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PCB Power Trace Widths, Ground Planes, and Routing

A

Apparatus

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hello,

** I feel somewhat overwhelmed by my pcb design task, so I appologize
in advance for the length/convoluted-ness of this post. I have
attempted to compact and clarify as best as I can.

I am designing a PCB of an embedded system with mostly SMT parts. The
board includes audio (TI TLV320AIC1106) and ethernet subsections
(Cirrus Logic CS8900A). It also includes an Oki Semiconductor ML67Q5003
ARM microprocessor running at 20MHz (4x PLL) clocked by a 5MHz
oscillator. It draws not more than 0.5A, is only two layers, and has
three regulated voltages (5, 3.3, 2.5)from a 16V 500mA wall-wart
transformer.

Using a trace width calculator at www.33each.com, I find that the 8mil
signal traces on my board are wide enough to route power. Should I make
them thicker (100mil?) anyway? Thicker traces confuse the Altium Situs
auto-router around my SMT components so I would prefer not to unless
needed.

How important are ground/power planes here? Since this is a two layer
board with close to 500 connections on the pcb, even with a 6x8" board,
space is tight around the SMT chips, so I would like to avoid planes if
possible. If I do add a plane, should I include dead/unconnected copper
portions of the plane? Should planes be placed before or after
auto-routing?

What other considerations should I take? What can make routing easier?
I've been playing with Protel DXP for a few days and was finally able
to generate a fully routed board that I think meets manufacturing
specs, but it was a long iterative process getting here.

Does Advanced Circuits (www.33each.com) have standard hole sizes? Is it
safe to exactly meet there minimum requirements for trace/via/pad
separation on much of the board?

Answers or feedback to any of these questions are much appreciated.
Happy Holidays,
Chris
 
J

John Larkin

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hello,

** I feel somewhat overwhelmed by my pcb design task, so I appologize
in advance for the length/convoluted-ness of this post. I have
attempted to compact and clarify as best as I can.

I am designing a PCB of an embedded system with mostly SMT parts. The
board includes audio (TI TLV320AIC1106) and ethernet subsections
(Cirrus Logic CS8900A). It also includes an Oki Semiconductor ML67Q5003
ARM microprocessor running at 20MHz (4x PLL) clocked by a 5MHz
oscillator. It draws not more than 0.5A, is only two layers, and has
three regulated voltages (5, 3.3, 2.5)from a 16V 500mA wall-wart
transformer.

Using a trace width calculator at www.33each.com, I find that the 8mil
signal traces on my board are wide enough to route power. Should I make
them thicker (100mil?) anyway? Thicker traces confuse the Altium Situs
auto-router around my SMT components so I would prefer not to unless
needed.

How important are ground/power planes here? Since this is a two layer
board with close to 500 connections on the pcb, even with a 6x8" board,
space is tight around the SMT chips, so I would like to avoid planes if
possible. If I do add a plane, should I include dead/unconnected copper
portions of the plane? Should planes be placed before or after
auto-routing?

What other considerations should I take? What can make routing easier?
I've been playing with Protel DXP for a few days and was finally able
to generate a fully routed board that I think meets manufacturing
specs, but it was a long iterative process getting here.

Does Advanced Circuits (www.33each.com) have standard hole sizes? Is it
safe to exactly meet there minimum requirements for trace/via/pad
separation on much of the board?

Answers or feedback to any of these questions are much appreciated.
Happy Holidays,
Chris

If it's only 2 layers and has no ground plane, and power and ground
are just skinny routed traces, I'd be astonished if it actually
worked.

8 mils is scairy for power, terrifying for ground. It can certainly
handle the current (in the sense of not getting too hot) but the
resistance and inductance can make big trouble.

The most critical thing will be ground. Is this just a bunch of
autorouted 8-mil traces? That will be bad news.

If you have a lot of area to kill and insist on a 2-layer board,
manually create a ground grid of fat (100 mil, maybe) traces using
both sides, plop a via at each intersection, glue all that down, and
route around it with signals.

Better yet, go to 4 layers: solid ground l3, regional power pours on
l2, traces on l1 and l4, with some more routing on l2 around the pours
maybe.

