This comprehensive guide on creating a printed circuit board (PCB) from scratch covers the basics of how to make your own PCB or what you need to do in order to send your design to a PCB manufacturer. To create a PCB, first, create or find a circuit diagram. Next, draw your schematics and design your board layout. Once you have your board layout, get your PCB made, order components, and then assembly.
PCBs are the backbone of most electronic devices, and you can create your own PCB using a program like Kicad and a few cheap or common supplies. Breadboarding is fine for testing a circuit, but it doesn’t look good with fifty wires coming out of it. To create a printed circuit board, use PCB software, create Gerber files, and send your Gerber files to a prototype manufacturer.
There are three basic methods to make a PCB: iron on glossy paper method, circuit by hand on PCB, and laser cutting edge etching. To create a PCB, you should get a good book that explains each type of component in detail. Design your PCB using a software tool such as Eagle or KiCAD and print it on a special transfer paper using a laser printer.
Choose a method for creating the PCB. Your choice will usually be based on the availability of materials needed by the method.
In summary, creating a PCB from scratch requires understanding the circuit diagram, drawing schematics, designing the board layout, getting your PCB made, ordering components, and finally assembling the components.
📹 PCB Creation for Beginners – Start to finish tutorial in 10 minutes
Is it hard to design your own PCB?
Designing your own printed circuit board (PCB) is an affordable and effective way to create a proof of concept or a high-quality finish. PCBs offer advantages such as mass production, consistency, increased component and circuit density, and the ability to add your own logo. Signal traces can be run closer together and around the board, making them more reliable. Additionally, you can add features like copper-pour for ground plane creation or reduce interference around components.
A finished PCB gives your project credibility and makes it easier to present a finished and tidy circuit board. PCB Creator, a free software program provided by Bay Area Circuits, is a popular choice for creating schematics and PCBs.
Is making PCB profitable?
The average return on investment (ROI) in the PCB manufacturing sector has been increasing due to advancements in production technology and growing demand in high-tech industries. Companies with a profitability of 10 to 25 have seen an average ROI ranging from 10 to 25. Factors affecting ROI include raw material costs, labor costs, PCB complexity, and supply chain efficiency. Companies catering to niche markets like aerospace or medical devices tend to report higher ROI due to premium pricing.
However, manufacturers focusing on high-volume, standard PCBs face stiffer competition and pricing pressures, potentially compressing profit margins and ROI. To enhance ROI in PCB manufacturing, companies should adopt advanced manufacturing technologies like automation and AI-driven quality control, focus on niche markets like aerospace, military, or medical equipment, and strengthen supply chain relationships. These strategies can lead to better pricing, improved materials sourcing, and more stable contracts, ultimately contributing to higher ROI.
What program to use for PCB design?
Printed circuit board (PCB) design requires specialized software tools to lay out connectivity and translate circuit schematics into physical board fabrication. Top 8 PCB design software options include Cadence OrCAD, Cadence Eagle, KiCad, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD, Cadence OrCAD.
Why is PCB so cheap?
To reduce PCB manufacturing and assembly costs, several strategies can be employed. First, simplifying circuit design can reduce the number of components, lowering procurement and assembly costs. Second, reducing the layer count can lower material and processing costs. Third, using standard components can lower the cost of custom PCBs, as they are readily available and typically lower in cost compared to specialized components. Fourth, optimizing PCB size and shape can also help reduce costs.
Smaller PCBs require less material and processing, while simpler shapes may require fewer processing steps. Finally, applying Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles can optimize product design for efficient and cost-effective manufacturing. By implementing appropriate line widths, spacings, and drill holes, production costs can be significantly reduced. These strategies can help in reducing the overall cost of PCB manufacturing and assembly.
Is PCB design hard?
The acquisition of proficiency in printed circuit board (PCB) design is a process that necessitates a substantial investment of time, effort, and dedication. It is recommended that one first master the fundamentals of electronics and then progress to the design of printed circuit boards. It is essential to gain familiarity with the software tools utilized in the field and to engage in regular practice in order to enhance one’s abilities. These recommendations can facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills at a faster rate, ultimately leading to the attainment of proficiency in the field of printed circuit board (PCB) design.
Can I learn PCB design on my own?
To become a PCB designer, one must learn to use CAD tools. Open-source software is suitable for early learners, but professional settings require more powerful tools. Altium Education offers free licenses and training resources for advanced industry-level courses like CID or PCE-EDU. The future of electronic design is bright, with the need to design current and evolving technologies like IoT. However, the pool of experienced designers and manufacturing personnel is shrinking as many designers approach retirement age.
