MODULAR ASSEMBLIES

1-39 Figure 1-42.—Layer build-up technique. Advantages and Disadvantages of Printed Circuit Boards Some of the advantages and disadvantages of printed circuit boards were discussed earlier in this topic. They are strong, lightweight, and eliminate point-to-point wiring. Multilayer printed circuit boards allow more components per card. Entire circuits or even subsystems may be placed on the same card. However, these cards do have some drawbacks. For example, all components are wired into place, repair of cards requires special training and/or special equipment, and some cards cannot be economically repaired because of their complexity (these are referred to as THROWAWAYS). MODULAR ASSEMBLIES The MODULAR-ASSEMBLY (nonrepairable item) approach was devised to achieve ultra-high density packaging. The evolution of this concept, from discrete components to microelectronics, has progressed through various stages. These stages began with cordwood assemblies and functional blocks and led to complete subsystems in a single package. Examples of these configurations are shown in figure 1-43, view (A), view (B), and view (C).