{"id":1307,"date":"2017-07-14T08:00:34","date_gmt":"2017-07-14T15:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/eagle\/blog\/?p=1307"},"modified":"2023-09-25T13:03:54","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T20:03:54","slug":"top-10-things-about-iot-pcb-designer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/top-10-things-about-iot-pcb-designer\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top 10 Things to Know About the Internet of Things (IoT) as a PCB Designer"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Top 10 Things to Know About the Internet of Things (IoT) as a PCB Designer<\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n

The Internet of Things (IoT) is here, it\u2019s huge, and it\u2019s only going to get more massive as time goes on. IoT has been described as the <\/span>fourth Industrial Revolution<\/span><\/a>. And if all the research and speculation is accurate from Gartner, we\u2019re going to be seeing at least <\/span>26 billion devices connected to the internet by 2020<\/span><\/a>. This is all great, but it\u2019s easy to feel disconnected from the future-looking talk as a design engineer. After all, how much of a role are you really going to be playing in those fancy marketing words like Smart Homes, Smart Cars, and Smart Cities?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it turns out, quite a lot. PCB designers all around the world probably have the hardest job of all when it comes to IoT, cramming in all of that advanced functionality into package sizes that just keep shrinking. So we\u2019ve dug down into the practical details of the world of IoT, and here\u2019s are the 10 things you\u2019ll want to know to be a successful PCB designer in our connected future.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

#1 – You\u2019ll Be Fighting For Every Inch of Layout Space<\/h2>\n\n\n

Gone are the days of having a ton of extra layout space to lay down all of your tracks, components, and vias. With IoT devices, you\u2019ll be cramming in a ton of functionality into something that you can wear on your body, in your clothes, or even ingest in your body.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take for example the Apple Watch. The aluminum model measures in at 38.6mm x 33.3mm with a depth of 11.4, all with a weight of only 28.2g. And while it might look beautiful on the outside, it\u2019s also packing in a ton of functionality. You\u2019ve got things like a LED display, memory, a SoC controller, a bunch of sensors, a Bluetooth chip, and a long-lasting battery. What you\u2019ve got here is the functionality of something that would traditionally fit in the size of a smartphone, now being worn on your wrist.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"inside-apple-watch\"\/
Look at all stuff they managed to cram into an Apple Watch, crazy! (Image source<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You can bet that the engineers at Apple were fighting for every inch of space on their board layout, and you can expect to do the same. Plan to cram in things like displays, cameras, microphones, sensors, charging ports, etc. all in a package that seems to shrink every year. To achieve all of this compact functionality and flexibility you\u2019ll likely find yourself entering a whole new design domain that includes Rigid-Flex and High-Density Interconnect (HDI) PCBs.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

HDIs are great as they allow for denser component placement and the use of blind, buried, and micro vias to save valuable board space. And as for Rigid-Flex PCBs, you can take advantage of all the bending and twisting to fit multiple PCBs into the smallest of enclosures. It is getting to a point where just ‘good enough’ PCBs will no longer be accepted by the market.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

#2 – You\u2019ll Likely Be Working With Newer Packaging Technologies<\/h2>\n\n\n

Say farewell to your traditional combination of through-hole and surface mount components. Today\u2019s IoT devices are using some newer packaging technologies to keep things slim and thin, like:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n