31 minute read
Industry Focus
designing dual-Priority encoder using labView sani theo
Paluru Sunitha and naga Sunil Manohar Bole
Advertisement
In priority encoder, if two or more inputs are equal to 1 at the same time, the input having the highest priority will take precedence. In case of dual-priority encoder, the circuit identifies both the highest-priority and the second-highest-priority asserted signal among a set of input signals. Presented here is an eight-input dual-priority encoder designed using LabView versions 12. In LabView, Front Panel serves as the user interface and Block Diagram contains the graphical source code that defines the functionality of the virtual instrument (VI). Following are the steps required to design dualpriority encoder using NI’s LabView:
Step 1. Open LabView and press Ctrl+N followed by Ctrl+T keys to open the tiling Front Panel and Block Diagram.
Step 2. Go to Front Panel and from the menu bar select View->Controls ->Modern->Push Button (this is where we give input), drag and drop it on to Front Panel and label it as input I0. Similarly, select seven such inputs and label them as I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, I6 and I7. Arrange them in sequential order as shown in Fig. 1. Here, input I7 has the highest priority.
Step 3. Select View->Controls-> Modern->Boolean-> Vertical Toggle switch and label it as En’, place it above the inputs. This is an active low enable input.
Step 4. Select Modern-> Decorations-> Flat Frame and adjust its size such that all the inputs are positioned on its left side for neat appearance. Double left click on the Front Panel and type ‘dual priority encoder’ and drag it inside the frame.
Step 5. Select Modern-> Boolean-> Round LED (this is where we see the output) and drop it on to Front Panel and label it as output A2. Similarly, select other three such outputs and label them as A1, A0 and AVALID. These will be used for the first-highest-priority encoder output. Following the same steps as above, label them as B2, B1, B0 and BVALID for the second-highestpriority encoder output. Arrange them in sequential order as shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 1: Front Panel
Step 6. Select Modern -> Decorations -> Recessed Frame and adjust its size such that the outputs (A2, A1, A0 and AVALID) are positioned inside the frame for neat appearance. Similarly, arrange the remaining outputs (B2, B1, B0 and BVALID) in another recessed frame.
Step 7. Use A[2:0] and AVALID to identify the highest-priority request, where AVALID is asserted only if at least one request input is asserted. Use B[2:0] and BVALID to identify the second-highest-priority request, where BVALID is asserted only if at least two request inputs are asserted. Right click on the Front Panel, select Modern>Decoration->Thin Line with Arrow option and drag and drop on the Front Panel and place the arrow to each input line as shown in Fig. 1. Step 8. Go to Block Diagram workspace (refer Fig. 2) and select View-> Functions -> Programming-> Structures-> Case Structure and drop it on to Block Diagram. (Note. Three Case Structures are
Fig. 3: Block Diagram after clean up
Fig. 4: All Tunnels closed
used in this project; this will be considered as main Case Structure.) The labels in the menu at the top of the Case Structure will appear as True and False. First consider the True condition.
Step 9. Select Programming-> Boolean-> NOT gate and drop it on to Block Diagram. Place the cursor at output of vertical toggle switch (En’). You will see a hot spot. From there pull a wire and give it as input to NOT gate. The output of NOT gate is connected to the selector terminal ‘?’ of the Case Structure.
Step 10. Again, select Programming-> Boolean-> Bool to (0, 1) function and drop it on to Block Diagram. Connect the output of I7 to input of Bool to (0, 1) function.
Step 11. Select Programming-> Comparison-> Equal ? function and drop it on to Block Diagram. Give the output of ‘Bool to (0, 1)’ to one of the inputs of ‘Equal ?’. Place cursor on the second input of ‘Equal ?’ and right click on it. Select Create>Constant and put value 1. Step 12. Select Programming-> Comparison-> Select function and drop it on to Block Diagram. It has three input lines, namely, true (t), select (s) and false (f). Connect the output of ‘Equal ?’ to ‘s’ input of Select function. Step 13. Repeat steps 10, 11 and 12 for remaining inputs (I6, I5…I1), except for I0.
