Brainwave (Reason for Silkscreen) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: PixieDust
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 27, 2021, 07:39:22 am
content: I think I just realised why PCBs have a silkscreen layer with component names. So that you can assemble and service the PCB? After all if you're dealing with similar form size components, you'll go cross eyed finding the right place on a PCB without labels?Am I right? Am I missing other reasons?

author: m98
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 27, 2021, 03:32:34 pm
content: I find that designing the silkscreen is quite a hassle after a certain density is reached, and can lead to less-than-optimal component placement just to accommodate extra space for the silkscreen. Better have a separate placement diagram, preferably interactive with net labels if you want to use it as service documentation.

author: PixieDust
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 28, 2021, 02:09:33 am
content: Thanks guys.I also found this video which was created not too long ago:

author: langwadt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 28, 2021, 02:16:39 am
content: Quote from: m98 on December 27, 2021, 03:32:34 pmyeh, I usually don't bother with it for anything but connectors, leds, buttons, testpoints, and the like where it is actually useful on a finished boardassembly is mostly done by machines and service/debug with a schematic and layout

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 28, 2021, 05:13:59 am
content: Indeed, you often see machine-assembled boards without labels, or wholly without silkscreen at all. Such is the reality of "board level repair"...Tim

author: PixieDust
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 28, 2021, 10:09:59 am
content: Yer I was watching Louis Rossmann's video and looks like Apple doesn't do silkscreen printing. All their PCBs are just black and that's it.

author: langwadt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 28, 2021, 06:23:02 pm
content: Quote from: T3sl4co1l on December 28, 2021, 05:13:59 amwell, if you don't have schematic how much does labels help? and if you can get a schematic you can probably get a layout too

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 28, 2021, 06:36:33 pm
content: Quote from: langwadt on December 28, 2021, 06:23:02 pmEven if you don't have those things, there's at least modest utility in tracing the circuit and identifying problem components; but as a matter of communication, you can't very well tell someone else about it short of circling the damn thing in a photo, or creating such a map yourself (with completely and utterly "wrong" numbers vs. the actual design, and likely different from whatever numbering anyone else might've also created that you just haven't seen yet).And by "modest", I mean, in equipment that's simple enough to trace with high confidence / completeness (typically 1-2 layer boards, high THT amount; mostly vintage stuff), or even in some hopelessly-complex equipment (say, PC motherboards, phones, etc.), limited to simpler subcircuits thereof -- power supply section perhaps. And, still assuming you can identify the problem components well enough to obtain replacements. So, on a range from "impossible" to "sure, no problem", case dependent, probably averaging out as "modest utility".Tim