Ground Pin Naming Demystified | PCB Layout Basics

Join Tech Consultant Zach Peterson as he explores a common viewer question regarding ground pin naming in microcontrollers and other components. Whether you're dealing with AGND, VSSA, or other variations, understanding the proper PCB layout approach is crucial. To help in that effort, Zach explores the nuances of analog and digital ground pins through datasheets and practical layout examples in Altium Designer.
What You Will Learn:
• The significance of different ground pin names like AGND and VSSA.
• How to effectively use these pins in PCB layout.
• Insights from datasheets of components like STM32 and Texas Instruments' ADS8557IPM.
• Practical tips for decoupling and maintaining stable voltage across pins.
• The implications of using isolated and non-isolated components in your designs.
Featured Tools:
• Altium Designer for PCB layout examples.
• Octopart for part datasheets.
Key Takeaways:
• Best practices for ground pin usage in PCB designs.
• How to manage analog and digital signals in microcontrollers.
• Techniques for ensuring optimal performance and safety in electronic circuits.
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0:00 Intro
0:58 Why the Different Pin Naming?
6:11 STM32F4 Example
10:47 Isolated ADC Example

[@jimjjewett]

Around 9:00, is that slot in the whole board, or just in the copper layer? (It looks sort of like a slot in the whole board but _not_ the copper layer, but that doesn't make sense...) Also, if the frequencies are low enough to justify separation like that, should the connection really be close to the BVDD/BGND like that, or would it be better to do it near the top/bottom of the package?

[@lakshmanperera210]

😊😊 😊⁰,9,

[@Zachariah-Peterson]

I think since they are showing only 2 layers (Signal and ground), they are only showing it for the ground layer, in which case they are implying you do that through all the ground layers. If you're at those low frequencies I think it just depends where in the board they come from, the placement they provide is probably not good for every situation.

[@sXAPOLLls]

There are two churches - separate ground and common ground. Like catholic and orthodox. And nobody just cam make comparison for this difference on same design regarding noise/emi and more total - signal integrity.

[@KD0MOO]

😂

[@naorp2025]

Hi zach, how can i lower the inductance when a component pinout have power on one side and ground on the other side?

[@Zachariah-Peterson]

Use a ground plane and connect directly to the ground plane. Is there something specific you are trying to do?

[@davidmaruska1641]

BVDD - Battery Voltage and Battery GND?

[@Zachariah-Peterson]

Probably.... was it in a battery management component?

[@chrissemanson2077]

Buffer ground, looks like they're using it as a fancy word for digital ground; I really hate how IC manufactures do this, I understand it's separated internally but it just creates confusion externally.

[@chrissemanson2077]

Fwiw, the buffers are hardware IO used to help configure the ADC you presented. It's probably why they want it connected to 'digital ground' or really the MCU ground, so it doesnt interact with the analog signal being measured.
It's also why I like the adage 'ground is where carrots and potatoes grow, and that's it '