Shadowing Practice: What are PCBs and PCBAs? The 'PCB basics' - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Welcome to this video series where we're going to be looking at PCBs.
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This is the first video and we're going to be looking at PCB basics.
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So what's the difference between a PCB and a PCBA?
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Well you can generally refer to a blank unstuffed and unsoldered printed circuit board as a PCB.
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You can see an example of this on the top image here.
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The assembled and soldered assembly is then known as a PCBA or a board assembly or simply a PCA.
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And you can see an example of this on this bottom image.
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So if we look at the two differences,
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the top one clearly has no components on it whereas the bottom has a fully populated set of components.
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So the basic understanding of a PCB.
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A basic PCB consists of a flat sheet of insulating material and a layer of copper foil laminated to the substrate.
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Chemical etching divides the copper into separate conducting lines called tracks or circuit tracers,
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pads for connections, wires to pass connections between layers of copper.
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The tracks function as wires fixed in place and are insulated from each other by air and the bored substrate material.
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The surface of the PCB may have a coating
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that protects the copper from corrosion and reduces the chances of solder shorts between traces
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or undesired electrical contact from stray bare wires.
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This coating is called the solder resist.
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You can see an example of a bare PCB here on the right
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where we can clearly see the tracks and the holes
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or the wires going from one side of the board to the other.
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So what makes up a PCB?
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The basic PCB consists of four layers, which are heat laminated together into a single board.
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The four layers are substrate, copper, solder mask and silk screen.
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The substrate needs to be thermally stable and the most common material used is FR4.
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FR4 is a glass epoxy high pressure thermoset plastic laminate with good strength to weight ratio with near zero water absorption.
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FR simply stands for Flame Retardant.
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And you can see the basic layers here in this image, where we have the substrate, the copper, the solder mask and the silkscreen on top.
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So what are the different layers on top of the FR4?
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First we have the copper layer, which is the electrical conductor where the tracks are etched, which make up the circuit.
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The thickness can vary depending on the power requirements, but in general the thickness is around 35 microns or equivalent to 1.4 thou.
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Second is the solder mask layer and this gives the PCB its green color.
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Its purpose is to insulate the copper tracks from contact with metal, solder or other conductive items.
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And third, the silkscreen layer is a combination of shapes, letters, symbols and instructions.
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It provides identification for each part and you can clearly see
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that in this image where we have part identifications don't forget to check out our other videos in this series
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and you can always contact us
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if you need any help with your projects in China
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so don't forget to a like share and subscribe
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if you hit this little bell symbol
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that will notify you of any new content that we upload
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so thanks for listening my name is Paul Adam from South East and I shall see you in the next video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 42 sentences and 567 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:55. The speaker talks at a steady 145 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 73% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| layer noun | /ˈleɪ̯ɚ/ | A single thickness of some material covering a surface. |
| copper noun | /ˈkɒpə/ | A reddish-brown metallic chemical element (symbol Cu) with the atomic number 29; also, the metal made up of this element. |
| substrate noun | /ˈsʌbˌstɹeɪt/ | An underlying layer; a substratum. |
| wire noun | /ˈwaɪɚ/ | Metal formed into a thin, even thread, now usually by being drawn through a hole in a steel die. |
| circuit noun | /ˈsɝ.kɪt/ | The act of moving or revolving around, or as in a circle or orbit; a revolution |
| mask noun | /mæsk/ | A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise or protection. |
| electrical adjective | /ɪˈlɛktɹɪkəl/ | Related to electricity (or electronics) |
| coat noun | /ˈkoʊ̯t/ | An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms. |
| component noun | /kəmˈpoʊ.nənt/ | A smaller, self-contained part of a larger entity. Often refers to a manufactured object that is part of a larger device. |
| symbol noun | /ˈsɪmbəl/ | A character or glyph representing an idea, concept or object. |
| identification noun | /aɪˌdɛn(t)ɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/ | The act of identifying (i.e., which one, which thing). |
| consist noun | /kənˈsɪst/ | A lineup or sequence of railroad carriages or cars, with or without a locomotive, that form a unit. |
| thickness noun | /ˈθɪknəs/ | The property of being thick (in dimension). |
| stable noun | /ˈsteɪ.bəl/ | A building, wing or dependency set apart and adapted for lodging and feeding (and training) ungulates, especially horses. |
| refer verb | /ɹɪˈfɜː/ | To direct the attention of (someone toward something). |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| make up verb | /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/ | To constitute, to compose. |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are insulated · is called · are etched |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | layers, which are · layer, which is |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: identification /aɪˌdɛn(t)ɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, sheet /ʃit/, ratio /ˈɹeɪ.ʃoʊ/, instruction /ɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/, absorption /æbˈsɔɹp.ʃn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: electrical /ɪˈlɛktɹɪkəl/, identification /aɪˌdɛn(t)ɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like layer, copper, substrate.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.