Authors

Attended: Kyaw, Tyler

Finished Edits
- Waiting on response from Kyle

Still working on board edits from Kyle
- Finished edits on the main board
- Next is to finish edits on the sensor board
Soldered a new sensor board
Dylan will try programming the board with the new sensor board next time he comes in
Changing the 1N4148 Diode from a SMD to a THRU

Suggested edits from Kyle review on Dragon Fruit PCB V4
General:
- reallocate bottom plane to use as various split power planes
  - a ground plane is not needed on both top and bottom. instead, you can use vias to connect grounds from the bottom as needed
- change placement of all headers to be on the edge of the board (good practice)
  - this helps to avoid cutting into power and ground planes
- don't route traces into component pads diagonally (try to hit the pad straight)
- avoid sudden trace width reduction (xb_en,n46 signals)
  - instead, keep trace width consistent
Main Board:
- reduce trace widths of miso, sck,mosi, and other data lines
  - 7 mils is usually enough for data signals
- delete the bottom ground plane and replace with vload, +5v_mcu, and 3.3v_xb planes
- place load header and voltage regulators closer to components
  - looking at your existing board layout, it seems like the top is the optimal place
- don't need to route gnd trace for mcu because the entire top layer is ground
  - this is only needed if the plane is cut off entirely from the pin/component (known as an island)
- avoid running traces near the board perimeter (xbee_tx, prog_rx, prog_tx signals)
- avoid unnecessary use of planes (n46 signal)
  - due to the pin pitch of the voltage regulator, the plane is narrowed significantly
    - if the effective trace width of a plane is equivalent to that of a regular trace, it defeats the purpose of using a plane
  - rearrange components to maximize effective trace width from planes but also keeping planes compact
- keep proper clearances from holes (C16 and U $4 are too close) * remove silkscreen from component values from board * keep the text less cluttered and you can also refer to your schematic for component values * Sensor Board: * avoid sudden trace width reduction (gnd to u$ 6)
- avoid creating additional planes on the top layer
  - the +5V_SEN_S plane on the top severs the ground plane
    - +5V_SEN_S is already being used as the bottom plane so you can just use vias to connect components to that power plane
  - top plane should be reserved exclusively for gnd
- remove gnd nubs (C27)
- avoid using traces if planes can be utilized to connect signals
  - don't need to use traces to route gnd signal for gps
    - use vias instead