John
 
M

Mac

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hello,

** I feel somewhat overwhelmed by my pcb design task, so I appologize
in advance for the length/convoluted-ness of this post. I have
attempted to compact and clarify as best as I can.

I am designing a PCB of an embedded system with mostly SMT parts. The
board includes audio (TI TLV320AIC1106) and ethernet subsections
(Cirrus Logic CS8900A). It also includes an Oki Semiconductor ML67Q5003
ARM microprocessor running at 20MHz (4x PLL) clocked by a 5MHz
oscillator. It draws not more than 0.5A, is only two layers, and has
three regulated voltages (5, 3.3, 2.5)from a 16V 500mA wall-wart
transformer.

Using a trace width calculator at www.33each.com, I find that the 8mil
signal traces on my board are wide enough to route power. Should I make
them thicker (100mil?) anyway? Thicker traces confuse the Altium Situs
auto-router around my SMT components so I would prefer not to unless
needed.

How important are ground/power planes here? Since this is a two layer
board with close to 500 connections on the pcb, even with a 6x8" board,
space is tight around the SMT chips, so I would like to avoid planes if
possible. If I do add a plane, should I include dead/unconnected copper
portions of the plane? Should planes be placed before or after
auto-routing?

What other considerations should I take? What can make routing easier?
I've been playing with Protel DXP for a few days and was finally able
to generate a fully routed board that I think meets manufacturing
specs, but it was a long iterative process getting here.

Does Advanced Circuits (www.33each.com) have standard hole sizes? Is it
safe to exactly meet there minimum requirements for trace/via/pad
separation on much of the board?

Answers or feedback to any of these questions are much appreciated.
Happy Holidays,
Chris

I wouldn't attempt to do what you are doing without at least 4 layers.
This will make routing a lot easier, too, because power (or at least
ground) is basically done.

As for power traces of 0.008", AFAIK, that is totally unworkable, although
I have never tried it. The problem is that 8 mil traces have a lot of
inductance, and digital chips draw current in spikes. So it is hard to
ensure that there is enough current available when it is needed. Also, you
can no longer be sure that at any given moment, all the chip grounds are
at the same potential. This could cause huge problems.

I think I would go with 4 layers and put in a GND plane, and one positive
power plane. Whichever of your 3 voltages is most common I would make into
a power plane. Personally, I would not route any traces on this power
plane. I might put in some islands of different voltages, but according to
my training, there are precautions that must be followed when you do this.
For example, when you route a high-speed signal on an outer layer, it is
referenced to the underlying plane. If the signal crosses a split in
the plane, you have to decouple directly across the plane split with a
high-frequency capacitor, and the capacitor has to be near the signal.
This is a change of reference.

If most of your signals are not high speed, then you may get away with not
worrying about this. But at least you should do it for the clocks and
any highly active buses.

Sounds like you may be in slightly over your head, but hey, that's how we
learn. ;-)

I hope you allow enough time in the schedule to do the board layout twice.
Especially if it requires FCC testing.

HTH

--Mac
 
A

Apparatus

Jan 1, 1970
0
Thank you for your informative replies.

I'm using a two layer board since it is $33 at www.33each.com with the
student discount. I suppose I could go to a four layer board. How much
more do these usually run? (The price isn't listed on 33each.com. I
need to call for a quote.)

What speed qualifies as high speed? Which buses qualify as highly
active buses? The ARM is able to be clocked up to 66MHz, but I'm
running it at 20MHz (4x 5MHz osc. via PLL) to avoid much these high
speed effects. The ethernet section is running at 20MHz as well, but
off a separate crystal to allow me to clock the ARM faster,
independently of the CS8900. The TI Codec is running at 2.048MHz of
another osc. The ARM has an 18-bits of the address bus running to SRAM,
1-bit to the LCD controller, and 3-bits to the CS8900. The 16-bit data
bus runs 16-bits to SRAM and the CS8900, and 8-bits to the TI Codec and
LCD Controller. During development, SRAM will hold program code and be
frequently accessed. The TI Codec and CS8900 will be the other two
frequently accessed chips (VoIP application).

