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Looks like there is no reason for us not to put a Schottky diode
Reverse polarity protection could be as simple as placing a suitably rated schottky diode? Any suggestions about why it would not be enough are welcome. Currently looking into the feasibility of having power go through the controller boards but not sure how this would eliminate the need for power distribution - we could just have PD connect to the controller board instead of carrier board. Arguments against this would also be very much welcome.
There’s some research done by Vinai for MSXIV for protecting against reverse polarity. Looks like MOSFET was preferable there as well. A single 12V rated FET starts at 63 cents.
Currently looking into alternative connectors. Factors to consider: better plastic separation between pins, pins with less length in the plastic (first need to see the trade-offs in comparison with pieces having longer pins and wider plastic). One suitable alternative for a connector is Hirose 50 POS Connector (Receptacle: DF40C(2.0)-50DP50DS-0.4V(51)), Header: DF40C-50DP-0.4V(51)). The pins do not extend too far into the plastic. Only setback is that the pitch is 0.4mm as opposed to the previous 0.5mm.
We also need to place the pads a little towards the tip of the pin instead of closer to the center
Altium has an article for suggested ESD protection methods: Beginner’s Guide to ESD Protection Circuit Design for PCBs | Blog | CircuitMaker (altium.com). Maybe we could implement one or multiple of these. Will need to look into which one is most feasible
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