Troubleshooting Signal Integrity and Power Distribution Issues in a Custom PCB

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1

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on a research-based practical project involving a custom PCB design, and I’ve hit a bit of a roadblock at an early stage. The issue I’m facing is related to signal integrity and power distribution. While designing the PCB, I made sure to follow best practices for trace width calculations and proper grounding, but I’m still encountering unexpected noise and voltage drops in certain sections of the board.

I’ve double-checked the layout, ensured proper decoupling capacitors are in place, and tried rerouting some traces to minimize interference, but the problem persists. I suspect that something subtle in the design might be contributing to this issue, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint it yet.

Before I proceed further with testing, I wanted to ask a few questions. First, what are some effective debugging techniques to identify the exact source of noise in a custom PCB? Additionally, are there any common yet often overlooked design mistakes that could contribute to such issues? Lastly, would using a different grounding strategy, such as a split ground plane vs. a single solid ground plane, make a significant difference in my case?

I’d really appreciate any insights or suggestions based on your experiences. I’m eager to learn and refine my approach, so any guidance would be incredibly helpful.

Thanks in advance!

2

Maybe there is a manufacturing error in the PCBs.
Carefully inspect PCB traces, ground pours, and power planes using your PCB design tool’s DRC and DFM checks.
Look for narrow traces in high-current paths that could be causing voltage drops. Here is a detailed article on PCB manufacturing errors and methods to correct them. Common Issues Faced in PCB Designing - The Engineering Projects

3

If you have a nice oscilloscope you can test individual traces while in-use to maybe help identify problem areas, also a very accurate ohmmeter can help with testing too

What is the power source for your board? Be sure to use a mean-well supply

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That’s a solid approach! PCB errors can be tricky, especially in power and ground connections.