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Hardware Lessons Learned from Building Beagle

Gerald Coley ESC-401

Topics Covered
Whats in a name? Specification Schematic PCB Layout Assembly Testing Support Implementing Lessons Learned Questions and discussion

The Name: Where did we get the name BeagleBoard?

How did we arrive at BeagleBoard?


Every project needs a name Named for my dog.
Just temporary We will fix it later Well, It Stuck

A Beagle is:
Like Tux, non threatening Curious Loyal Fun And gives back as much as it receives

Lesson LearnedIf you name it, it will stick!

So, we need an acronym Bring your own peripherals Entry-level ARM Cortex-A8 Graphics & DSP Linux and open source Environment for SW innovators

The Specification: A buffet or just meat and potatoes?

The Goals
Get OMAP3530 into peoples hands Low Cost <$150
Under the spousal radar Reach as many people as we can

Small Size
Keeps the cost down Cool Factor

Internally focused
Cortex-A8 + NEON DSP 3D Graphics Accelerators

First Pass Features


OMAP3530 Processor 3.5 LCD
VGA/QVGA Touch screen

S-Video Keypad 2 Serial Ports SD/MMC Ethernet Camera 128MB DDR 128MB NAND USB
Host OTG

COST: $1500 Size: 5 x 8

Something has to go!!

USB/DC Power Stereo In/Out Battery w/Charger Full Expansion Bus

Bring Your Own


Not everyone needs everything Everything is needed Bring your Own
User adds only what they need They dont have to pay for what they already have Allows for maximum exposure to HW
More than just one component supplier

Final Pass Features


OMAP3530 3.5 LCD.-VGA/QVGA Touch screen USB Touch Screen DVI-D VGA, SVGA, XGA S-Video Keypad 1 button USB Keyboard & Mouse 2 Serial Ports 1 Port USB & Expansion SD/MMC 6 in 1 Slot Ethernet USB Dongle & WiFI Camera USB Camera 128MB DDR 128MB NAND USB Host OTG USB/DC Power Stereo In/Out Battery w/Charger USB Battery Adapter Size 5 x 8 3 x 3 Full Expansion Bus Standard buses

Standard on Beagle Bring your own

COST: $149

Just meat and potatoes, but still room for dessert!!

The Schematic

Play It Safe
Leverage everything we can
Used OMAP35xx EVM as base

Maintain compatibility with other platforms


Common hookup Subset used the same

Keep the component count low Use what is proven to work Leave off what is not needed

Leveraged Advantages
OMAP35xx Processor Symbol/Design verified TWL4030/TPS65950 Symbol/Design verified
Removed a lot of features here

SD/MMC Verified DVI-D verified UART Verified Lowered the overall risk

PCB Layout

Rules We Used
PCB Design PCB FAB
PCB ASSEMBLY

TI
Memory Vendors

Failure to include the fab and assembly team members can prove costly since choices made early in the design will adversely impact the final cost of the assembled board

The Challenges
OMAP35xx Package
.4mm Pitch Routing

TPS65950(TWL4030)
.4mm pitch PMIC

POP Implications Limited area for connectors


Location driven and not layout driven

OMAP3530 Package

What Exactly Is POP?


Memory OMAP

PMIC TPS65950 (TWL4030)

Fixed Location of Connectors


Routing complicated by locations
Connector not always on the best side We tried to make this as easy as possible

Not the best locations for routing


The DVI-D was the longest route

We need to keep the layer count down


Our goal was to stick with 6 layers

Recommended Trace and Via Connections


BGA via
Trace should never be larger than pad

Dont gang BGA pads with ground plane

Poor Good Better Better


Watch for solder traps

Best

Blind and Buried Vias


Definitions and Terminology Through hole via has access to both external layers Buried via provides connection within inner layers Blind via does not pass through the entire board

Via-in-Pad
Places the via directly in the BGA pad Greatly improves board routing Has special requirements for manufacturability

Given a 10mil BGA pad Use a 4mil microvia Laser drilled Via must be filled or capped to minimize void formation Via-fill Material Check with board fabricator for their preferences Fill material can be conductive or non-conductive Via fill materials particle size must be <1mil for complete penetration

You must validate your board fabricators capability to reliably build with this class of technology

.4mm Pitch
No routing between pads Use top layer routing on outside pads Use vias-in-pad wherever needed

