Mistake 1: Ignoring Thermal at Schematic Stage
Thermal design decisions made at schematic stage are ten times cheaper to fix than those caught at prototype. Power dissipation must be calculated for worst-case conditions, not nominal.
Mistake 2: Skipping Signal Integrity Analysis
At speeds above 100 MHz, your PCB is no longer just a connection medium — it is a transmission line. Impedance discontinuities, return path breaks, and excessive via stubs cause failures that are invisible to a multimeter but catastrophic in production.
Mistake 3: Optimizing for Cost Before Reliability
Saving $0.10 per unit on capacitors that later fail in field conditions costs $50 per unit in warranty claims. Design for reliability first. Optimize cost on the second revision when you have field data.
Our process: Every PCB we produce goes through a formal DFM (Design for Manufacturability) review before Gerbers are generated. This single step has eliminated the majority of production-stage issues.
Written by Saim Abbas
CTO at BesTel Communications