Step 14. Place cursor on the true (t) input of Select function, right click on it and create a constant of value 7 for input I7. Similarly, do it for all inputs with constant value decreased by 1 for each input of Select function, which are arranged in descending order as shown in Fig. 2.
Step 15. Connect the output of Select function corresponding to I1 to false (f) input of Select function corresponding to I2. Similarly, connect the remaining outputs of Select function to false (f) input of the Select function, except for I7. Create a constant 0 for the false (f) input of Select function of input I1.
Step 16. Add two Case Structures as explained below. Select Programming-> Structures-> Case Structure, drag and drop it on to Block Diagram inside the main Case Structure. If labels in the menu appear as True and False, modify them to 0 and 1, respectively. Right click on case selector or menu, select ‘Add Case After’ option and label it as 2. Similarly, do the same for the other five cases and label them as 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
Step 17. Connect the output of the Select function of I7 to selector terminal ‘?’ of the inner upper Case Structure.
Step 18. Select case 0 and then select Programming->Boolean-> False Constant and connect the output of False Constant (labeled as F) to the Round LED A2, which is placed outside the Case Structures. An open box called Tunnel will be created on both main and upper Case Structure boundaries.
Step 19. Place the curser on the output wire of F. You will find a hot spot. Click on it and draw two more wires to connect to A1 and A0, respectively. Thus we have connected F to A2, A1 and A0 to represent the binary number for the case 0. That is, the binary number for decimal number zero for [A2 A1 A0] is [0 0 0]. Now, if case 1 is selected, the binary representation of outputs A2 A1 A0 will be 0 0 1. Here, F should be connected to A2 and A1 for the 0s. For 1 we will consider the True (T) Constant by selecting Programming->Boolean-> True Constant option. That is, connect T to A0. For case 2, the binary output of [A2 A1 A0] is [0 1 0] and for case 3 the output is [0 1 1], and so on.
Step 20. Similarly, connect False (F) and True (T) constants to outputs (A2, A1, A0) for remaining cases to represent the corresponding binary number. We can follow the same technique for the inner lower Case Structure.
Step 21. Select another Select function and place in the main Case Structure. Connect output of ‘Equal ?’ correspond to input I7 to the ‘s’ input of Select function. These are used to select the second-highest-priority request. Similarly, do it for the remaining inputs, except for I0.
Step 22. Connect ‘t’ inputs of Select functions from the output of previous
Fig. 5: Output with both first and second-highest priority Fig. 6: Output with only first-highest priority Select functions as shown in Fig. 2, except first Select function of I7.
Step 23. Connect output of Select function corresponding to I1 to the ‘f’ input of the Select function corresponding to I2. Similarly, repeat the same connection at the Select functions corresponding to I3 through I6 inputs, except for I7. And then create a constant 0 at ‘f’ input of Select function corresponding to input I0.
Step 24. Select another Case Structure and drop it on to Block Diagram inside the main Case Structure. If labels appear as True and False, modify them to 0 and 1, respectively and then add six more cases and label them as 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
Step 25. Connect the output of the second Select function of I7 to selector terminal ‘?’ of the inner lower Case Structure. And then repeat steps 18 and 19 for outputs B2, B1 and B0. Step 26. Select Programming-> Numeric-> Compound Arithmetic and drop it on to Block Diagram. Extend it so that it has eight inputs. Now, connect the eight outputs from Boolean (0, 1) functions to the eight inputs of Compound Arithmetic. Change the mode of Compound Arithmetic to ‘Add’ by right clicking on it and select Change Mode-> Add option. This will add a ‘+’ sign to it to make it an adder function. Step 27. Select Programming-> Comparison>Greater ? and drop it on to Block Diagram inside the main Case Structure. Give the output of Compound Arithmetic adder to the first input ‘x’ of Greater ?. Place cursor on the second input ‘y’ and right clicking on it create a constant of value 1.
