printed circuit boards

This blog by Don MacArthur discusses how to measure creepage and clearance distances on printed circuit boards (PCBs) to ensure safety. It covers definitions, design guidelines, measurement techniques, and tips for compliance engineering in electrical product safety.

Explore the impact of the return path impedance and the return current level on common-impedance coupling between circuits. The measurements presented were performed on a custom PCB containing audio, video, and high-current circuitry, where the return paths for each circuit were selectively shared with other circuits.

Often overlooked during the development of appropriate spacings (creepage distances) for safety-certified products is the failure to account accurately for the material group of the components involved. This oversight can have significant implications. Let us briefly explore this issue to raise awareness among readers.

In this article, we investigate the impact of a guard trace on crosstalk reduction and present measurements taken with the latest‑generation PCB, both in time and frequency domains.

This article is the first of a two-article series devoted to the topic of crosstalk between PCB traces. In Part 1 of the series, we vary circuit topology, i.e., the distance between traces and the distance to the ground plane.

This month's blog is pulled from the product safety playbook. It highlights a potential issue to avoid when considering an optocoupler's creepage distance when placed onto a printed circuit board (PCB).

It is common for people doing simulations to make a measurement of a similar set up to validate the simulation. The real issue is whether the tool user understands the problem well enough to capture the important features, and whether the user understands the tool well enough to use it correctly.

This article describes a practical way to improve signal integrity of typical interfaces on the PCB when using external ESD devices.

This is the second article of a two-article series devoted to the return current distribution in a PCB microstrip line configuration.

This is the first article of a two-article series devoted to the return current distribution in a 2-layer FR-4 PCB microstrip line configuration with a solid reference plane.