical components, it's time to generate a board
outline!
