Oliver Smith

How can I go about making temporary test connections in PCB while prototyping without soldering?

I recently ordered some PCB bits from a new supplier to assemble a widget. I want to make temporary connections…

1 year ago

What is the difference between thin film and thick film precision surface mount resistors?

I'm using some 0.1% precision 10k and 150k resistors. They are thin film 0603 surface mount. For a lot more,…

1 year ago

How do surface mount components withstand heat of reflow while through hole components can not?

Some online tutorials about soldering TH components, like transistors and ICs, are delicate components and can be easily damaged by…

1 year ago

Why the regulator broke on the PCB when it underwent vibration test?

I have designed a power supply card using V7805-2000. Copper thickness is 70 microns, board size is 5 cm × 5…

1 year ago

How do I use two antennas with a single Bluetooth module? (BLE repeater)

I am working on a project that uses small Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons to track important items. Is there…

1 year ago

Is solder mask a valid electrical insulator?

There is a copper pour over the entire top of the my PCB, which is part of GND net. It…

1 year ago

Does anyone have any experience using zero-ohm resistors in an RF signal path to select antennas?

I've typically used RF switches for this purpose, but that's also when it was necessary to allow the antenna selection…

1 year ago

How can I electrically isolate a PCB from a heat sink?

I have a set of LED driving lights for motorcycle that must be wired through a ground-leg pulse width modulation…

1 year ago

Is aluminium foil a good substitute for kapon tape when soldering?

I want to desolder a tiny surface mount button from the motherboard of a phone. There are a lot of…

1 year ago

What will be the role of a copper layer in a metal core PCB in thermal dissipation?

In the design of a power electronic PCB, I want to use a metal PCB for heat dissipation of a…

1 year ago