Soldermask
Exposed pad should be the same size as the pad on the mounted device Need to make the pad larger to add stability Calls for soldermask defined pads

Surface Finish
The PCB surface finish provides a coating over the outer layer copper that prevents oxidation and provides an electrically conductive surface.
Organic Solderability Preservative (OSP) Thin layer of organic material to prevent copper oxidation. It is removed by the assembly flux. Does not tolerate multiple heat cycles. Immersion Tin (ImSn) Thin layer of tin directly on top of the copper surface. Produces an extremely flat surface for mounting of surface mount components. Downside is the possible formation of Tin whiskers. Immersion Silver (ImAg) Thin layer of silver directly on top of the copper surface. Produces a very flat surface. Compatible with no-clean assembly processes. Maintains high solderability after multiple heat cycles. Downside is that the plating will tarnish over time. Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG) Commonly used finish that is nice and flat for fine-pitch devices. Not easily reworked and more expensive. Hot-air solder leveling (HASL) Immersing the PCB in solder. It is inexpensive and widely available, but it is not flat and therefore does not work well with fine-pitch devices

Final BeagleBoard Design


TFP410 OMAP3 Triton-2

OMAP3530 BGA Footprint


Pad Type Pad Pitch Pad Opening Pad Dia Mask Web Solder Mask Defined A B C D 400um 254um (10mils) 280um (11mils) 150um

Via-In-Pad Topology
Stacked Microvia-In-Pad Pad 11mils copper (10mil SMD) BeagleBoard does not use buried vias Top-Layer2 stacked with Layer2-Layer-3 Top-Layer2 Laser Drill 6mil (0.152mm) Solder-mask defined pads Non-conductive epoxy via plugs, plated over and planarized OMAP3

Blind/Stacked 1-3

Blind 1-2

Top Soldermask Top Signal Lyr2-GND Lyr3-SIG Lyr4-SIG Lyr5-PWR Bottom Signal Bottom Soldermask

Standard Vias
Thru-hole via from top to bottom 18mil radius pad 8 mil drilled hole Plugged, plated and planarized Must be level No dimples

Top Lyr2-GND Lyr3-SIG Lyr4-SIG Lyr5-PWR


Not To Scale

Bottom

Top Layer-Signal
(Area under OMAP3 Chip)

Via 1-6

V-I-P

BGA PAD
3mil trace 10mil trace

Bottom Layer Bypass Capacitor Locations


Capacitor Spec Type: Ceramic X7R Size: 402 Value: 0.1uF

Via 1-6

Bypass Capacitor Location and Solder Pads

Component Pad
Min trace width 3 mils

PCB Fabrication Concerns


High Board cost
Because they can charge more Unknown = $$$$$ Does not necessarily mean the production $$ will be high

Unfamiliar with fine pitch Soldermask registration critical

Board Assembly: Putting it all together

POP Assembly Concerns


POP was the number one concern Nitrogen and air were the two options What should we do?
Picked the one that was the most applicable to as many assembly houses as possible.Air

POP soldering in air


Air #1 Air #2

Mounting .4mm Parts


No real concerns Equipment can handle it Warping of the processor due to POP was a possibility
Saw no reason to be concerned

There could be an issue with shorts if soldermask not correct We were comfortable

Solderpaste Equipment

Pick and Place Machine


My DATA (MY9) D-014-1486 F30

Reflow Oven
Heller EXL

X-Ray Machine
Glenbrook Technologies RTX-113

POP Mounting Configurations


Method A
POP onto OMAP3 first reflow Back side Second reflow Top side third w/POP+OMAP3530 reflow

Method B
Mount back side reflow Mount top side with OMAP3530 reflow Mount Memory w/ Pick & Place reflow

Method C
Mount backside reflow Mount topside with OMAP3530 and POP reflow

Method A Process
Top GEL Hand Mount
POP

OMAP3

OMAP3

Mount w/SMT
SMT Reflow Paste Reflow

Paste

Bottom side of board

Top side of board

Hand Assembly

Method B Process
Paste SMT Reflow Paste SMT Reflow

Bottom side of board


Apply Gel POP Memory SMT Reflow

Top side of board

Hand Assembly

Method C Process
POP Memory POP Memory

Dipping Arm is used to apply paste

Paste

SMT

Reflow

Paste

SMT

Reflow

Bottom side of board

Top side of board

Hand Assembly

POP Mounting Analysis


Method A
No real issues seen We abandoned it when we ran into issues Issues were not related to this process

