Electronic Circuits Design Process
by Derrick Corea Technosoft Innovations, IncEveryone
at some point have had the thought of making a better gadget or device than
what is already on the market, and some do start creating circuits if only just
to learn how electronics work.
The
design process is quite simple and similar to many other project structures.
Determining
the task to be accomplished: Since every circuit is created for a purpose, be
it educational, entertainment or practical, the purpose of the circuit to be
designed is the first thing that should e determined. Depending on the
complexity of the task, the project can be subdivided into individual functions
that will work together to accomplish said task.
Selecting
components: Now that you have the functionality figured out, it's time to pick
the right and necessary components to build the circuit. At this point it is
still in the design stage, no components are bought just yet, only the
datasheets and specifications of the components are required to design the circuit
or subcircuit. This step is critical, since all the tolerances and
characteristics of the working project must be considered. Will the circuit be
used in heat? Is it expected to resist mechanical stress (as in falling,
shaking, etc)? The components chosen need to fit these characteristics and also
the electrical needs of the project, such as current draw, which if the circuit
is to be battery powered is a major design issue.
Schematic
Design: In this stage the electronic circuits are designed with their corresponding
schematic diagrams. This is used as documentation and a guide for
implementation, since the design in the schematic is the one that will
ultimately will be made into an actual circuit board. This is one of the most
challenging steps of electronics design services, since many kinds of analysis need to
be made in order for the circuit to work as intended. All those analysis
require a certain level of technical knowledge and experience since sometimes
even with all analysis correct, experience can help you find situations that
could potentially damage or make the circuit malfunction.
Circuit
Board Design: Now that the functional part the circuit has been designed and
represented with the schematic, the next step is to design the circuit board
where the actual components will be soldered. There are many automated tools to
create circuit boards with a schematic. Manual design is very difficult, and
with big projects with many components it could become a nearly impossible
task, especially if space is an issue.
Prototyping,
Testing and Corrections: Another very important aspect of circuit design is
prototyping and testing. Analysis and simulation sometimes gives erroneous or
inaccurate due to external circumstances that may have been overlook during
analysis such as mains hum, RF interference or other events created inside the
circuit such as thermal noise, inductive and capacitive coupling and many
others. Prototyping and testing allows you to find all those hidden
characteristics of the circuit, so as to incorporate in the design before
massive production. All this helps reduce costs as it is easier to discard one
unsuccessful prototype than it is to withdraw a whole shipment that may contain
up to millions of units.
All
of the steps can be revisited as needed, since the function or characteristics
of the circuit may change in the middle of the design, or the proposed design
is way too complex or would take a lot of money or time to create or design.
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Created on Feb 9th 2018 01:17. Viewed 301 times.