Should I make separate analog ground planes for the TI Codec and
CS8900? Why do the chips have separate analog and digital grounds (AVss
and DVss)? Can I connect these to one ground plane? If to separate
ground planes, how should the planes connect to ground.

The 5V is to power an onboard LCD the CPLD LCD controller. The 2.5V is
the supply for the ARM core. The rest of the system is 3.3V. So I
should make the power plane 3.3V and run 100 mil traces in the same
layer (maybe around the edges?) for the other two supplies? How can I
tell the auto-router to make the trace smaller as it gets closer to the
SMT chips? Currently the auto-router tries to run 100mil traces
straight to the SMT pins and looks like it shorts them, though that
could simply be a visual effect. I'm using Protel DXP.

Since this is a student project, I don't need to meet FCC testing. If
you're interested in the class, here is the website:
http://wolverine.caltech.edu/eecs53/

Cheers,
Chris
 
J

John Larkin

Jan 1, 1970
0
Thank you for your informative replies.

I'm using a two layer board since it is $33 at www.33each.com with the
student discount. I suppose I could go to a four layer board. How much
more do these usually run? (The price isn't listed on 33each.com. I
need to call for a quote.)

Spend a few more bucks on a 4-layer. You want this to work the first
time, don't you?
What speed qualifies as high speed? Which buses qualify as highly
active buses? The ARM is able to be clocked up to 66MHz, but I'm
running it at 20MHz (4x 5MHz osc. via PLL) to avoid much these high
speed effects. The ethernet section is running at 20MHz as well, but
off a separate crystal to allow me to clock the ARM faster,
independently of the CS8900. The TI Codec is running at 2.048MHz of
another osc. The ARM has an 18-bits of the address bus running to SRAM,
1-bit to the LCD controller, and 3-bits to the CS8900. The 16-bit data
bus runs 16-bits to SRAM and the CS8900, and 8-bits to the TI Codec and
LCD Controller. During development, SRAM will hold program code and be
frequently accessed. The TI Codec and CS8900 will be the other two
frequently accessed chips (VoIP application).

The frequency isn't as important as the edge rates and power supply
dI/dT. A "fast" part run at a lower-than-max clock rate still needs to
be treated as a fast part.

Should I make separate analog ground planes for the TI Codec and
CS8900?
No.

Why do the chips have separate analog and digital grounds (AVss
and DVss)?

So that, internal to the chip, digital ground bounce doesn't mess up
the analog stuff too badly.

Can I connect these to one ground plane?
Yes.


The 5V is to power an onboard LCD the CPLD LCD controller. The 2.5V is
the supply for the ARM core. The rest of the system is 3.3V. So I
should make the power plane 3.3V and run 100 mil traces in the same
layer (maybe around the edges?) for the other two supplies?

I usually make pour pours around each chip at the appropriate
voltages. If things work out, you can slice up the power plane into
cleverly shaped islands that connect everything with fat regions
everywhere. If not, use power islands around chips and run fat power
feeders (50-100 mils) to the islands from your power supplies.


How can I
tell the auto-router to make the trace smaller as it gets closer to the
SMT chips?

99.99% of autorouters suck 99.99% of the time. Just do it by hand.
Routing is fun.

John
 
M

Mac

Jan 1, 1970
0
Thank you for your informative replies.

I'm using a two layer board since it is $33 at www.33each.com with the
student discount. I suppose I could go to a four layer board. How much
more do these usually run? (The price isn't listed on 33each.com. I
need to call for a quote.)

Check pcbexpress.com, too.

If you don't mind using their free software, you can also use expresspcb.
They are reliable, but a lot of people don't like using them because their
software uses special output formats that aren't compatible with other
vendors.
What speed qualifies as high speed? Which buses qualify as highly
active buses? The ARM is able to be clocked up to 66MHz, but I'm
running it at 20MHz (4x 5MHz osc. via PLL) to avoid much these high
speed effects. The ethernet section is running at 20MHz as well, but
off a separate crystal to allow me to clock the ARM faster,
independently of the CS8900. The TI Codec is running at 2.048MHz of
another osc. The ARM has an 18-bits of the address bus running to SRAM,
1-bit to the LCD controller, and 3-bits to the CS8900. The 16-bit data
bus runs 16-bits to SRAM and the CS8900, and 8-bits to the TI Codec and
LCD Controller. During development, SRAM will hold program code and be
frequently accessed. The TI Codec and CS8900 will be the other two
frequently accessed chips (VoIP application).

