Why multi-layer boards handle complex designs in PCB Design - Dashboard Impact

Dashboard Mode - Why multi-layer boards handle complex designs

Business Question

How do multi-layer printed circuit boards (PCBs) help manage complex electronic designs effectively?

Sample Data: PCB Design Features

Board Type	Number of Layers	Signal Integrity	Component Density	EMI Reduction	Cost ($)
Single-layer	1	Low	Low	Low	50
Double-layer	2	Medium	Medium	Medium	80
4-layer	4	High	High	High	150
6-layer	6	Very High	Very High	Very High	250
8-layer	8	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	400

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Average Cost
  Formula: AVERAGE(Cost)
  Result: $186
• Bar Chart: Number of Layers vs Component Density
  X-axis: Board Type
  Y-axis: Component Density (Low to Extreme)
  Shows how component density increases with layers
• Line Chart: Number of Layers vs EMI Reduction
  X-axis: Number of Layers
  Y-axis: EMI Reduction (Low to Extreme)
  Shows EMI reduction improves with more layers
• Table: PCB Types and Features
  Displays all columns from sample data for detailed comparison

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+-------------------------+
|      KPI Card        |    Bar Chart             |
|  (Average Cost)      |  (Layers vs Density)    |
+----------------------+-------------------------+
|      Table           |    Line Chart            |
|  (PCB Features)      |  (Layers vs EMI)         |
+----------------------+-------------------------+

Interactivity

A filter for Board Type allows users to select one or multiple PCB types. When applied:

• KPI Card updates average cost for selected types.
• Bar Chart and Line Chart update to show data only for selected boards.
• Table filters rows to show only selected board types.

This helps users focus on specific PCB complexities and costs.

Self Check

If you add a filter to select only 4-layer and above boards, which components update and how?

• KPI Card shows average cost of 4, 6, and 8-layer boards.
• Bar Chart and Line Chart display data only for 4, 6, and 8-layer boards, showing higher densities and EMI reduction.
• Table filters to show only rows for 4, 6, and 8-layer boards.

Key Result

Dashboard shows how increasing PCB layers improve design complexity handling with cost and performance trade-offs.