At what frequency do PCB traces start to act as antennas?

Just interested in PCB design. I am wondering whether PCB traces start to act as antennas at some frequency. Anybody knows?

November 14, 2023

Frequencies where the length of the trace is comparable to 1/10th of the wavelength of the wave in air is a decent rule of thumb I’ve heard.

However, you should still be watching out to avoid accidental antenna problems.

Avoid ground loops. Use a single point as ground (usually a plane at the bottom of the PCB), and don’t route the ground of one point through the ground at another point. Ground loops can cause really big signal integrity problems.
Where possible, use differential signaling — that is, a pair of wires or traces — to send signals, and receive them with differential amplifiers.

#PCB Design

Oliver Smith

Oliver is an experienced electronics engineer skilled in PCB design, analog circuits, embedded systems, and prototyping. His deep knowledge spans schematic capture, firmware coding, simulation, layout, testing, and troubleshooting. Oliver excels at taking projects from concept to mass production using his electrical design talents and mechanical aptitude.

Oliver Smith

What Others Are Asking

Which soldering iron tip should I use?

All of the soldering I’ve done to this point has been with through-hole components. I hope to move up to some smaller surface-mount parts at some point in the future. I’ve got a Weller WES51 soldering station. There is a large number of ET series tips available. How do I choose the right tip for the components I’ll be working with?

Oliver Smith December 13, 2023

What will be the role of a copper layer in a metal core PCB in thermal dissipation?

In the design of a power electronic PCB, I want to use a metal PCB for heat dissipation of a TO-220 package MOSFET. To do that I want to mount metal PCB on the MOSFET with the use of thermal paste and screw exactly like we do when we use heatsink for the same package. Should I leave the copper of PCB between MOSFET surface and dielectric of PCB or remove the copper surface and leave only the dielectric opening?

Oliver Smith December 5, 2023

Can PCB test points be a source of noise?

If I want to design a PCB with as much noise immunity as possible, should I leave off test points? Can PCB test points be a source of noise?

Oliver Smith November 6, 2023

At what frequency do PCB traces start to act as antennas?

Oliver Smith

Oliver Smith

What Others Are Asking

Which soldering iron tip should I use?

What will be the role of a copper layer in a metal core PCB in thermal dissipation?

Can PCB test points be a source of noise?

Read Detailed Advice From Blog Articles