Circuit Board Lesson for Kids | Study.com

Circuit Boards

Most of the electronic devices we use every day use circuit boards. The base layer of a circuit board is often made of plastic or other material that does not conduct, or allow, electricity to flow through it. This is important because the circuit is built upon this base layer. Electricity will flow through the circuit but not through the base.

Several components, or parts, are attached to the board and connected to make a circuit. The components on the circuit board are often connected with copper wires that let the electricity flow from one component to another. The circuit board can control which of the components get power and in what order.

When a battery or other power source provides electricity to the board, it flows along the wires to each of the components on the circuit board. Let’s look at how a circuit board is made.

A Circuit Board

Parts of a Circuit Board

Think about your favorite cream-filled cookie. A circuit board is made the same way – in layers.

Base

The first layer is made of plastic or a similar product that doesn’t conduct electricity. This is the base layer.

Copper Foil

The next layer of the circuit board is usually a thin layer of copper foil. Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity. Some circuit boards have only one layer of copper. However, there can be as many as 16 layers or more in some very complex circuit boards.

Soldermask

In the pictures of the circuit boards shown in this lesson, did you notice the layer of green material? This green layer is called the soldermask (pronounced SOD-er). The soldermask acts like an insulator; it keeps certain components from touching the copper layer.

Using Solder to Make a Circuit Board

Solder is a metal, usually tin or lead, that melts very easily and is used to fasten metals together. The solder applied to this layer connects the components to each other on the circuit board.

Diagram

The top layer of the circuit board has a diagram printed in white or light-colored ink that shows where the components belong and where the wires connect them. It’s like a map that shows the person who’s making the circuit board where each of the components should be attached.

How Do We Use Circuit Boards?

Circuit boards are often very thin and found inside many of the electronic devices we use every day. The circuit board lets the components ”talk” to each other by sending and receiving information to and from other electronic devices.

A Circuit Board

For example, one of the circuit boards in your computer sends information to the speakers so that they make the sounds you hear. Other circuit boards connect the computer with the monitor, or screen; they send the signal that makes the images on the monitor.

Lesson Summary

Circuit boards consist of several layers, including the base, copper foil, soldermask, and a diagram. These boards are used to connect many different components to each other in an electrical circuit so that the components can share information. Circuit boards are used in computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices.