PCB Design for Successful IoT Products

Admin · 1 PCB Design for Successful IoT Products Fri Apr 17, 2020 9:25 am

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Join date : 2019-05-10

Attending conferences on electronics and embedded systems has always helped me stay ahead of the latest industry trends. And in recent years, the Internet of Things (IoT) product design has become a major focal point across events. <a href="https://www.rocket-pcb.com/products" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Printed circuit boards</a> (PCBs) are at the core of almost every IoT product. The article covered the 2 pillars of PCB design that lead to successful IoT products. PILLAR 1: FORM FACTOREven in these early days of IoT development, there are already a number of different form factors available in the market. Look at the differences between Nest Cams, Ecobee4 Thermostats, Philips Hue lighting, Fitbit smartwatches, and Ring doorbells.There are four main challenges to keep in mind when choosing a form factor for your IoT device. Lightweight: Many IoT products are consumer-focused and your users don’t want to adopt something bulky and heavy.Miniaturized: In many cases, IoT devices are carried everywhere. You want it to be unnoticeable, which means the form factor should be as small as possible.Ergonomic: If you’re building a wearable device, it needs to be comfortable for the user. Ruggedized: Some products are built to operate in extreme conditions. If you expect your device to be abused, it needs a form factor that can hold up for the use case.I recommend two best practices for overcoming these challenges — streamline MCAD/ECAD collaboration and take advantage of multiple board designs. The Value of MCAD and ECAD CollaborationMechanical and electrical engineers should be best friends when working on an IoT product. Whenever you change something on the electrical side it impacts mechanical design, so you need to maintain alignment at every step.Collaboration is especially important when your device runs on battery. Power consumption can be demanding and the thermal output from microcontrollers and processors must be kept in check. You need to perform a thermo-airflow simulation, but they can only be done by MCAD tools. We faced this challenge when Dialexa Labs built Vinli. We had four different radios on the IoT device which produced a lot of heat at maximum performance. Working with the mechanical engineers helped us perform airflow simulations that ensured our designs would minimize overheating.Working across the aisle is easier than ever with new, advanced CAD tools that have collaboration built-in. Mechanical and electrical engineers can work from different sides and verify the effectiveness of design throughout the product development workflow. Leveraging Multiple Board DesignsTraditional, horizontal PCBs aren’t well-suited for miniaturized, ergonomic IoT products. If you take advantage of multiple board designs, you can overcome your form factor challenges.One approach is to build smaller modules and stack them together to reduce the overall horizontal footprint.Another option is to utilize rigid-flex designs. Combining typical <a href="https://www.rocket-pcb.com/rigid-flex-pcb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rigid PCBs</a> with flexible connectors means you aren’t limited to having parallel boards on top of one another. You could connect vertical and horizontal PCBs to fit different form factors.You may also want to consider if conformal antennas would help overcome form factor challenges. They can be designed to match the shape of any closure. We used one for the GPS in Vinli, which allowed us to meet the design specs we planned out. PILLAR 2: CONNECTIVITYThere are so many different wireless technologies and standards to choose from when building an IoT product. The connectivity decisions you make will impact power consumption, compatibility, and certifications, among other things.You want to take connectivity into account in the architectural stage. And the earlier you can choose the right technology the better. That means deciding if you need Bluetooth, WiFi, ZigBee, or cellular connectivity as well as choosing between star and mesh topologies. Every decision you make will impact the data rate and range of your IoT device, so making the right choices is important. While it’s easier said than done, these common layout practices can help you produce a PCB that translates data with minimal noise/interference and high throughput:Power Analysis: Usage will fluctuate throughout the day and you need a power consumption formula that will accommodate those fluctuations. As you design the PCB, you should have a clear projection of power consumption over the target lifetime of the product. This is especially important when devices are battery-powered. PCB Stack-Up: PCB stack-up is extremely important when it comes to RF and thermal performance. Take the time to design a proper stack-up to avoid problems with signal transmission, power delivery, antenna feeds, and more.Grounding: The ground area is usually very limited for small devices. Care must be taken to provide proper grounding for thermal dissipation and RF performance.Stitching Vias: Efficient via stitching will provide proper current returns and reduce noise interferences. When combined with grounding, you can effectively reduce noise and maximize performance of your RF design. Antenna Performance: Orientation, directivity, gain, and form factor are among the most important criteria when selecting an antenna. Also, pay close attention to any object in the antenna’s near field because it can cause detuning.All of these common practices factor into your ability to obtain certifications for your RF designs. The most common certifications are FCC (in the U.S.), IC (in Canada), and CE (in Europe). However, you’ll also have to pay attention to standards for intentional/unintentional radiators, multiple radios, and the requirements for additional certifications like PTCRB and WEEE.

PCB Design for Successful IoT Products

1 PCB Design for Successful IoT Products Fri Apr 17, 2020 9:25 am

Admin