A printed circuit board (PCB) coil linear actuator is disclosed. The actuator includes a coil assembly and a magnet assembly. The coil assembly includes a plurality of PCB coils electrically connected in series. The PCB coils arranged in a row and adjacent PCB coils are separated by a gap. Each PCB coil includes a low aspect ratio, multi-layer coil member disposed on a board member. The actuator assembly includes a plurality of magnet units arranged in a row, wherein adjacent magnet units are separated by a gap. When the actuator is assembled, the PCB coils arranged in alternating sequence with the magnet units. The PCB coil linear actuator is intended to replace traditional slotted bobbin voice coil actuators (VCAs) and is particularly useful in fast steering mirror (FSM) applications. The PCB coil linear actuator provides many advantages over a VCA of an equivalent motor constant, including improved performance, lower weight and a lower profile.