If you have a passion for creating things and making them work, laying out printed circuit board designs may be what you are looking for. Altium Designer® is the industry’s most popular PCB design software application, designed for PCB engineers and designers to create world-class designs. The software helps with all aspects of design and offers training to help you hit the ground running.
In summary, the future of PCB design is promising, with the need for skilled designers and the increasing demand for IoT-based electronics. Altium Designer® is a popular choice for those interested in this career.
Is PCB design worth learning?
Learning PCB design offers a comprehensive understanding of the entire design process, from schematic capture to layout design. This hands-on experience helps professionals gain industry-standard design tools and techniques. The advantages of learning PCB design include career growth, efficiency, and quality. It provides versatility in job roles, cost and time efficiency benefits, improved product performance and reliability, and the acquisition of industry-relevant skills.
In today’s technology-driven world, Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design plays a crucial role in the development of electronic devices, such as smartphones, computers, and medical devices. This article explores these advantages from both commercial and employment perspectives.
Can PCB design be automated?
AI can optimize PCB design by automatically routing traces, minimizing signal crosstalk and EMI, and ensuring proper impedance matching. It can also help designers check and validate designs against specific rules, reducing errors and costly redesigns. AI algorithms can identify potential issues like short circuits and design rule violations. Additionally, AI tools can provide design assistance and recommendations based on historical data and best practices, helping designers make informed decisions about component selection and layer stackup.
What programming language do PCBs use?
C and C++ are widely utilized for PCB programming due to their optimal balance of low-level control and high-level abstraction. They provide comprehensive libraries, optimal hardware performance, and are more straightforward to develop and maintain than assembly code. Python and MicroPython are frequently utilized in less resource-constrained systems due to their rapid development and ease of use.
📹 How To Make Custom PCB’s For Your Projects!
Although this video isn’t a complete overview of using EDA software, my goal was to cover all the main steps involved in …
A few tip for novices to soldering. Always skip pins whenever possible. For example, if you’re soldering 10 pins in a row, do them in this order… 1, 5, 2, 6, 3, 7…. This prevents excessive heat build up in one area which can damage components and burn up traces. P.A.C.E. has some great articles on YouTube. They are very old articles, but the laws of physics don’t change so it’s all still relevant!
Gateway drug… no kidding man! Got into Raspi, 3D printing, Microcontrollers like ESPs for things like WS8212s and WLED projects, Home assistant and other Raspi servers…last December. Yea… not enough hours in the day LOL. Especially when my real job as a communications engineer gets in the way….lol. I’m having way to much fun tinkering and being a maker. So much to learn which really is the best part. I’ll strat a project, see a article or article on something new and get all excited all over again. But, I am finishing projects! Just shipped a Dinosaur Night Light to my Son for the newborn Grandson’s room. D1 Mini running WLED (Amazing app) for WS8212 LEDs. Very happy with how it came out and friends and family have been heaping praise in me. Gotta say…it’s pretty rewarding making things after 20 years of doing integrations for voice and data acquisition and analysis. Having PCB made is the next step to make projects look legit. So,, thanks for the help!
This article was amazing. No chit chat about useless stuff that makes the article way too long but didn’t miss any important parts, showed process from prototyping with cables to end of design, and even included the ordering from a manufacter part. I’ll look forward to perusal more articles like this from you!
Nice intro article. One point on safety. Unless people know what they are doing (I mean really know), they should not try to incorporate mains voltage in any of their designs as AC has several considerations to take into account like gaping and how to calculate trace thickness and width. Letting the magic smoke out of a PCB via AC is a much more serious issue than with low voltage DC.
if i have my project i connect and create good thinks what is good for each others things and work how i want then if i add chip and storage and itp mini chips and electric elements then i can do my own 1. Led Controler 2. Sim card reader to … 3. chacking pendrive thing for windows and all. 4. adapter
THANK YOU!! I’ve had many schematics that i’ve wanted to create pcbs for but I thought “this is just another thing that I’m going to need to dedicate hours and hours to try and learn…..someday”. I just created my first board and ordered it in under 2 hours, next time will be much faster. Thanks for showing how easy it really is.
I found this website by searching and subscribed halfway through the first article. This is really, really good content and I expect to see this website really blow up. I was a little nervous about making a PCB before perusal this. After perusal this, I feel zero hesitation. that’s pretty incredible for just a few minute long article. It’s still complicated but it’s no longer mysterious.
