Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1512857
8 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2023 Remember when PCBs were all shaped like squares and rectangles? ings were so much simpler in the olden days. Now boards are designed, fabricated and assembled in all shapes, including stars, human hands, octopuses, triangles, and cursive signa- tures, just to name a few. e wearables and automotive segments are driving the devel- opment of PCBs in odd shapes. And there are plenty of circular PCBs being designed for use in products that can reach out and touch bad actors in another part of the world. Unconventionally shaped circuit boards bring with them a variety of potential mis- steps, mistakes, and miscues. Signal integrity and EMI can be big issues; strange geometries hamper a designer's ability to lay out matched impedance traces. Understanding manufac- turing and environmental tolerances is para- mount. ere are also dozens of DFM, DFA, and DFT challenges with oddly shaped boards. Placing components on round boards or boards with a rounded side is a tricky matter, The Shaughnessy Report by Andy Shaughnessy, I-CONNECT007 Trace Oddity