Hi everyone! I’m new to PCB design and manufacturing. I want to understand the basics.


Questions:

1. What files do I need to upload (Gerber, BOM, etc.)?
2. What is the difference between single‑layer, double‑layer, and multi‑layer PCBs?
3. Which materials are best for high‑frequency designs?
4. Any tips for choosing the right PCB thickness?

 

Welcome to AAC.

To answer your questions fully would take a small book. Fortunately, most of the recommended PCB manufacturers have beginners guides, so I suggest a little research and reading is necessary. Try:

https://jlcpcb.com/blog/pcb-board-design-beginners-guide

https://www.allpcb.com/allelectrohu...step-by-step-guide-to-creating-your-first-pcb

The short answer to your questions might be:

What files do I need to upload (Gerber, BOM, etc.)

Depends on PCB supplier, but usually (for 2 layer) copper layers, front and back silk screen, front and back solder resist, front and back solder paste, drilling info, edge cut info. Check supplier's documentation

What is the difference between single‑layer, double‑layer, and multi‑layer PCBs?

Basically the number of copper layers. 80% - 90% of PCBs are 2-layer. No point doing 1 layer for small runs except for, maybe, high voltage designs >200v say. Stick with 2-layer until you've done a few - even then, very few designs need more than 2-layer. Stay away from anything more than 4-layer if you value your sanity (trust me, I've been to 10-layer once, never again!)

Which materials are best for high‑frequency designs?

Stick with FR4 for most. Anything above, say, 500MHz or so, needs careful planning and understanding of how parasitic capacitances/inductances occur and isn't a job for a beginner anyway

Any tips for choosing the right PCB thickness?

Stick with the standard 1.6mm.

 

hi.
These two PDF's cover most of the basics.
E

 

hi.
These two PDF's cover most of the basics.
E

That RF one is interesting; not seen it before, but then a lot is specific to Semtech's ICs which I've never used. Useful if you know how to apply the techniques, and have the right kit available, but definitely not a beginners guide, IMHO.

 

Another question to ask is, What is the thickness of the copper layer to choose?
1/2 oz
1 oz
2 oz
And what do these numbers mean?

 

1. What files do I need to upload (Gerber, BOM, etc.)?
2. What is the difference between single‑layer, double‑layer, and multi‑layer PCBs?
3. Which materials are best for high‑frequency designs?
4. Any tips for choosing the right PCB thickness?

it depends on what you are trying to get. if the plan is to get PCB (boards without parts) then gerber and drill files are needed. but if you want also PCBA (board assembly) then you also need BOM and position/orientation info for each component.

board is just a carrier ... it is an insulator. layers are copper sheets applied to the board. board can have up to two outer layers and many inner layers. if all things are equal (copper layer thickness, track width, spacing..) then outer layers are better for high current - simply because cooling inner layers is much harder. order in which layers are applied is called stuck-up. most of the boards these days are low enough complexity so that few layers ar fine. but once you get to really complex designs (computer motherboard etc.) then number of layers is much higher. the more layers - the easier is to route signals around obstacles - when in jam, just place via and switch to another layer that is less crowded and continue routing.

what is "high" in high frequency?

normal / most common PCBs are 1.6mm but other thicknesses are possible. keep in mind anything that is not standard, costs more.

btw that is the overall thickness of the board. but depending on what you are using board for, you will need to consider ampacity if the tracks as well as minimum gaps. so if your calculation shows that track would need to be 20mm wide, you can reduce that by using layers with more copper.
]standard these days are copper wights of 0.5 and 1oz/ft^2. this translates to 17.5 and 35um thick layer. thin layers are nice for high density boards as etching allows sharper results. but when you need high current, you need thicker copper layers. the most i've needed so far was 4oz/ft^2. less copper means cheaper boards too.