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68 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2023 Start With a Plan e first step in simplifying PCB design is to start with a clear and well-thought-out plan. Define the objectives of your project and the functions the assembly will desirably perform. is will, of course, include a list of the key components needed. Having a comprehensive design plan in place before you dive into the technical details will save you time and reduce errors down the line. To prevent getting blind- sided, it is important to consider extraneous factors, like size constraints, power require- ments, and signal integrity concerns. Choose Your Software Choosing one's design soware is essential for a streamlined design process. ere are various soware suites available that provide schematic capture, PCB layout, and library management functionalities crucial for an effi- cient design workflow. e advertisements of many of these providers can invariably be found in industry literature (including the content of this magazine), offered for consid- eration by design tool ad sponsors. ey vary in terms of their broader capabilities and price, and the demands of your designs will influ- ence the choice. To allow for seamless hand- off, ensure that they have compatibility with other manufacturing soware. Gerber-based document packages are frequently called out in this regard, though IPC-2581 and ODB++ are slowly increasing in use. Break Down the Process It is generally advisable to break your PCB design into smaller, manageable modules. Such a modular approach simplifies the design process by allowing the designer to focus on individual sections of the overall interconnec- tion structure. is allows one to design and test individual modules separately before inte- grating them into the final board design. Such an approach also serves the cause of reusabil- ity, which can save time and effort on future projects. It is a practice learned and used com- monly by semiconductor chip designers as well. Most PCB design soware tools include libraries of pre-designed components, such as resistors, capacitors, microcontrollers, and the like. ese libraries should be tapped to streamline your design process. Library com- ponents have predefined footprints and sche- matics, reducing the need for extra work and ensuring compatibility.