Trade secrets... How to make a printed circuit board
Secrets of the trade: Jonathan Hare explores the chemistry behind your favourite gadgets
Printed circuit boards (PCB) are found in almost all electronic devices including mobile phones, iPods, computer motherboards, TVs, calculators, washing machines, radios and car electronics. A PCB is a rugged and effective way of wiring-up electronic components to create electronic devices.
The basic PCB consists of a thin laminate or fibreglass board covered on one side with a thin layer of copper. The copper is etched to form a complex circuit of ‘tracks’ that are used to wire-up and interconnect the electronic components attached to the board. Modern PCBs in mobile phones and computers usually consist of a number of very thin boards sandwiched together to make a complex multilayer PCB.
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