A circuit board is an insulated board with conductive wires and components that distribute electrical charges to control device components. They consist of an insulator, usually fiberglass, with strands of conductive material acting as wires on the base of the board. Special features include flexible and space-grade boards. Austrian engineer Paul Eisler invented the first printed circuit boards in the mid-1920s, and they were produced on a massive scale for use in wartime radios during World War II.
A circuit board is a piece of insulation that is threaded with conductive wires and similar components. When a power supply introduces an electrical charge onto the board, it is distributed along these wires to the various components in various ways. This allows the board to control how these components are activated and charged while using an electrical device. A wide variety of devices include at least one circuit board, including cell phones, computers, and digital watches.
Common composition
Also known as printed circuit boards (PCBs), they consist of an insulator, usually fiberglass, with strands of conductive material acting as wires on the base of the board. The insulation can consist of one or more layers of material glued together in one piece. These additional layers can serve a variety of purposes, including grounding the board or resisting heat. The wires on the surface of a circuit board are usually copper, created either by laying individual lines mechanically or by coating the entire board in copper and removing the excess.
Components and design
Since the 1980s most printed circuit boards use surface mount components, designed with small tabs and easily soldered into place on the board. Modern circuit board manufacturers often do this process by placing cold solder mix and baking the entire board to melt the solder and seat the components. Before the creation of surface-mount technology in the mid-1960s, manufacturers used wire to connect components to each circuit board. With the elimination of the need for wires, boards have become lighter and more efficient to manufacture.
Special features
A number of additional technologies can be applied to printed circuit boards for specialized uses. Flex boards, for example, are designed to be flexible enough, allowing the circuit board to be placed in positions that would otherwise be impractical. Some companies design boards for use in satellites and spacecraft, building them with rigid copper cores that conduct heat away from sensitive components to protect them in extreme temperatures. Other manufacturers make circuit boards with an internal conductive layer to carry power to various components without extra traces or wires.
Invention and History
Although previous inventors had developed similar boards in the first decade of the 20th century, Austrian engineer Paul Eisler created the first printed circuit boards in the mid-1920s. During World War II, the United States produced them on a massive scale for use in wartime radios. This hardware remained primarily confined to the military during this period, but after the end of the war it became available for widespread commercial use.
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