A Comprehensive Performance Evaluation of YOLO Series Algorithms in Automatic Inspection of Printed Circuit Boards

Considering the rapid iteration of you-only-look-once (YOLO)-series algorithms, this paper aims to provide a data-driven performance spectrum and selection guide for the latest YOLO series algorithm (YOLOv8 to YOLOv13) in printed circuit board (PCB) automatic optical inspection (AOI) through systematic benchmarking. A comprehensive evaluation of the six state-of-the-art YOLO series algorithms is conducted on a standardized dataset containing six typical PCB defects: missing hole, mouse bite, open circuit, short circuit, spur, and spurious copper. An innovative dual-cycle comparative experiment (100 rounds and 500 rounds) is designed, and a systematic assessment is performed across multiple dimensions, including accuracy, efficiency, and inference speed. The experimental results have revealed significant variations in algorithm performance with training cycles: under short-term training (100 rounds), YOLOv13 achieves leading detection performance (mAP50 = 0.924, mAP50-95 = 0.484) with the fewest parameters (2.45 million); after full training (500 rounds), YOLOv10 achieves the highest overall accuracy (mAP50 = 0.946, mAP50-95 = 0.526); additionally, YOLOv11 shows the optimal speed-accuracy balance after long-term training, while YOLOv12 excels in short-term training; moreover, “open circuit” and “spur” are evaluated as the most challenging defect categories to detect. The findings given in this paper indicate the absence of a universally applicable “all-in-one” algorithm and propose a clear algorithm selection roadmap: YOLOv10 is recommended for offline analysis scenarios prioritizing extreme accuracy; YOLOv13 is the top choice for applications requiring rapid iteration with tight training time constraints; and YOLOv11 is the best option for high-throughput online inspection PCB production lines.