Step 28. Connect the output of Greater ? to Round LED BVALID and draw another wire from output of Compound Arithmetic adder to input of another comparison function ‘Greater Than 0?’ Give the output of it to another Round LED AVALID.
Step 29. Press Ctrl+b keys to remove broken wires and press Ctrl+u keys to clean up the diagram on the Block Diagram as shown in Fig. 3.
Step 30. Change the case to False condition in main Case Structure and
efy Note
connect all the Tunnels on right side of Case Structure to False (F) constant. Then all the Tunnels will be closed as shown in Fig. 4.
Step 31. Return to Front Panel. Save the VI and press the Run Continuously button to check for the operation of dual-priority encoder. Give different inputs and check the outputs for identifying the first-highest and secondhighest priority request.
Checking the output
Fig. 5 shows the result for dual-priority encoder operations for first-highest and second-highest priority requests when the inputs I7, I5, I3 and I0 are asserted. Here, I7 has the highest priority, after that the next-highest priority will be given to I5. Hence, all the output LEDs A2, A1 and A0 glow, which is equivalent to 111 (also a binary representation of 7) in the highest-priority box. In the secondhighest-priority box, B2 and B0 are on and B1 is off, which is equivalent to 101 (also a binary representation of 5). The output LEDs both AVALID and BVALID are asserted, because more than one input is asserted.
Fig. 6 shows the result when only one input I2 is asserted. Here, output LEDs A2, A1 and A0 show the highestpriority request 2 as 010 (binary representation of 2) and the output LEDs B2, B1 and B0 are turned off. The output LED AVALID only is asserted, because we asserted only single input and there is no second-highest-priority request. Here, note that the circuit will be on only when the enable input (En’) is in off condition, because it is an active low enable input.
The authors Paluru Sunitha and Naga Sunil Manohar Bole were third-year B.Tech (electronics and communication) students from Maharaj Vijayaram Gajapathi Raj College of Engineering, Vizianagaram when they sent this project, under the guidance of Associate Professor M. Satyanarayana, last year
AhlAd KumAr
This utility program can be a handy tool for anyone working in the field of signal processing with interest in implementation of the project through C++ programming. Although this work can be easily implemented in Matlab using simple inbuilt functions, the real challenge of designing and understanding the concept of filter design will be missed out. In order to understand the depth of designing an FIR filter using window functions, coding in C++ is a must. Described here is a C++ implementation of finite impulse response (FIR) filters using Blackman window method.
FIR filters
The term filter is often used to denote systems that process the input in a specified way. In this context, filtering describes a signal-processing operation that allows signal enhancement, noise reduction or increased signal-to-noise ratio. Systems for the processing of discrete time signals are also called digital filters. Depending on the requirement and application, the analysis of a digital filter may be carried out in time domain, z-domain or frequency domain.
A common application of digital filters is to modify the frequency response is some specified way. An ideal low-pass filter is one of the common examples of digital filters which passes the frequencies up to a specified value and blocks other frequencies. One way to approximate the ideal low-pass response is to do truncation of the impulse response by multiplication with the window functions. Mathematically, it can be expressed as follows
h(n)= hd(n)w(n) 0≤n≤N–1 0 otherwise ------ eqn(1) where hd(n) is an infinite-duration impulse response and w(n) is the window function. There are various windows available in signal processing literature. However, in this article we specifically discuss Blackman window. In the case of Blackman window, w(n) is given as:
w[n]=0.42–0.5 cos +0.08 cos 2nπ N–1 4nπ N–1
=0 where n=0,1,2......, N–1 otherwise
------ eqn(2)
Plot of eqn(2) can be seen graphically as shown in Fig. 1.
