Contents
What is ground on a PCB?
The ground plane on a printed circuit board is typically a large area of metal connected to the circuit ground. This area of metal is sometimes only a small portion of the board, or in a multi-layer design it may be one entire board layer. Depending on the needs of the design, it may even occupy multiple layers.
How does ground work on a PCB?
If there are ground planes on both sides of the PCB, they will be connected through vias at many different places on the board. They connect the components directly to the ground points, which connect through low impedance to all of the circuit’s other ground points.
Why are there no right angles in PCB?
Most designers will state you should never route right-angle PCB traces due to the EMI that is created at the corner. This would create radiated EMI away from the surface of the board (near-field and far-field radiation), as well as crosstalk in nearby traces.
How are grounding techniques used in PCB design?
There are many grounding methodologies in PCB design that are followed by engineers, the common ones are like including a common ground point, ensuring efficient flow of signals to ground, reducing the use of series vias, etc.. These techniques help us to keep the PCB ground free from the noise.
What’s the name of the ground point on a PCB?
You’ll commonly hear this referred to this common ground point as star grounding. Be sure to minimize series vias on your ground paths and instead send component grounds directly to your dedicated ground plane. The more vias you add to your board the more impedance you have to deal with.
How are ground planes connected in a PCB?
Ground Vias In a multilayer board, ground planes on different layers are connected through vias. These connections help you access the ground plane anywhere throughout the PCB. Vias also help reduce the ground loops in the system.
Where to place ground vias in a PCB?
As a rule of thumb, these ground vias must be placed at 1/8th of a wavelength or less from the relevant conductor. In a multilayer PCB, the arrangement of power, signal, and ground layers in the stack has major effects on signal integrity and will influence your routing strategy.