As electronic devices become increasingly popular, printed circuit boards, like an unbeatable line of defense, have become a key component in automotive electronics manufacturing. Their importance is becoming increasingly prominent, ensuring that automotive electronics can operate stably and efficiently.

In automotive electronic equipment, power devices are essential, but due to the increasing heat generated by high-power automotive devices, one of the main reasons is that the heat generated by the internal circuit boards is becoming more and more. Heat dissipation through the car shell cannot meet the heat dissipation needs of the equipment. Therefore, mastering a variety of circuit board heat dissipation methods and techniques and providing a reasonable PCB design solution can extend the stability and life of automotive equipment and ensure the smooth operation of automotive equipment.

1. PCBA Optimization Design Scheme

Optimize the design of PCBA heat dissipation function, and give priority to high temperature resistant and good performance components. According to the temperature index of automobile equipment, determine the  PCBA wire width and copper foil thickness; according to the size of the electronic equipment circuit board, determine the heat dissipation method, thermal conductivity width, component size, density, etc., set copper thermal strips between the PCB and the components, and use the copper thermal strips to transfer the energy of the components, to improve the heat dissipation and thermal conductivity. When designing the automotive PCBA board the function, make full use of the low-power standby mode of the chip and wake up the system only when needed, such as the display screen, communication module, etc.

2. Components Reasonable Layout

All heat sources are separated to disperse the heat and avoid local overheating. Generally, components with small heat loss are placed in the center, and components with relatively large heat loss are placed on the periphery. Dual in-line components are preferred. High-heat electronic components should also be placed in PCB areas with good airflow, close to heat dissipation holes or fans. At the same time, attention should be paid to the distribution of the power layer. Reasonable design of the power layer can disperse the current and reduce heat.

3. Use Low-power Components

Choose low-power components to reduce heat generation from the source. For example, in-vehicle electronic devices use microcontrollers and processors with low-power modes. These devices usually have multiple energy-saving modes such as sleep and deep sleep. You can also choose low-power sensors, ADCs, DACs, and communication modules. These components consume less power both in standby and working mode.

4. Choose A PCB Material with Heat Dissipation

● Heavy Copper PCB

Using heavy copper layer PCB can dissipate heat more effectively, especially for high-power circuits in automotive electronics.

● Metal-based PCB

Using automotive metal-based PCBs, such as aluminum-based PCBs, these materials have good thermal conductivity and can significantly improve the heat dissipation effect.

● Multi-layer PCB

Using a multi-layer PCB, each layer of the PCB has copper foil, and the heat dissipation layer is designed inside the PCB to improve the heat dissipation efficiency by increasing the heat conduction path.

● Heat Dissipation Vias

Heat dissipation vias are designed on automotive electronic PCBs to transfer heat from the heat-generating components to the other side of the PCB or the heat dissipation layer.

● Thermal Pads

Design a dedicated thermal pad on the automotive electronic circuit board to conduct heat to the heat sink or housing.

5. Preferentially Select Heat Dissipation Materials

Using materials with good thermal conductivity, such as copper or aluminum, can effectively transfer heat from the heating component to other heat-dissipation devices. For example, use thermal conductive glue between the component and the heat sink to improve the efficiency of heat conduction. Or for high-heat automotive electronic equipment, use thermal conductive pads to conduct heat.

6. Use A Heat Sink

Solder a small heat sink directly on a high-power component (such as an IC or power component), connect the heat sink directly to the heat source, and use thermal conductive glue or thermal conductive pads to improve the heat conduction efficiency, which can effectively dissipate heat for the circuit board. At the same time, use a fan to enhance airflow and take away the heat. Usually in automotive equipment, a fan is used in conjunction with a heat sink.

7. Increase The PCBA Heat Dissipation Area

On the one hand, in automotive PCBA manufacturing, the area of copper foil should be increased as much as possible, especially around the heat source. A larger copper foil area can dissipate heat more effectively. On the other hand, adding a large amount of copper pour to the PCBA unused areas can also effectively conduct and dissipate the heat of the device. Thermal vias can also be designed near the heat source to conduct heat from one side of the component to the other side of the PCBA or the heat dissipation area. Conducting heat to a larger area of copper foil through vias helps to increase the heat dissipation area.

8. Temperature Monitoring

Install temperature sensors near key components and heat dissipation components to monitor temperature changes in real-time. Check the temperature data to see if there is any abnormal increase and detect potential heat dissipation problems promptly.

9. Regularly Maintain Car Electronics PCBA

Use compressed air or a soft brush to regularly clean dust and dirt from automotive PCBA, such as automotive PCBA board for engine control units, to prevent dust accumulation and affect heat dissipation. Regularly clean dust and debris from fans and heat sinks to ensure smooth air circulation. Regularly check the condition of PCBA boards to see if there are any discoloration, burn marks or other signs of damage, such as Vehicle Circuit Board with thermal management functions; check the condition of connectors and solder joints to ensure that there is no oxidation, looseness or breakage, such as Car electrical PCBA for battery management systems; check the fixation of heat sinks and heat pipes to ensure that they are firmly connected and not loose or falling off, such as vehicle PCBA for vehicle sensor integration. At the same time, since materials such as thermal grease and thermal conductive glue will age over time, replace these materials regularly to maintain good thermal conductivity.