Software design
Here, we have developed C++ based software for designing FIR filters using Blackman window to get frequency response. The resultant software has the following salient features: 1. Welcome screen of Blackman window design
1 0.9 0.8 0.7
Amplitude 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0
100
20 30 40 50 60 70 Time (samples) Fig. 1: Blackman window
BLACK.H GRAPH.H
FUNC.H
MAIN.CPP
sani theo
2. It prompts you to enter filter’s type 3. It prompts you to enter window length (N) from 1 to 200 4. It prompts you to enter the cutoff frequency. The software is designed to accept the values in radians between 0.2 and 2.6 5. The program outputs normalised filter response. This is a filter response which is designed to pass through a cutoff frequency of 1 radian 6. The program outputs actual filter response. This is a filter response which is designed to pass through a cutoff frequency specified by the user
Software structure
The software is designed to follow the structure as shown in Fig. 2, where the details of each file are explained as given below. 1. MAIN.CPP. This file contains the menu-driven program for user inputs 2. FUNC.H. It is a header file containing code related to Blackman window coefficients calculation 3. BLACK.H. It is a header file containing code for supporting C++ graphics 4. GRAPH.H. It is a header file again to support graphic content in C++
Output responses of the filter
Now, the results obtained after running the software is presented for Blackman window for a low-pass FIR filter for different window length N to
Blackman lowpass filter actual filter; normalised filter
Fig. 3: Frequency response of low-pass filter with N=49, fc=1.2
Fig. 4: Frequency response of low-pass filter with N=99, fc=1.2 Fig. 5: Frequency response of low-pass filter with N=149, fc=1.2
Fig. 6: Frequency response of high-pass filter with N=45, fc=1.2
Blackman lowpass filter actual filter; normalised filter
observe the effect of N on frequency response. All values of |H(jω)| are in decibels. A normalised frequency scale is used.
Low-pass filter. Simulation of lowpass filter using Blackman window is done through the software. Figs 3 to 5 are the outputs of the low-pass filter for different window length of N=49, 99 and 149, respectively.
Blackman lowpass filter actual filter; normalised filter Blackman highpass filter actual filter; normalised filter
4. The amplitude and shape of the end-ripple remains the same but it gets shifted towards the edge and finally out of the pass band for larger values of N 5. As N increases, the ripples in the pass band get smoothed out. A key difference in the observed responses of the rectangular is the absence of the Gibbs phenomenon. This owes itself to the smoother shape of the Blackman window in the timedomain, with the notable absence of a discontinuity that would lead to the Gibbs phenomenon. 6. As N increases the widths of the lobes decrease in the stop band
From Figs 3 to 5, we have following observations when N increases from 49 Other frequencies to 149 at cutoff frequency (fc)=1.2: In the next section we present the 1. The widths of the pass band and outputs of high-pass, band-reject and side lobes decrease band-pass filters. 2. The slope of the transition band Frequency response of high-pass increases, that is, the band develops a filter with N=45, fc=1.2 is shown in Fig. sharper cutoff 6. Frequency response of band-reject 3. As N increases, the number of filter with N=67, with lower cutoff ripples increase in the pass band frequency (fl)=1.2 and upper cutoff
Blackman Bandreject filter actual filter; normalised filter
Fig. 7: Frequency response of band-reject filter with N=67, fl=1.2 and fu=2.0 Fig. 8: Frequency response of band-pass filter with N=91, fl=1.2 and fu=2.0
efy Note
frequency (fu)=2.0, is shown in Fig. 7. Frequency response of band-pass filter with N=91, fl=1.2 and fu=2.0 is shown in Fig. 8.
The program was tested on Windows XP, 32-bit PC using Turbo C++ version 3. For running Turbo C++ on 64-bit PC with Windows 7 or Windows 8, a separate Turbo C ++ IDE is available for download. You need to copy the source code and relevant header files into bin folder before running the program.