Method B
Final method adopted Have had excellent results

Method C
Dipping ArmPOP Memory dipped into GEL Have a lot of high volume customers doing this Did not try as we had no dipping arm

Panelization
Method A
4 boards per panel Used it on the first runs Had concerns about warping across the scoring that could cause solder shorts Nothing ever proven that this was an issue

Method B
One board per panel Method chosen

Other Parameters
Stencil thickness
.4mils

Solder Paste
AMTECH LF -4300 Lead Free Chemistry Sn96.5/Ag3.0/Cu.5

Tacky paste flux (memory)


Amtech Tacky Solder Flux

Reflow Profile Diagram


Peak Temperature - Degrees C 250 200 150 100 50
Preheating stage
Reflow

Cooldown

Time

Board Profile Settings


BOT # Zones In Oven Pre-Heat Temp. Pre-Heat Dwell Reflow Duration Peak Peak Reflow Temp. Cool Down Speed 18 145 OC 98 sec 118 sec 18 sec 245 OC 8 OC/sec 52cm/s TOP 18 170 OC 95 sec 115 sec 15 sec 260 OC 8 OC/sec 55cm/s POP 18 150 OC 100 sec 120 sec 20 sec 250 OC 8 OC/sec 50cm/s

Issues on
Always a power rail

st 1

Run

Solder Shorts under the processor 10% Yields Could it be related to.?
POP Package Profile PCB Parts Solder

Solder Shorts

nd 2

Run

What is the easiest thing to change?


Adjusted the temperature profile

Same results 90% Fail Shorts under processor

rd 3

Run

Shotgun approach Changed PCB Vendor Went to single board penalization Changed POP method from A to B Kept the original profile Results
96% Yields No Shorts

Analysis of
What was the issue? Gut said PCB soldermask

nd 2

Run

Contacted first supplier No issue w/soldermask per supplier

Ordered more board and ran again with all other methods from Run 3
Same problem; 90% fail

Ordered shotguns and raided first supplier


They admitted that they opened the soldermask Had them run another batch w/o changing soldermask

Result
96% yields No shorts

Good/Bad Soldermask
GOOD BAD

Other Issues Along the Way


SMT PCB audio connectors can rip off
Only happened on two boards Pads detached from the board Added clear epoxy to connectors Adding vias to pads to add strength (Rev B6)

SMT USB connectors can rip off


Only happened on one board Adding vias to pads to add strength (Rev B6)

Final Analysis
Soldermask is the key issue
PCB suppliers do their own thing Make sure that the thing they do is your thing!

All three POP methods should work Panalization should not be an issue, but not confirmed
It will be an issue if the soldermask is bad

Beagle profile is a good place to start


Will need to be adjusted based on equipment used

Board Testing Process

Inspection Points
PCB
Visual inspection

Solder Paste
Bottom side application Top side application

Shorts
After re-flow

AOI
After final assembly

Manual inspection
Final inspection

Assembly Inspection Points


PCB

Paste

Paste

SMT

Reflow

Paste Paste SMT

Reflow Shorts

Bottom side of board


Apply Gel POP Memory SMT Reflow
Shorts

Top side of board

AOI

Visual

Hand Assembly

PCB Check
Check soldermask
Overlap (Soldermask defined pads) Soldermask over vias

Check finish
Discoloring of finish

Dimples in via in pads


Must be smooth

Check Pads
Look for dimples in the vias in pad areas

Solderpaste Inspection

Check paste for smooth application Check for missing paste (not sticking to PCB)

Shorts Test
Implemented when we had solder shorts Easy check for main issues we have seen Check across the caps using a ohmmeter
Run as a spot check Can be done at 100%

AOI Machine

Testronics 505 Machine Vision -Works off of a known good board -Check for part orientation -Check for missing parts

Final Inspection
Bad soldering Contamination Misaligned Parts Wrong parts

Functional Test
Tests all interfaces on the board Program NAND with XLoader and UBoot Tested pre and post burn-in