All continuous clocks are high speed, no matter how fast they are. Any bus
that runs continuously should be treated as high speed. This includes all
RAM, etc. And, as John Larkin said, the edge rate of the signal can make
it fast, even if the clock rate isn't. I would say all of your buses are
probably high speed. An example of a non-high-speed bus would be the SMBus
serial bus on Intel architecture systems.

Here is a little tip for you. The clocks on digital boards cause 90
percent of signal integrity and RF interference problems. So leave good
clearance around the clock traces (this helps keep them from adding noise
to other signals), and try to avoid changing reference plane when you
route them. That is, if they are next to a ground layer, keep them next to
ground layers. Don't switch to a VCC layer. And if they are next to a VCC
layer, keep them there. This helps keep them from emitting RF. At my
previous job, our standard procedure was to put series resistors near all
clock sources, and shunt capacitors near all clock loads. This allows you
to control the edge rate to keep RF emissions down, and you can slightly
tweak the signal delay if you find you have a skew problem. Often the
resistor would be replaced with a "jumper", and the capacitor would not be
populated. But this is preferable to redesigning the board to incorporate
them if they are needed. Also, avoid routing other signals near the clock
generator, buffer, and multiplier chips. They are infamous for coupling
noise to other signals.
Should I make separate analog ground planes for the TI Codec and CS8900?
Why do the chips have separate analog and digital grounds (AVss and
DVss)? Can I connect these to one ground plane? If to separate ground
planes, how should the planes connect to ground.

Splitting ground planes is problematic because, as I said, you shouldn't
route signals across the split on layers adjacent to the plane, and
usually, you have to. So it is better to stick to one ground plane, and
decouple it appropriately.

I usually filter the AVDD with series inductor and several shunt
capacitors (to ground) of different values and package sizes. I have never
tried not doing this, but I have had good luck so far with this approach.
The 5V is to power an onboard LCD the CPLD LCD controller. The 2.5V is
the supply for the ARM core. The rest of the system is 3.3V. So I should
make the power plane 3.3V and run 100 mil traces in the same layer
(maybe around the edges?) for the other two supplies? How can I tell the
auto-router to make the trace smaller as it gets closer to the SMT
chips? Currently the auto-router tries to run 100mil traces straight to
the SMT pins and looks like it shorts them, though that could simply be
a visual effect. I'm using Protel DXP.


I've never used an auto-router. Usually other people have manually
routed my boards for me, according to my instructions. Maybe you could
route some of the critical nets manually first, and then submit the job to
the auto-router?

The idea I have in mind for you is to not route traces on the power plane
at all. Instead, I am imagining that you will have a VCC plane that
will mostly be 3.3V, but with an an island of 5 V near the LCD and
CPLD, and island of 2.5 near the ARM (unless it uses both 2.5 and 3.3.
Does it?). Connect the 5V and 2.5V supplies to the islands using wide
traces. I imagine 100 mils would be fine. Be sure to use multiple vias.

If the arm has 3.3V for the I/O supplies, you may find that the 3.3 V and
the 2.5 V are spacially segregated. In BGA's, the innermost area is often
the core voltage with the IO voltages in the outer balls. I don't know if
your ARM chip is like this or not. If it is, try to make an island that
captures all the 2.5V pins or balls, including decoupling caps, but make
it as small as you can, and try to keep it away from 3.3V pins or balls if
you can.


Usually, I don't decide how to cut up the power plane until after I place
most of the parts on the board. Then I set the different voltages to
different colors and try to visualize where the different islands should
go. Sometimes it is hard. Sometimes it is easy. Sometimes you just have to
do the best you can and hope it works. I try to keep the islands
rectangular, or at most slightly pan-handled. It is OK to have multiple
islands of the same voltage, as long as they are connected by fat traces.
Your 100 mils would be plenty, I think. The individual islands should be
decoupled to ground just as if they were continuous planes.
Since this is a student project, I don't need to meet FCC testing.

