A prototype circuit board is a fully functional printed circuit board. These boards are used to test new designs or as finished products themselves. Prototype PCBs are the first step in any printed circuit design, and they are typically made using printed conductors on sheets of thin insulating material plated through holes.
A schematic diagram describes how the electrical components and connections work. This is then converted into a printed circuit board by creating the circuit pattern and etching it onto a material such as fiberglass-reinforced epoxy or copper laminated onto an insulating substrate.
There are two types of prototyping: one-offs where boards are built for one-time use and small batches (or assemblies) where boards are built in quantity but not enough to qualify for volume pricing.
The conductors on the prototype circuit board are created by making an image of the pattern on the copper foil with a photosensitive material and covering it with a developed resist so that areas of bare copper remain while other areas are etched away. It’s more complicated to make a prototype circuit board than to make a one-off because the alignment of the pattern must be precise. This is difficult when you are routing connections between components that may only be 1/16 inch apart after they are assembled into the finished product.
Once completed, many companies remove chips from their PC boards for testing purposes (and resolder them later) because it’s much easier to troubleshoot the board with all parts in place.
Technological advances now allow companies to take digital pictures of their boards, load them into a software program, and have the boards fabbed by an outside supplier.
There are two major types of prototype circuit boards: single-sided and double-sided. Single-sided boards are constructed by etching the copper foil from one side of the board only. Double-sided boards require that connections be made between opposite sides to connect all layers.
A Prototype Circuit Board offers many benefits. They are often the first step in designing a PCB. Many times, companies need to test their products before they are mass-produced. Using a prototype circuit board allows for this testing to be done without having to wait on large quantities of product that may or may not work as required. Also, these help with the speed and savings of not having to use as many resources. Today more companies are using Prototype Circuit Boards to do their testing because of the many benefits.
