In modern PCB manufacturing, as electronic products become increasingly complex and design densities continue to rise, a single circuit board can no longer meet the demands of high-density, high-performance applications. To enhance the functional expandability and structural flexibility of circuit boards, the PCB mother-daughter board (sub-board) structure has emerged as a common solution in modular design and high-density PCB manufacturing.
A PCB mother-daughter board refers to a modular circuit structure composed of a main board (mother board) and one or more auxiliary boards (daughter boards). The mother board typically handles core functions such as power distribution, primary signal transmission, and interface management, while the daughter board is used for functional expansion or specific modules, such as sensor interfaces, signal processing, or communication modules. By employing a mother-daughter board structure, designers can achieve modular layouts, functional separation, and space optimization, while also improving production flexibility and assembly efficiency.
There are various methods to connect the mother and daughter boards, among which Half-Hole soldering is a common technique. In this method, a half-hole is drilled at the connection point, and the hole wall is plated with copper, providing both reliable mechanical support and stable electrical connections. Besides half-holes, mother and daughter boards can also be interconnected via pins, edge connectors, or flexible ribbon cables.
The advantages of using a mother-daughter board structure are significant: first, it saves circuit space by distributing complex functions across multiple boards; second, it facilitates modular production and maintenance, allowing a daughter board to be replaced without changing the entire mother board; finally, it enhances design flexibility, enabling rapid addition or adjustment of functional modules according to product requirements.
PCB mother-daughter boards are widely used in communication equipment, industrial control systems, computer hardware, and consumer electronics. As electronic products continue to evolve toward miniaturization and modularization, the mother-daughter board structure offers increasingly clear benefits in improving circuit density, enhancing functional expandability, and ensuring reliability.
https://www.lzjpcb.com/technicalarticle/mdpcb.html