- Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:40 pm
#90140
Hi all,
I am relatively new to electronics and I think I have figured out the "making a functional PCB proto" part. Now, what I want to learn is "how to make the best possible PCB from a particular schematics". It's hard to find information about that - what are the best practices to minimize noise for example. The project I am working on is a monophonic MIDI synth. I have tried to divide clearly my PCB into 4 sections: power supply, MIDI in/out, digital processing, and analog audio processing. The current PCB is here:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/612135/PCBs/main_board.png
My questions are:
- I used longer traces (16 mil) in the power supply up to the most power-hungry component (the molex connector on which I connect a back-lit LCD), then 8 mil since the rest of this path doesn't take more than 100mA. Does it make sense?
- I have distinct ground planes for each section. What I want to avoid is getting digital noise in the audio part for example. Will it really help? Which other things should I take care of to avoid getting digital artifacts (like the "buzzing" of a clock signal toggled at a frequency in the audio range...) in the audio path? Should there be only one small trace between the ground planes or is it OK to have many as in the current design?
- I have tried to keep the ground-planes as "connected" as possible, even if sometimes the traces on the top layer are more convoluted. What are the benefits of having a "well-connected" ground plane?
Thanks in advance for your help!
I am relatively new to electronics and I think I have figured out the "making a functional PCB proto" part. Now, what I want to learn is "how to make the best possible PCB from a particular schematics". It's hard to find information about that - what are the best practices to minimize noise for example. The project I am working on is a monophonic MIDI synth. I have tried to divide clearly my PCB into 4 sections: power supply, MIDI in/out, digital processing, and analog audio processing. The current PCB is here:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/612135/PCBs/main_board.png
My questions are:
- I used longer traces (16 mil) in the power supply up to the most power-hungry component (the molex connector on which I connect a back-lit LCD), then 8 mil since the rest of this path doesn't take more than 100mA. Does it make sense?
- I have distinct ground planes for each section. What I want to avoid is getting digital noise in the audio part for example. Will it really help? Which other things should I take care of to avoid getting digital artifacts (like the "buzzing" of a clock signal toggled at a frequency in the audio range...) in the audio path? Should there be only one small trace between the ground planes or is it OK to have many as in the current design?
- I have tried to keep the ground-planes as "connected" as possible, even if sometimes the traces on the top layer are more convoluted. What are the benefits of having a "well-connected" ground plane?
Thanks in advance for your help!