Good. That makes the job a lot easier.
If
you're interested in the class, here is the website:
http://wolverine.caltech.edu/eecs53/

Cheers,
Chris

Good luck! Stay on top of it and try to get things done early. This is a
fairly big task if you've never done it before!

--Mac
 
N

Nico Coesel

Jan 1, 1970
0
Apparatus said:
Hello,

** I feel somewhat overwhelmed by my pcb design task, so I appologize
in advance for the length/convoluted-ness of this post. I have
attempted to compact and clarify as best as I can.

I am designing a PCB of an embedded system with mostly SMT parts. The
board includes audio (TI TLV320AIC1106) and ethernet subsections
(Cirrus Logic CS8900A). It also includes an Oki Semiconductor ML67Q5003
ARM microprocessor running at 20MHz (4x PLL) clocked by a 5MHz
oscillator. It draws not more than 0.5A, is only two layers, and has
three regulated voltages (5, 3.3, 2.5)from a 16V 500mA wall-wart
transformer.

8 mils is too narrow for power. Use at least 16 mils or better 20
mils. If you route the power like a grid and place 100nf bypass
capacitors on the intersection points, you will be fine.
 
L

Leon Heller

Jan 1, 1970
0
Apparatus said:
Thank you for your informative replies.

I'm using a two layer board since it is $33 at www.33each.com with the
student discount. I suppose I could go to a four layer board. How much
more do these usually run? (The price isn't listed on 33each.com. I
need to call for a quote.)

What speed qualifies as high speed? Which buses qualify as highly
active buses? The ARM is able to be clocked up to 66MHz, but I'm
running it at 20MHz (4x 5MHz osc. via PLL) to avoid much these high
speed effects. The ethernet section is running at 20MHz as well, but
off a separate crystal to allow me to clock the ARM faster,
independently of the CS8900. The TI Codec is running at 2.048MHz of
another osc. The ARM has an 18-bits of the address bus running to SRAM,
1-bit to the LCD controller, and 3-bits to the CS8900. The 16-bit data
bus runs 16-bits to SRAM and the CS8900, and 8-bits to the TI Codec and
LCD Controller. During development, SRAM will hold program code and be
frequently accessed. The TI Codec and CS8900 will be the other two
frequently accessed chips (VoIP application).

It's not the clock speed, so much as the speed of the pulse edges. Even if
you ran it at 1 MHz you could still have problems with poor layout. Also,
the current spikes when outputs switch can be very high, as much as 1 A,
momentarily.
Should I make separate analog ground planes for the TI Codec and
CS8900? Why do the chips have separate analog and digital grounds (AVss
and DVss)? Can I connect these to one ground plane? If to separate
ground planes, how should the planes connect to ground.

The 5V is to power an onboard LCD the CPLD LCD controller. The 2.5V is
the supply for the ARM core. The rest of the system is 3.3V. So I
should make the power plane 3.3V and run 100 mil traces in the same
layer (maybe around the edges?) for the other two supplies? How can I
tell the auto-router to make the trace smaller as it gets closer to the
SMT chips? Currently the auto-router tries to run 100mil traces
straight to the SMT pins and looks like it shorts them, though that
could simply be a visual effect. I'm using Protel DXP.

You ought to route the critical tracks like supplies and ground manually.
You can use 'fanouts' to get small tracks connecting to SMD leads. The
Protel autorouter has a very poor reputation, you'd be better off routing
all your tracks manually.

Leon
 
R

Richard Henry

Jan 1, 1970
0
Apparatus said:
Hello,

** I feel somewhat overwhelmed by my pcb design task, so I appologize
in advance for the length/convoluted-ness of this post. I have
attempted to compact and clarify as best as I can.

I am designing a PCB of an embedded system with mostly SMT parts. The
board includes audio (TI TLV320AIC1106) and ethernet subsections
(Cirrus Logic CS8900A). It also includes an Oki Semiconductor ML67Q5003
ARM microprocessor running at 20MHz (4x PLL) clocked by a 5MHz
oscillator. It draws not more than 0.5A, is only two layers, and has
three regulated voltages (5, 3.3, 2.5)from a 16V 500mA wall-wart
transformer.

