sales@ipcb.com
Hello, dear friend! If you’re starting your first PCB project or have done a few but always feel something’s off, this article is tailor-made for you. We at iPCB have been specializing in high-precision PCB R&D and manufacturing for over a decade, producing tens of thousands of boards ranging from simple single-board computers to high-speed multilayer, HDI, and rigid-flex designs. We’ve stepped on countless pitfalls and accumulated rich practical experience. Today, we’ll share with you the top 10 PCB layout mistakes beginners commonly make, complete with reasons, real-world consequences, and our proven avoidance tips. We hope this helps you avoid detours and get your boards fabricated successfully sooner!
Many beginners connect all GND points with thin traces, thinking it looks “neat,” but this creates long return paths, causing high-frequency noise and EMI issues to pop up everywhere. In one of our early projects, this exact issue led to frequent MCU resets after powering on—we spent half a day debugging before realizing it was a grounding problem.
Practical Avoidance Tips:
Use a dedicated layer for a solid ground plane in multilayer boards.
In double-layer boards, pour large copper areas on at least one side for GND.
Never allow high-frequency signals to run over ground splits.
Power noise is the number one killer of unstable boards for beginners. We’ve seen too many projects where no capacitors were near ICs, causing switching noise to spread across the board and erratic ADC readings.
Practical Avoidance Tips:
Place a 0.1μF ceramic capacitor near every IC power pin, no more than 5mm away (closer is better!).
Pair it with a 0.01μF high-frequency capacitor.
Put bulk electrolytic capacitors at the power entry point.
Using the same 0.2mm thin traces everywhere looks clean, but power traces that are too narrow overheat or even burn out. One of our motor driver boards melted traces under high current—quite a scare!
Practical Avoidance Tips:
Follow IPC-2221 standards: Signal traces 0.15-0.3mm, power traces at least 0.5-1mm, high current >2mm.
Online calculators (like Saturn PCB Toolkit) are super handy—input current and temperature rise for recommendations.
Crowding components saves space visually, but it leads to shorts or poor soldering during fabrication. We’ve handled many customer files returned for revisions due to insufficient spacing, delaying projects by days.
Practical Avoidance Tips:
Minimum spacing for SMD components: at least 0.7mm.
Pad to board edge: >2mm.
High-voltage clearances: >3mm per 300V.
Import the manufacturer’s DFM rule package before layout and run DRC checks.
This is perhaps the most common “lazy” mistake. Hidden clearance violations or broken traces go unnoticed until after fabrication.
Practical Avoidance Tips:
Run DRC + ERC after every major change.
Set manufacturer rules: Minimum trace width 0.1mm, via diameter 0.3mm, etc.
Our habit: Run DRC at least 3 times before exporting Gerber, until zero errors.
Not carefully checking the datasheet leads to incorrect pad sizes in custom footprints, making components unsolderable. This was one of our most painful early lessons—a whole batch scrapped.
Practical Avoidance Tips:
Prefer official library footprints from your software.
For customs, strictly follow the datasheet’s Land Pattern.
Print a 1:1 scale paper version or use 3D view for verification.
Straight 90-degree turns look efficient, but they cause signal reflections and etching issues (over-etching during manufacturing).
Practical Avoidance Tips:
Always use 45° angles or arcs for routing.
For high-speed signals, ensure smooth transitions and avoid sharp angles.
Routing signals over split ground planes interrupts return paths, causing severe crosstalk and radiation. One of our high-speed USB projects failed eye diagram tests because of this.
Practical Avoidance Tips:
Keep high-speed signals over the same reference plane.
Differential pairs require length matching (error<0.1mm).
Minimize loop areas; add shielding if needed.
Grouping heat-generating parts causes localized overheating, reducing lifespan or causing burnout.
Practical Avoidance Tips:
Evenly distribute heat sources, away from sensitive analog sections.
Use thermal vias and copper pours for heat dissipation.
Add thermal pads or heatsinks in high-power areas.
Without clear polarity, pin, or voltage labels, assembly errors are common.
Practical Avoidance Tips:
Always mark Pin 1, capacitor polarity, and interface voltages.
Include board version number and date for tracking.
Ensure silkscreen text does not overlap pads and remains legible.
We’ve seen and helped customers resolve nearly all these mistakes at iPCB. With over 10 years of expertise in high-precision PCB manufacturing, we know that great layout requires not just design-side fixes but full manufacturing chain support.
Choose iPCB, and you’ll enjoy industry-leading advantages:
30-Minute Fast Quotation: Upload your Gerber files and get an accurate quote in just 30 minutes—know your costs and lead times instantly.
60-Minute Engineering Response: Submit DFM, signal integrity, or material issues, and our professional engineers respond within 60 minutes to optimize your files and prevent rework.
24-Hour Technical Support: 7×24 online—your questions get answered anytime, day or night.
We specialize in high-frequency/high-speed, HDI, multilayer, hybrid, and rigid-flex PCBs, offering one-stop solutions from prototypes to mass production. Countless engineers report project cycles shortened by over 30% and higher success rates with iPCB.
Let iPCB handle your next PCB project!
Contact us now:
iPCB Circuits Limited
Mailbox: sales@ipcb.com
Tel & Fax:Tel: (86)-755-23200081 Fax: (86)-755-23200890
Visit https://www.ipcb.com/ or https://www.ipcb.cn/ for instant online quotes.
If you encounter any layout or manufacturing challenges, feel free to comment or contact us anytime. We're here to help make your boards perfect—that's our greatest satisfaction! Keep going—we look forward to collaborating with you!