Burn-In
72 Hour Burn In Room temperature Running UBoot

Final Results
96%+ yield Kept single board penalization Kept assembly POP process Kept Profile Now have three suppliers of PCB
DDI (Dynamic Details, Inc) MEI Streamline

REV A...Each Revision


Only 50 units built Rev A...Initial Version Rev A1Normalized LED brightness levels Rev A2...Changed resistor loading options for S-Video Rev A3Lowered pull-up values for the I2C busses Rev A4...Lowered value of USB cap due to turn on issues
Too much current drain

Rev A5...Incorrect inductor value on TPS65950 switchers


Typo in BOM

Issues to be fixed:
DC Voltage jack 1K pull-up on wait line Plated through hole issues Remove 4 test points User0 and User1 LEDS shorted

REV B ...Each Revision


Rev B1Initial Release
Fixed outstanding Rev A issues

Rev B2USB Host not working reliably


Removed from BOM and assembly Questions around the layout

Rev B3Added a few caps back in from B2 Rev B4...Some USB HUBS not connecting on OTG Port
Noise level too highAdded a capacitor onto USB power rail

Rev B5...Serial Port disconnects after a while


Removed a capacitor on the 32KHZ Clock

Rev B6PCB spin to change package of U9 and U11 Issues To be Fixed:


USB Host

Big Issue Emerges REV B


Failures of the serial port and EDID Traced to a bad package on TXS0102
Delamination issue

60% Failure rate Started 72 burn in process to weed out Still have 1% making it out Only solution is to move to a different package

st 1

Rev C Proto

Attempted to fix USB Host


Significant improvement Still not 100%

This version became the board for Rev B6


Replaced U9 and U11 package Changed Revision to B1

nd 2

Rev C

PCB In FAB Moved USB Host to port 2


Aligned with other platforms Success on Port2

Added native LCD access


Lot of demand for this feature Ability to interface to different displays with small paddle boards (LVDS, TTL, etc.) Kept current expansion header

Support Process

Key Issues from Users


Serial Port Issues
Confusion over cables Serial port failures

OTG to host connectors


Need special cable Brought on by lack of USB Host port

Connecting another video output


LCD

The Returns

RMA By Subsystem
Audio..0 DVI-D..2 Serial Port..19 Memory...0 S-Video...0 SD/MMC.0 USB OTG...0 User Issue..9 PMIC3 Nothing Found...1 34 Total..1.7% Serial Port..1.0%

The Serial Ports


60% of returns for this reason Issue with a small number of boards due to part problem This issue masks other real issues
Wrong IDC Cable Wrong SERIAL Cable Wrong terminal setup Well, it works on that other board?

Implementing the Lessons Learned: Whats Next?

Changes Being Made


Documentation
Troubleshooting Section for Serial Port Pictures Step by Step process

Diagnostic SW New Translator Package


PCB Change REV B6

LCD Interface (Rev C)

Design Material Available


http://beagleboard.org/hardware/design
Schematics
PDF Version OrCAD Version
http://www.beagleboard.org/uploads/BBSRM_B5.pdf http://www.beagleboard.org/uploads/BEAGLE_ORCAD_B4.zip

BOM
Excel http://www.beagleboard.org/uploads/Beagle_BOM_B4.xls

PCB Files
PCB Gerber Files http://www.beagleboard.org/uploads/Beagle_Allegro_B.zip PCB Allegro Files http://www.beagleboard.org/uploads/Beagle_Gerbers_B.zip

Viewers
PDF OrCAD Gerber Allegro

PCB Design Guideline http://focus.ti.com/dsp/docs/dspsupporttechdocsc.tsp?sectionId=3&tabId=409&familyId=1526&abstractName=spraav1 System Reference Manual http://www.beagleboard.org/uploads/BBSRM_B5.pdf


Rev B6 on its way

Can you do OMAP3?


Take the BeagleBoard and build it
Verifies if the PCB Fabricator can do it Verifies if the Assembly house can build it All material needed is provided

All needed SW is available


Diagnostics Kernels Distributions

Thanks To:
Contract Manufacturer CircuitCo www.circuitco.com PCB Fabricators Marcel Electronics mei4pcbs.com Dynamic Details www.ddiglobal.com Streamline www.streamlinecircuits.com PCB Layout ION Design www.iondesign.com Keith Gutierrez , Texas Instruments

Questions and Discussion

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