PCB Blog

E-Switch has introduced the TL3320 right-angle, surface-mount tactile switch that allows for PCB edge mounting. These tactile switches may be used in a variety of applications including CE, computers and peripherals, instrumentation and telecommunications.

The TL3320 tactile switch offers a contact rating of 12Vdc, 50mA and a mechanical life of 80,000 cycles. The operating temperature range is -20°C to 70°C. The switch is RoHS-compliant.

HannStar Board and Gold Circuit Electronics (GCE), major Taiwan-based makers of notebook-use printed circuit boards (PCBs), both said they expect their sales to jump more than 30% in 2007 due to growing notebook shipments and new customers.

HannStar Board expects sales to rise at least 30% in 2007, with the growth perhaps even reaching 40-50%. Global notebook shipments will rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.1% over the next 5-10 years, HannStar Board said.

With Taiwan-based PCB makers moving their production to China to be closer to their clients’ factories and to enjoy lower labor costs, China will see its PCB industry growing at a CAGR of 13.8% over the next 5-10 years, compared with 6% for the global PCB market, the maker predicted.

In addition, HannStar Board will benefit from an aggressive attitude in developing new clients next year. The maker already received orders from notebook maker Inventec, sources said.

The maker currently has a monthly PCB capacity of 3.45 million units, the sources indicated.

GCE expects its sales to rise 30-35% to the NT$20 billion level in 2007. The maker expects to ship 24 million notebook-use PCBs in 2007, up from 17 million in 2006 and it is adding 60 million square feet to its monthly PCB capacity at its China production base. With the shipment growth, the maker said it aims to capture 25% of the global notebook-use PCB market in 2007, up from 22% in 2006.

Novarm Limited, a developer of PCB design software, has released DipTrace 1.30, a fully functional software package.

DipTrace is bundled with 4 Novarm’s front-end modules, Schematic, PCB Layout, Pattern Editor and Component Editor. This smart tool is aimed at small and medium businesses, incorporating a series of advanced capabilities.

Six month in development, version 1.30 is the culmination of collaborative relationships with many PCB designers worldwide, in the US, Europe and Asia.

This ECAD software has a very intuitive user interface and many features that most marketed PCB Design packages lack. Among its new features improved colour settings, part rotation by a desired angle, static vias placement, Electra autorouter support and enhanced manual routing tools.

With DipTrace 1.30 you can select white or black background for your design area, or create your own preference templates. User-defined additional fields are now available in Pattern and Component Editors.

Thanks to the ongoing collaboration with ConnectEDA, one of the leading routing tool developers, DipTrace 1.30 supports their Electra auto-router now. A simple three-step high-quality routing is available now with Electra auto-router: export your unrouted board into .dsn file, route it with Electra and import it back into DipTrace. In its new version you can easily zoom using mouse wheel.

A series of handy hotkeys, trace length measurement tool, locking objects and more new features have been added. The new version also includes netlist support of widely used formats.

DipTrace 1.30 runs native on WinNT/2000/XP platforms. It is now available online or via local distributors worldwide with pricing from $75 (Home Edition) to $695 (Full Edition). DipTrace’s full price list can be found at: http://diptrace.com/order.php

For more information, visit www.novarm.com

TT electronics Optek Technology has developed a 1W surface-mount LED package with longer leads than its original OVTL01LGA Lednium device. This offering provides engineers a new package option for their high-brightness surface-mount 1W LED. Designated the OVTL01LGAxS series, the new design allows the LED package to be mounted flat on a PCB.

According to Richard Saffa, VP of Optek’s visible LED business unit, the original 1W Lednium package design required an indentation in the PCB for the device to be mounted flat. “The OVTL01LGAxS package features longer leads, which allow the device to sit flatly on the PCB,” Saffa explained. “By not having to drill or alter the board, this new design saves engineers time and manufacturing cost, while improving the stability of the LED package on the PC board.”

The surface-mount LED package offers high luminance, a full 140° viewing angle, features water clear lenses and is available in amber, blue, green, red, cool white (7000K) and daylight white (5,500K). The device is suitable for a wide variety of solid-state lighting applications, including automotive interior and exterior lighting, architectural lighting, electronic signs and displays.

The OVTL01LGAxS series LEDs exhibit DC forward current of 0.35A, with a peak pulsed forward current of 1A. Typical forward voltage characteristics range from 2V to 3.3V (color-dependant), and reverse voltage for all devices is 5V. Maximum allowable junction temperature is 130°C and the device features an ultralow thermal resistance of 2°C/W. Operating temperature range is -50°C to 85°C.

The OVTL01LGAxS series packages measure just 6-by-5.10mm-by-1.56mm. Typical pricing starts at $1.30 each in quantities of 10,000 pieces. Production quantity lead times, if stock is not available, are from eight to 10 weeks.

Printed Circuit Board Basics makes printed circuit boards a snap for anyone to understand! From design and manufacturing to purchasing to considerations for managing the business, concepts are explained in simple terms. This book is a must-read if you are new to printed circuit boards and a valuable resource for anyone who works in the industry.

The Fourth Edition of Printed Circuit Board Basics contains:

• An updated primer on single-, double-sided and multilayer PCB manufacturing processes
• A review of new technologies such as embedded components and microvias (HDI)
• Updated PCB specifications
• A history of the industry
• Detailed, updated graphics - over color 45 photos and illustrations
• Details on managing the business
• An updated glossary of terms and definitions - twice the size of previous editions!
• And much more!

Published by UP Media Group Inc., Printed Circuit Board Basics, Fourth Edition, is authored by Dan Beaulieu, a 30-year industry veteran, and edited by Mike Buetow, editor in chief of Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture Magazine.

BEST Inc is pleased to announce the launch of a PCB land repair kit for repairing lifted and damaged “pads” or “lands” on printed circuit boards. This kit includes (3) different tin plated circuit frame patterns, offering nearly 3 times as many usable replacement land patterns as previous circuit frames. BEST circuit frames can be used on both lead-free and tin-lead finish circuit boards.

This kit includes the following items a large variety of circuit frames, professional grade stainless steel tweezers, an exacto knife, mixing sticks as well as resin and hardner.

“This land repair kit was designed keeping in mind what PCB rework and repair technicians wanted in such a tool. Their input was key to making this repair process as simple and effective as possible” said Bob Wettermann of BEST Inc.

This repair kit can be purchased from BEST distribution or through its web site at solder.net.

About Business Electronics Soldering Technologies (BEST) BEST specializes in offering products that streamline hand soldering, rework and repair, which also includes lead-free soldering products. BEST is an IPC Certified Center offering Instructor and Operator soldering courses for IPC-A-610, JSTD-001, IPC 7711/7721 as well as customized classes to meet specific standards or criteria.

Resource: Global SMT & Packaging