On Jun 27, 2004, at 6:16 AM, vdberghak wrote:
Looking at the pictures of other builders, I see several 'islands',
I do not build that way, I just solder every component to each other
(above the copper surface, only connected to it where needed).
The only reason(s) I can think of _not_ to make 'em float in the air is that this technique has the potential to make the circuit sensitive to microphonics. And in a high-vibration or high-shock environment such as portable or mobile use, the solder joints would tend to fracture and eventually cause intermittent failures long before any visual breakage was apparent.
What I also saw is that the x-tal filter has no kind of shielding.
Is it worth seperate the input/output of the filter with a kind of
shielding to prevent the signal passing it?
Well, you could take the PCB scraps you saved by not using "island" construction, and use it to make shielding.
What's that old bromide -- "You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too many friends" -- add to that the idea that your electronics can never have too much shielding.
Jim N6OTQ
