As PCB technology continues to advance, it has pushed the development of numerous innovations. A good example is the innovation of the led circuit board.
Undoubtedly, the led pcb board is the heart of led lighting. Though several types of led lights of different shapes in the electronic market, they all have led PCB at their core.
This article digs deep into what is a led PCB, its applications, and its advantages.
1. What is the LEDs Circuit Board?
Light-emitting diode, abbreviated as Led, is an increasingly common lighting technique in the digital age. Led is solid-based lighting that transforms electric current into light with the help of a semiconductor. You should solder a lead to a PCB to make a led circuit board. Additionally, you should include a chip to generate light when electrically ignited.
When you compare them with standard light bulbs, led lighting boards minimize energy use by almost 80%. Besides, they also last approximately 25 times longer than traditional light bulbs. Furthermore, they are small in size and eco-friendly.
The PCB technology plays an essential function in supporting led lighting. They physically back the LEDs by conducting heat from the bulbs. This improves bulb performance and inhibits them from overheating.
2. Uses of Leds Circuit Boards
Led circuit boards display super energy efficiency capacities. Besides, they are cost-effective and allow high design flexibility. These properties make them easily applicable in some lighting use cases, such as in the following:
2.1 Computer
Led displays and pointers are common in the computer world. Moreover, aluminum circuit board LEDs are an excellent solution due to the heat responsiveness of computer components. Apart from led applications, you can also use aluminum boards in computer components, such as the Central Processing Unit.
2.2 Telecommunications
You can use led indicators and displays in telecommunications machinery because of the adjacent equipment and high thermal conductivity. Thus, aluminum-led circuit boards make maximum use of their application.
2.3 Medical
Surgical and other medical examination lighting equipment apply led lights made of aluminum boards. The durability and high thermal conductivity of aluminum circuit board LEDs make them ideal for this application. Besides you can also use aluminum boards in medical scanning tools.
2.4 Automotive
In the automotive industry, you can use an aluminum circuit board led on indicators and headlights. The durability and cost-effectiveness of aluminum circuit boards make them ideal for this application.
3. Advantages of Led Circuit Boards
As electronic products become smaller and smaller, it is advantageous to use led PCB boards to permit more direct product sourcing and assembly. Led circuit boards are ideal for low-light settings, consumer gadgets, medical equipment, light-to-medium industrial use, aviation, and marine use. Regardless of the purpose, the advantages of the led circuit board are many, such as:
- High thermal conductivity capacity.
- Cost-effective backlit membrane switch.
- Excellent particle and moisture resistance;
- Easy to incorporate into complicated interface assemblies.
- Effective minimal power consumption.
- They come in multiple sizes, colors, and strengths.
You can apply them in silver and copper flex membrane switches.
When you embed the led in the board, it becomes easy to integrate the membrane button with other buttons. It is important to note that the embedded led circuit boards create more design freedom, even when making complicated backlit switch connections. The led membrane button narrowness assists in minimizing the general outline of those dense switch interfaces. Mostly, engineers go for led circuit boards when revising and improving consumer products.
The other reasons that make led circuit boards common are:
- You can easily tune the color function by introducing multiple color temperatures into the board.
- They can attain different light features for various lighting needs.
4. PCB Design Rules
In your led circuit board, you should consider two significant design aspects. First, ensure that you place lead in the PCB’s drilled holes. Remember, the holes are part and parcel of your design. Secondly, consider the distance between the PCB holes. We recommend you set a minimum distance between them and the anode and cathode to power the led effectively.
Once you are through the above steps, save your file in the right PCB standard format, i.e., in a Gerber file. Remember to set the correct number of layers in your Gerber template since every layer will display different PCB features. For instance, layer zero can show the PCB outline aspects. Layer 1 can carry the copper wires’ pattern information, while layer two can reveal the drilled holes’ information.
After creating your Gerber file, you should make a text document containing layer content information and your PCB dimensions. Now you can send them to your preferred led circuit board manufacturer.
5. LEDs Circuit Board FAQs
5.1 Do lead lights interfere with electronics?
Consumers have reported that some led lighting gadgets produce noise, hindering radio and DAB signals. Though the LEDs create negligible noise, the switching circuitry controls their functions at high frequencies. Therefore, if you fail to fit them accordingly, they can cause electromagnetic interference.
5.2 How do you fix an led circuit board?
First, find the broken LEDs by switching on your circuit to see the bulbs that do not light.
Secondly, remove all the faulty lenses with a soldering iron. Remember to write down the polarity of the faulty LEDs.
Thirdly, replace the faulty LEDs with lights of the same voltage. It is essential to realize that you do not have to match LEDs in voltage by a standard resistance value. Just use a general value.
Fourthly, connect the replacement lights accordingly. Remember, this can vary across different circuit types. For example, the sockets may have different designs if you are handling a set of Halloween lights. Hence, you may need to bend your new bulb connectors to match the previous shape.
Lastly, assess your socket’s polarity if a bulb still fails to light. If a circuit contains a wrong socket, the new bulb will not work. Generally, align your sockets in one direction across a circuit.
5.3 How do you test led on a circuit board?
You connect it to a circuit and see whether it will light. Besides, you can use a diode test multimeter to test lead on a circuit board.
6. The Basics of Leds Circuit Board Design
As mentioned earlier, multiple types of PCB led lights are customized for various purposes. Based on the PCB application, printed circuit board manufacturing applies different materials, designs, and formats. The primary feature is the material that consists of the core of the PCB. Below are the standard circuit board core materials:
FR-4: It contains glass and epoxy. It is fireproof, although it is not highly effective in conducting heat.
Epoxies: While they are not highly long-lasting like other primary materials, they are cost-effective to produce.
Metal-core: Metal-core boards contain aluminum alloyed with other materials. Besides, it has copper coatings. These substances are essential for use cases involving heat transmissions since they provide good thermal conductivity.
7. Led PCB Board Manufacturers
Working with a company that is a leader in led circuit board manufacturing will enable you to exploit all the advantages of led circuit boards. Since led lights are sensitive to temperatures and led boards may require complicated designs, you need a reputable and experienced manufacturer to assemble them. OurPCB has handled led lighting from the infancy stages of this technology. We have the knowledge and expertise to enable you to realize your circuit board-led goals.
We have modern printed circuit board assembly equipment that guarantees quality products. These tools help us to achieve any custom requirements quickly and cost-effectively. Our wide manufacturing capacities allow us to create custom-led circuit boards.
Here are some reasons why we are the industry’s favorite PCB manufacturer.
- Our PCB experts provide error-free services and use high-quality materials for board production.
- Not compromise on PCB quality, no matter the circumstance.
- We have outstanding customer support that facilitates flawless communication between our customers and us.
- We offer some of the most competitive prices around.
Conclusion
Over the years, we have gained an excellent reputation for being a circuit board solutions provider that you can quickly partner with to achieve your led lighting objectives. Our experienced and caring support team is eager to hear your led PCB requirements. You can request a free online led circuit board quote today.