Applications
Digital signal processing finds application in almost every field of engineering. Its impact on consumer electronics is evident by the advent of high-definition televisions and digital imaging. Its application in the field of biomedical and signal processing includes
Blackman Bandpass filter
actual filter; normalised filter enhancement of the quality of signals under interest using various digital filters. These filters can also be used in applications like noise removal. The filter routines can be easily coded to hardware description language like Verilog or VHDL and can turn out to be a good project for students or designers working in real-time image and video processing. The author is an M.Tech from ABV-Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management, Gwalior, and B.Tech from Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi
Raspberry Pi: Getting Started
Raspberry Pi has always been a favourite for engineers and hobbyists. Here are some of the websites that will help you understand and start using your Raspberry Pi
niRaj Sahay
raspberrypi.org
The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. This computer can be used in electronics projects, and for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. The website is the home for this little wonder and is updated with all the information that you would need to get started. The forum on the site is very active and has approximately 95,000 members discussing nearly 75,000 topics.
http://www.raspberrypi.org/
http://elinux.org/RPi_Hub
elinux.org
The purpose of this website is to preserve and present information about the development and use of Linux in embedded systems as well as open source projects and tools for general embedded development. The website has pages related to different embedded hardware. Each page has lots of information on the boards that you want to try out. The site can prove to be a good resource for learning Rasberry Pi.
adafruit.com
Adafruit was founded in 2005 by MIT engineer Limor ‘Ladyada’ Fried. Her goal was to create the best place online for learning electronics and making the best designed products for makers of all ages and skill levels. The site has 503 tutorials on different topics and is growing daily. Apart from shopping, blogs and forum the site has a dedicated section for understanding different electronics hardware. The tutorial on Raspberry Pi in the learning section of the website is divided into different parts and caters to all your learning requirements on the subject.
https://learn.adafruit.com/category/raspberry-pi
http://wiringpi.com/
wiringpi.com
The Raspberry Pi has a 26-pin general-purpose input/output (GPIO) connector which carries a set of signals and buses. There are eight general-purpose digital I/O pins that can be programmed as either digital outputs or inputs. The website is a good resource for developers designing with Rsapberry Pi. WiringPi is a GPIO interface library for the Raspberry Pi and includes a command-line utility gpio which can be used to program and set up the GPIO pins.
suntimebox.com
If you are a beginner and do not have any knowledge about this little computer, this is the right place to start. The site has good tutorial on Rapberry Pi and Android programming. The site teaches you how to use, program and understand the Raspberry Pi in simple-to-understand language. The complete tutorial is divided into different courses. These courses use practical examples, visual images, videos and audio clips to explain many of the concepts used for learning the Raspberry Pi.
PCB Industry in India: Marching Ahead
Poor government policies and increased imports have always been major threats to PCB manufacturers and suppliers in india, but the industry is growing and expanding to other verticals, and still harbours huge potential. Let us see how
AnAghA P. And dIlIn AnAnd
India has become a strong and attractive global destination for PCB manufacturers over the past few years. The global PCB manufacturing market is expected to increase from $62.3bn in 2013 to $74.31bn in 2018, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.6%, according to a Research and Markets report published this year.
By regional growth rates, Asia Pacific (APAC) is likely to be the leader of the industry over the next five years. Industry growth is anticipated to be driven by expanding demand for high-end products from consumers in India and China.
What’s driving the Indian market?
According to an Indian Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) report, supported by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY), PCBs feature among the top four components contributing to the bill of material (BoM) across major electronic products consumed, particularly in products such as power supplies, set-top boxes, car radios and many other digital instruments.
“Regardless of the issues discussed, we foresee many opportunities in the Indian industry. The demand for PCBs in this market has only increased over recent years, and there is a CAGR of approximately 35% year over year,” says Viral Bhulani, president, Indian Printed Circuit Association (IPCA). He adds, “Furthermore, with the Internet of Things coming into play in the electronics arena, manufacturing units are now getting orders for PCBs that are highly customised and specially processed.”
For small batches of PCBs, domestic products turn out to be cheaper, while still providing better quality than imports. This has enabled domestic manufacturers to grow by taking over business from foreign competitors.
