
This can cause timing problems, particularly if the circuit board is large.

Signals take a finite time to propagate along the electrical tracks which make the circuit connections. Electromagnetic interference can be a significant problem, particularly for low-noise analogue circuits. Real devices also have non-ideal electronic characteristics. Real devices have non-zero physical size and fixed terminal positions and sizes. An electronic circuit must be fabricated from real electronic devices. When designing an electronic circuit, the selection of components and the physical layout of the circuit can, in some cases, be as important as the design of the circuit itself. With the introduction of relatively inexpensive ($2k- $10k), high-quality PCB layout software for personal computers, it is now also common for prototype and one-off circuits to be implemented as PCBs. Virtually all electronic circuits that are produced in volume are fabricated on printed circuit boards. As in all design work, the design process is iterative you need to make initial selections based on your calculations, and then see if they work. The circuit may be prototyped, and/or circuit simulation may be performed.

One must choose a circuit configuration, perform supporting calculations, and select actual electronic devices taking into consideration their characteristics, price and availability.

1 Some Notes on Using Protel Software for Schematic Capture and PCB Layout The design of an electronic circuit is a mixture of engineering science, art, and common-sense.
