Myth #3: It’s okay to put vias in BGA pads because the extra solder (the solder ball) on a BGA will prevent any problems Here's an example of a via in pad situation we don't like; A large number of... Read more
No he didn't! But why do I care? Why do I state this? Well, an email went out from an independent external survey administrator on our behalf. The email was referring to a customer service survey - we do that... Read more
I've described the optimal way to create your land and solder paste layer for QFNs a couple of times before. But that was for a standard square QFN or rectangular DFN. What happens if you look at the bottom of... Read more
I just got back from the Embedded Systems Conference in Boston. We go there every year, along with the ESC show in San Jose. After the gloom at the show last year, I was pretty apprehensive. With so many mixed... Read more
I've been pretty occupied with the upcoming Embedded Systems Conference in Boston. The exhibition is next week on Tuesday, the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd. Screaming Circuits will be in booth 809. Stop by if you happen to be at... Read more
The Screaming Circuits blog celebrates its fourth year blogging today (September 14, 2010). In that time, it has had 447 (448, including this one) posts and 250 reader comments (more if you count the spammy ones I deleted). Popular subjects... Read more
My prior post discussed SMD (solder mask defined) vs NSMD (non solder mask defined) pads for BGAs. I received a comment on the post asking for a bit of clarification: "My understanding was that SMD pads were preferred from a... Read more
In general, we and just about everyone else on the planet recommend NSMD (non solder mask defined) pads for your BGA land. Using copper to define the land gives more precision than using solder mask and, more importantly, gives a... Read more
The holiday is upon us and most folks here in the US will have a three day weekend. Of course, when you're an engineer on deadline, all too often holidays don't really mean that much. Here's a little food for... Read more