The local PCB industry not only serves the domestic market but also serves the export market; around 24 per cent of the total PCBs manufactured annually is exported. Indian PCB manufacturers have also enhanced their capabilities from single- and 2-layered PCBs to 16- or even 24-layered PCBs. The PCBs export has grown by nearly 26%.
The stability of prices is usually
very good in this sector. In spite of the dramatic devaluation of rupee in the previous year, the suppliers of PCBs in India were generally able to maintain the prices. The customers have also become more value-conscious; more than ever they now demand reliable and high-grade PCBs. These two factors coming together help drive local PCB manufacturing. Besides, with the Internet of Things coming into play in the electronics arena, manufacturing units are now getting orders for PCBs that are highly customised and specially processed for specific purposes, for which Courtesy: sclpcb.com Indian PCB industry has strengths in. The ability of Indian PCB firms to closely work with the customers, and the excellent technical services they provide, have led many designers to choose domestically-manufactured PCBs over imported ones. Availability of flexible payment schemes, ability to handle sudden demand for increase in production, or demand for slowing down a little, makes Indian PCBs a better option for domestic electronics manufacturers. Krishna Rao, chairman, Sulakshana Circuits Ltd, is confident that, in the next 10 years, plants that manufacture raw materials for PCBs will come up in India, and that this would enhance the industry. The presence of supporting organisations is also somewhat of a boon to industry growth, though not all deci-
SWOT analysis for the Indian PCB industry
Helpful Harmful
Internal Strengths
h Flexibility in terms of handling high-mix, low-volume batches h Ability to face frequent ‘pull and push’ from customers h Readiness to adopt design changes h Flexible payment terms h Infrastructure to effectively handle the production of low- and mid-range PCBs in low and medium quantities h High quality of products, unlike the PCBs imported from China h Good customer services and technical support h Ability to customise products and offer specialised processes for the customer
External Opportunities
h Increasing demand for PCBs in India h Popularity for domestically manufactured PCBs in low-end and mid-range applications h Import not feasible for low- technology boards in small batches h Positive and responsive approach of Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) h Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) by government of India h Value consciousness of customers h Requests for highly customised, highquality boards for specific applications
Weaknesses
h Lack of automation and technological upgrades h Inability to produce mass volumes h Inherent absence of infrastructure and ecosystem for creating PCBs in large quantities and of high complexities h Insufficient go-to-market expertise h Lack of educated, skilled and trained manpower h Lack of strong investments and affordable finance h High cost of production h Low export incentives compared to competitors like China
Threats
h Taxation and excise issues with raw materials h Dependency on import of raw materials, and production and testing equipment h High cost and insufficient availability of power h Environmental measures and lag in implementing them h Duty-free PCB imports being dumped in the market h Bureaucratic hurdle: lengthy and timeconsuming processes for approvals and clearances of new projects the ecosystem or infrastructure for large-scale and most advanced manufacturing techniques. Most importantly, the lack of investment incentives to bear the risk in India hampers growth of the PCB industry here.
Indian PCB manufacturers can, generally, handle small and medium batches effectively. They are flexible enough to accommodate design changes at lower tool cost and can work with smaller panel sizes to produce small to mid-size quantities. However, high-end and large batches of PCBs are still imported in most cases.
Automation and adaption of the latest technologies is slow in the industry. One of the reasons is the lack of good investment. Though PCB industry has lot of potential, convincing potential investors has been a challenge.
The electronics manufacturing in the country drives demand for PCBs. As manufacturing has remained low the demand for PCBs has also remained low.
Another issue is the changes and
sion makers believe that they have been instrumental enough. DeitY has set electronic hardware production target of US$ 400 billion by year 2020 which, if it materialises, will create huge demand for PCBs. “The department is positive, responsive and very keen in promoting electronic manufacturing in India,” says Satish Athavale, managing director, Shogini Technoarts Pvt Ltd.
