Editing Printed circuit board (section)

=== Breakout boards ===
[[File:Breakout board.jpg|thumb|A breakout board can allow interconnection between two incompatible connectors.]]
[[File:SD Card Breakout Board.jpg|thumb|This breakout board allows an [[SD card]]'s pins to be accessed easily while still allowing the card to be hot-swapped.]]

A minimal PCB for a single component, used for [[Prototype#Electronics prototyping|prototyping]], is called a '''breakout board'''. The purpose of a breakout board is to "break out" the leads of a component on separate terminals so that manual connections to them can be made easily. Breakout boards are especially used for surface-mount components or any components with fine lead pitch.

Advanced PCBs may contain components embedded in the substrate, such as capacitors and integrated circuits, to reduce the amount of space taken up by components on the surface of the PCB while improving electrical characteristics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/embedded-revolution/article/21799095/use-embedded-components-to-improve-pcb-performance-and-reduce-size|title = StackPath| date=February 11, 2014 }}</ref>