What is a Printed Circuit Board?

A Printed Circuit Board or PCB is a board that is used to connect electrical components. The board is made out of Fiberglass, Epoxy and other laminated material with copper tracks in place of wires to make connections between components. Components like Microchips, Diodes, Resistors and Switches are soldered on to the board and the copper traces provide the electrical connections between them through conducting pathways.

Paul Eisler invented the printed circuit board (PCB) in 1936. Before the PCB was invented electronic components were connected with a number of wires and as a result took up a large amount of space. Printed Circuit Boards save considerable amounts of space as the boards are much more compact and are better organized. Thus, PCBs help make electronic and electrical systems smaller.

In addition to making circuits smaller, PCBs make it easier to repair circuits and identify any potential errors. They are low cost, highly reliable and immune to movement. Due to these advantages, they have become the de facto standard and are used in almost all electronic systems.