PCB Design
Turn a schematic into a manufacturable printed circuit board — layout, routing, grounding and fabrication files.
A printed circuit board mechanically supports components and connects them with copper traces. Good layout affects whether a circuit works at all: noise, heat, signal integrity and EMI are all decided on the PCB. Free tools: KiCad (open-source, professional), EasyEDA; commercial: Altium, OrCAD.
Sub-topics (5)
PCB Design Workflow
From schematic capture to Gerber files: the steps to design a board.
Trace Width and Current Capacity
Size copper traces for the current they carry using IPC-2221 or IPC-2152.
Grounding and Ground Planes
A solid ground plane gives return currents a low-impedance path and is the single best layout practice.
Signal Integrity and EMI
Reflections, crosstalk and emissions — when traces start behaving like transmission lines.
Through-Hole and SMD Components
Through-hole parts go through drilled holes; surface-mount parts sit on pads — sizes and soldering.
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