Using a trace width calculator at www.33each.com, I find that the 8mil
signal traces on my board are wide enough to route power. Should I make
them thicker (100mil?) anyway? Thicker traces confuse the Altium Situs
auto-router around my SMT components so I would prefer not to unless
needed.

How important are ground/power planes here? Since this is a two layer
board with close to 500 connections on the pcb, even with a 6x8" board,
space is tight around the SMT chips, so I would like to avoid planes if
possible. If I do add a plane, should I include dead/unconnected copper
portions of the plane? Should planes be placed before or after
auto-routing?

What other considerations should I take? What can make routing easier?
I've been playing with Protel DXP for a few days and was finally able
to generate a fully routed board that I think meets manufacturing
specs, but it was a long iterative process getting here.

Does Advanced Circuits (www.33each.com) have standard hole sizes? Is it
safe to exactly meet there minimum requirements for trace/via/pad
separation on much of the board?

There have been lots of suggestions about going to more than 2 layers. I
would normally concur, but since this is a student project, you probably
will not have the reason or resources for that.

I disagree somewhat about splitting the ground plane. Make a logical block
diagram and the appropriate ground plane splits may become obvious. For
instance, the input power area (from you wall-wart) can be separated from
the regulated voltages. Often the dc-dc ics will be pinned out
intentionally to support this, and/or the data shets will show a recommended
layout. Also, since you have an audio section, fence off the ground for the
circuits in that area from the digital and high-speed i/o circuits. Connect
the audio ground area to the other ground at a single "gate" large enough to
support the anticipated currents. Keep the audio components over the audio
ground.
 
N

Nico Coesel

Jan 1, 1970
0
John Larkin said:
If it's only 2 layers and has no ground plane, and power and ground
are just skinny routed traces, I'd be astonished if it actually
worked.

You'll be amazed what can be accomplished by using only 2 layers if
the bypass capacitors are well placed and the power is well routed. I
actually have a 2 layer 386SX 33MHz motherboard which was available
commercially (not my design, just something that ended up in a box
with PC stuff).
 
J

John Larkin

Jan 1, 1970
0
You'll be amazed what can be accomplished by using only 2 layers if
the bypass capacitors are well placed and the power is well routed. I
actually have a 2 layer 386SX 33MHz motherboard which was available
commercially (not my design, just something that ended up in a box
with PC stuff).


Yeah, but it takes some luck, and maybe a few iterations, especially
in a mixed-signal design with fast parts, like this is. And if it's
autorouted, a lot of the traces will make the grand tour of the board.
It might work, or it might be a nightmare.

Moderm PCs have a lot of layers... anybody know how many?

John
 
R

Richard Henry

Jan 1, 1970
0
John Larkin said:
Yeah, but it takes some luck, and maybe a few iterations, especially
in a mixed-signal design with fast parts, like this is. And if it's
autorouted, a lot of the traces will make the grand tour of the board.
It might work, or it might be a nightmare.

Moderm PCs have a lot of layers... anybody know how many?

Did you mean modern, or modem?

I worked on a board once that came out to 11 layers.
 
J

John Woodgate

Jan 1, 1970
0
I read in sci.electronics.design that Nico Coesel <[email protected]>
wrote (in said:
You'll be amazed what can be accomplished by using only 2 layers if the
bypass capacitors are well placed and the power is well routed. I
actually have a 2 layer 386SX 33MHz motherboard which was available
commercially (not my design, just something that ended up in a box with
PC stuff).

Yes, such a board can be made by a person with a great deal of
experience, but the OP doesn't have that.
 
H

Hal Murray

Jan 1, 1970
0
Moderm PCs have a lot of layers... anybody know how many?

I think the mother boards are typically 4 layers.

They work pretty hard to get there - lots of competition in that business.

The board designers do get some help from the chip designers - sensible pinouts.
(Basically, the chip designers have to demonstrate that you can build a sensible
board with only 4 layers.)
 
N

Nico Coesel

Jan 1, 1970
0
John Larkin said:
Yeah, but it takes some luck, and maybe a few iterations, especially
in a mixed-signal design with fast parts, like this is. And if it's
autorouted, a lot of the traces will make the grand tour of the board.
It might work, or it might be a nightmare.