Indian Printed Circuit Association (IPCA) is a non-profit, voluntary, professional organisation formed in 1985 with a mission to promote the PCB industry in India and represent their interests. The members of this organisation include PCB manufacturers, designers, electronic manufacturing services (EMS) companies and suppliers of PCB machines and raw materials.
What’s holding India PCB Inc. back?
One of the biggest drawbacks is that the Indian industries inherently lack
Which industry shows the highest PCB demand?
Most of the PCB demand in India comes from mobile phones, consumer electronics, automotive, power electronics and industrial automation segments. Energy meters and telecommunication industry come next. It is expected that in the next five years, demand for PCBs would considerably increase from LED lighting and solar sectors. Currently two million mobile phones are being imported into India. Indian PCB manufacturers are gearing up to this demand while some claim to already have the capability to meet the demand.
Reasons for low manufacturing base in India and lack of competitiveness
h Large capital investments required for setting up PCB manufacturing units is inhibiting manufacturers to set up new units, especially for multilayered PCBs, whose demand is expected to grow at a significant rate. h High investment required in pollution control equipment due to stringent pollution standards and polluting nature of industry. h Inverted duty structure, as inputs for manufacture of PCBs are subject to 5% to 10% customs duty while PCBs attract nil duty under the ITA-1. h Lack of availability of skilled labour. h Lack of availability of raw materials like pure-grade silicon and copper laminates required for fabrication of the printed circuit boards. h Lack of availability of raw materials at competitive prices. h Lack of access to new technology and state-of-the-art capital equipment.
— Rajoo Goel, secretary general, ELCINA Electronic Industries Association of India
History of PCB industry in India
h The making of PCBs in India was started by scientists and research institutes in the late 1950s. h Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) established the first commercial PCB manufacturing facility in India in 1968, for in-house requirements. This was followed by Indian
Telephone Industries and some other defence and space research institutes. h The first private sector firm that manufactured professionalgrade PCBs came up in 1970s. h The first boom in PCBs manufacture was between 1985 and 1990. It did not last long due to low domestic demand, lack of infrastructure, high cost of capital, low investments and lack of skilled manpower. h The Indian Printed Circuit Board Association was set up in 1985 when a few leading PCB technocrats met in Mumbai (then known as Bombay). h The entrance of multinational companies (MNCs) and foreign firms into the Indian market led to the second boom that started in 2001. Exports started picking up and quality reached world-class standards.
advances in technology and Indian manufacturers’ inability to keep pace with them and stay ahead in R&D. This is again a function of scale and profitability.
The high cost of electricity and frequent load-shedding make it difficult to run advanced machines.
Almost the entire raw material required for PCB manufacturing is imported, out of which 90% is from China. It is believed that India’s entire demand of PCBs can be met by just one major PCB plant in China. We cannot get raw materials at competitive prices due to the lack of volumes.
Since there are no manufacturers in India for copperclad laminates, solder mask inks, photopolymer film and chemicals used in plated-through-hole (PTH) process, the manufacturing companies have to keep huge inventory of imported raw material, which blocks their working capital. Low taxes on imported PCBs has led to flooding of cheap, low-quality PCBs in the market, which is a threat to Indian manufacturers.
There are virtually no technical institutes in India to give training in various aspects of PCB manufacture. Hence we greatly lack the skilled manpower or specialised personnel in the field.
Foreign challenge. In India, Japanese companies like Suzuki prefer to source their PCBs from Japanese firms while Korean companies like Samsung source theirs from Korea. This results in very little business going to the Indian manufacturers. Anyway, the local players are unable to compete with Chinese exporters who get 17% export incentive.
It would be incorrect to say that the market for PCBs is not growing. The problem is that almost 75% of domestic demand for PCBs is met by imports and, in ad-
dition, a large number of PCBs are being imported as fully-assembled boards. These go straight into finished products assembled in India as part of the low-value-added manufacturing model followed by most companies in India.
