A printed circuit board (PCB) mechanically supports and electrically

connects electroniccomponents usingconductive tracks, pads and other featuresetched from

coppersheetslaminated onto a non-conductivesubstrate. PCBs can be single sided (one copperlayer),
double sided (to copper layers) or multi-layer (outer and inner layers). !ulti-layerPCBs allo  for
much higher component density. Conductors on different layers areconnected ith plated-through
holes called vias. Advanced PCBs may contain components -capacitors, resistors or active devices -
embedded in the substrate."#-$ glass epo%y is the primary insulating substrate upon hich the vast
ma&ority of rigidPCBs are produced. A thin layer of copper foil is laminated to one or both sides of
an "#-$ panel. Circuitry interconnections are etched into copper layers to produce printed
circuit boards. Comple% circuits are produced in multiple layers.Printed circuit boards are used in all
but the simplest electronic products. Alternatives toPCBs include ire rap and point-to-point
construction. PCBs re'uire the additional designeffort to lay out the circuit, but manufacturing and
assembly can be automated.!anufacturing circuits ith PCBs is cheaper and faster than ith other
iring methods ascomponents are mounted and ired ith one single part. "urthermore, operator
iring errorsare eliminated.hen the board has only copper connections and no embedded
components, it is morecorrectly called a printed iring board (PB) or etched iring board.
Although moreaccurate, the term printed iring board has fallen into disuse. A PCB populated
ithelectronic components is called a printed circuit assembly (PCA), printed circuit boardassembly
or PCB assembly (PCBA). he*PC preferred term for assembled boards is circuitcard assembly
(CCA), and for assembled backplanes it is backplane assemblies. he termPCB is used informally
both for bare and assembled boards
.

The Little
Gingerbread Man
Written and Illustrated by Carol Moore

Once upon a time there was an old woman who

loved baking gingerbread. She would bake
gingerbread cookies, cakes, houses and gingerbread
people, all decorated with chocolate and peppermint,
caramel candies and colored frosting.
She lived with her husband on a farm at the edge
of town. The sweet spicy smell of gingerbread
brought children skipping and running to see what
would be offered that day.
Unfortunately the children gobbled up the treats
so fast that the old woman had a hard time keeping
her supply of flour and spices to continue making
the batches of gingerbread. Sometimes she
suspected little hands of having reached through her
kitchen window because gingerbread pieces and
cookies would disappear. One time a whole
gingerbread house vanished mysteriously. She told
her husband, "Those naughty children are at it again.
They don't understand all they have to do is knock
on the door and I'll give them my gingerbread
treats."

One day she made a special batch of gingerbread

men because they were extra big. Unfortunately for
the last gingerbread man she ran out of batter and
he was half the size of the others.
She decorated the gingerbread men with care, each
having socks, shirt and pants of different colors.
When it came to the little gingerbread man she felt
 sorry for him and gave him more color than the
others. "It doesn't matter he's small," she thought,
"He'll still be tasty."

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