Moderm PCs have a lot of layers... anybody know how many?

It's just 4 layers. Where would you need more layers for? Most of the
chips are surface mounted on one side. There is no sense in using more
layers because you have no space to put the via's.
If you look carefully at a modern motherboard, you'll find most of the
signals are routed on the component side. This means the 2 inner
layers and most of the solder side can be used for power.
 
M

Mac

Jan 1, 1970
0
It might work, or it might be a nightmare.

Moderm PCs have a lot of layers... anybody know how many?

John

As far as I know, desktop type hardware is done on four layer boards.

I have personally worked on CompactPCI single-board computers that were 12
layers. IIRC, 14 layers is the maximum possible without violating a
specification, and even so, it is kind of touch and go.

That is, the boards have to be physically within a certain thickness so
that they fit in the card guides, and trace impedances are set down in the
CompactPCI specification, too. If you go more than 14 layers on FR4, it is
realistically impossible to simultaneously satisfy both specifications
with achievable trace geometry.

These boards had Intel mobile processors, on-board ECC SDRAM (up to 18
SDRAM chips), C&T video, multiple ethernet MAC/PHY's and other junk I am
probably forgetting right now. All of this on a 6U compactPCI card.

Oh yeah, one board had a dual fiber-channel controller. I think we went to
14 layers on that one.

--Mac
 
K

keith

Jan 1, 1970
0
I think the mother boards are typically 4 layers.

Most these days are six. The low-end stuff is still four though.
They work pretty hard to get there - lots of competition in that business.

Sure. The only ones making money are the one's making the processor and
the OS. Smart people don't fun M$. ;-)
The board designers do get some help from the chip designers - sensible
pinouts. (Basically, the chip designers have to demonstrate that you can
build a sensible board with only 4 layers.)

Again, many are six-layer to get the wiring reasonable. Server boards are
almost always six layer.
 
K

keith

Jan 1, 1970
0
It's just 4 layers. Where would you need more layers for? Most of the
chips are surface mounted on one side. There is no sense in using more
layers because you have no space to put the via's.

Nonsense. You've never seen a BGA or PGA? X86 processors are almost
always PGAs and the bridges are almost always BGAs these days. There are
many reasons to go to more layers. Again, six is more or less standard
for higher end boards. Four for the cheap crap.
If you look carefully at a modern motherboard, you'll find most of the
signals are routed on the component side. This means the 2 inner layers
and most of the solder side can be used for power.

Look again. Certainly the inner layers (and anything else they can
find) are used for power, but signals are done on innner layers too.
 
K

keith

Jan 1, 1970
0
As far as I know, desktop type hardware is done on four layer boards.

I have personally worked on CompactPCI single-board computers that were 12
layers. IIRC, 14 layers is the maximum possible without violating a
specification, and even so, it is kind of touch and go.

That is, the boards have to be physically within a certain thickness so
that they fit in the card guides, and trace impedances are set down in the
CompactPCI specification, too. If you go more than 14 layers on FR4, it is
realistically impossible to simultaneously satisfy both specifications
with achievable trace geometry.

That makes sense for cards (I've personally done 10 layers and met the
..062" PCI spec), but why the restriction for motherboards?
These boards had Intel mobile processors, on-board ECC SDRAM (up to 18
SDRAM chips), C&T video, multiple ethernet MAC/PHY's and other junk I am
probably forgetting right now. All of this on a 6U compactPCI card.

Oh yeah, one board had a dual fiber-channel controller. I think we went
to 14 layers on that one.

I believe it. Multiple layers aren't all *that* expensive. Certainly a
*dime* is expensive for cheapcrap Taiwaneese desktop motherboards, but
there are many other markets.
 
K

keith

Jan 1, 1970
0
Yeah, but it takes some luck, and maybe a few iterations, especially
in a mixed-signal design with fast parts, like this is. And if it's
autorouted, a lot of the traces will make the grand tour of the board.
It might work, or it might be a nightmare.

Moderm PCs have a lot of layers... anybody know how many?

The processor I've most recently worked on has 10 layers of metal (with
more than a few power and grounds). ;-) I hightly doubt that well give up
any of 'em soon.
 
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