Government policies and their impact
The industry feels that the Indian government does not take a proactive approach to encourage PCB manufacturing in India. The current government policies benefit only the large industries. The bureaucratic hurdles are too much for the small-scale industry to handle. The processes to get approvals and clearances for projects are lengthy, complicated and consume a lot of time, energy and money.
The Central and state governments can play a major role in establishing PCB industry in India, which is a highvalue-added manufacturing activity requiring high capital investment. The industry needs government support for access to technology, low-cost finance and infrastructure to establish PCB manufacturing clusters where the entire value chain can flourish in a supportive environment.
According to Amit Agrawal, director, Advance Technologies, corruption is a major curse on our system. He mentions that two Indian firms, that had started manufacturing PCB laminates, closed down recently due to the poor policies and ‘torture’ from the government.
Moreover, duty-free import for PCBs has encouraged dumping of cheap, Chinese PCBs in India, reducing the demand for Indian PCBs. But some policies introduced by the government of India in last two years hold a ray of hope for the Indian PCB industry.
Modified Special Incentive Package
Scheme (M-SIPS). M-SIPS is an investment-based scheme that is aimed to offset disability and attract investment in almost all verticals of electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM) sector. According to Rajneesh Garg, Major contributors to the story
Amit Agrawal,
director, Advance Technologies
Krishna Rao,
chairman, Sulakshana Circuits Ltd
Rajneesh Garg,
managing director, Garg Electronics
Rajoo Goel, secretary general, ELCINA Electronic Industries Association of India
Satish Athavale,
managing director, Shogini Technoarts Pvt Ltd
Viral Bhulani,
president, Indian Printed Circuit Association (IPCA)
managing director, Garg Electronics, “This would be of value only to large industries.” However, some say that there are provisions for smaller industries, and that it is a wrong perception that M-SIPS can be of value to only large industries.
Preferential Market Access (PMA).
The revised PMA policy mandates local sourcing of electronics for government departments, except the Ministry of Defence, for a period of 10 years. While the revised policy mandates sourcing of sensitive telecom and electronic equipment (and technology) from domestic equipment makers, it has exempted the private sector from the changed rules. However, it will cover the schemes and grants made by the Central government. This will give impetus to the demand of PCBs in India and eventually boost the indigenous manufacturing in the country.
Looking towards the future
India has a good number of PCB manufacturers in the country. However, the local capability is restricted to producing single-, dual- and multilayered PCBs of up to 12 layers, and to 16 to 24 layered PCBs in some cases. The PCBs needed in products with high demand, like telecom, consumer and automotive applications, require complex multi-layered PCBs that are not available locally, thus necessitating imports.
Building on the existing capability, special initiatives need to be offered to encourage indigenous design and manufacturing of multi-layered PCBs of up to 64 layers and beyond. This will ensure local sourcing of PCBs by product manufacturers, thus contributing to higher value addition. This shall also meet the requirements of the local EMS players who source PCBs in bulk. This would go well with DeitY strategy of PMA, which enlists PCB and its contribution to bill of materials in its notifications.
India possesses a good chance of elevating itself as a global supplier of PCBs. The country is already exporting 20 to 30 per cent of the total production of PCBs. However, the volumes and the subsequent price points in comparison with China is a major hindrance as is the ability of Indian PCB makers to handle complex products that require more than 24 layers. Government support in the form of lower excise duties and rebates for upgradation of capital equipment could make a positive impact.
Some solutions that the government can implement to support this industry are:
h Elimination of inverted duty structure h Sorting out excise and customs duty procedural issues h High import tariff on PCB imports. Nil duty on raw material imports. h Imposing anti-dumping duty or safeguard duty h Interest subsidies or low-interest loans for PCB manufacturers h Quicker, easier reimbursement of
CENVAT
Anagha P. is a technical correspondent and Dilin Anand is a senior assistant editor at EFY