I tried to follow the tutorial you provided, but I got stuck with attempting to figure out how to create custom component (it’s Adafruit’s servo bonnet (ADA3416, the one with socket on top of it), and I use SDA / SCL pins). I needed to create footprint and layout for this but honestly I failed and gave up on this. I would appriciate guide through creating component if one is missing from library
I started getting into this line of thinking as I am about to build a new house. I want to have relays in the attic, along with esp32s to control the multiple lights for each area. To do this, I need to design a board for my custom solution. Good article to start me down the road into that mode of thinking.
I did watch and i did like your article, but to me, which I am a beginner, and this is supposed to be addressed to people like me, it is too fast and hard to follow the steps. If you want to help the community, you should do this presentation in a series of more lessons with details and steps so we can learn something from you. I want to make a pcb and order it but perusal your article I am not able to do it. I have to look somewhere else to learn the process. I do repeat, i did like your article, i do appreciate your effort to do it which is not simple, but to me, in the end it is not useful. Maybe for other than the beginners, it is useful.
Sweet, I love these tutorials Rob Nails it every time! I got a few multi sensors that started out as BRUH multi-sensors and have evolved into: temperature, humidity, barometric, LUX, sound level and motion detection and more. Using up almost every pin on a Node MCU. I think I want to add air quality by going from BME280 to a BME680 and then maybe finalize it to PCB but then I think of something else. Like maybe adding a screen to display NTP time.
Great article! Looking forward to trying EasyEDA. For my first board design I’m currently using Fritzing, which is simple but has rough edges. Eagle and KiCAD are too daunting for me. Thanks for the tip on larger traces for higher current. My project also uses 12v and could benefit from thicker power traces. I would have missed that without your article.
Hi I want to make a simple coil for a planar magnetic speaker driver. As I’m pretty new to circuit printing (I used very inefficient manual methods before) is it ok to have only one Cu F layer? I’m using KiCad but it seems to be similar here. I really only need a simple unmasked copper trace layer on a flexible, thin PCB. Do you have any important notes or suggestions for my usecase? In case you wanna take a quick look at the gerber file, I could provide you a link to my Google Drive via E-mail. Thanks in advance!
Hello, I need help with a PCB that I’m doing for my 9th grade science fair project. I’m getting input from a solar panel, it’s not a big one at the slightest, only about 4.5 inches by 2.5 inches. How should I go about designing the PCB and what components would I need? I do not need to convert power all DC is perfectly fine.
I have a question; I am wanting to build a buck boost converter that has a TFT screen that will show the output voltage. Input will be from a 3.7v lipo batter and has to have an ouput of at least 9 volts, preferably 10 volts. Thing is, I have no idea what will be needed and how to build this thing. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
This was a nice article to keep in my list. I’ve been playing around with a idea that at the moment will have me trying to Dr. Frakenstein two different PCB’s functions for what I thought would be an already available product. I’m trying to create a battery operated, motion sensing, full rgb, fairy light rig for jewelry boxes I make to pair with jewelry I also fashion. I used to work on F-16’s decades ago, and I’m a bit out of touch with my electrical skill/knowledge, but hope that this endeavor will shake some rust off one way or another. If it doesn’t work, I’ll do a bit of studying and head right on over to this PCB creation site. I really wish this thing that I’m trying to do would have been created already. C’est la vie I guess.
As always, love your tutorials! Do you think it’s possible for you to make the “Final” tutorial for your motorized blinds playlist. The older article you show how to hook up everything step by step for newbies like me. This article was amazing but you stopped when the PCB was made. It would be awesome, and I know for sure everyone else thinks so too, if you made one more article continuing off of this showing us how to finish the project but using this PCB and then how to integrate it into Home Assistant. I’m new to all this including Home Assistant and would really love to do this for all the blinds in my parents’ home. Keep up the great work!
This is amazing! I’m working on a WLED project to convert my Christmas light show to addressable LED’s this year with X-Lights. I’ve been prototyping boards for my design, and I want to be able to set up my props different every year. This gets me the final piece of a compact board to drive 2-3 props and only have to feed 12V to the control box! Can’t wait to receive my boards!
Just want to let you know that you talk way to fast. Hard to understand the abbreviated letters you say cause they tended to blur together. Not ragging you out, just a let you know thing. I’ll have to watch it over and over to understand what your saying and how to run the program you explained. Maybe it’s just me getting slow in my old age. 😁
will try the easy eda. thanks rob. but where the details of the Dave Morris board ?…….in the parts list on github i could only find rj45 jack and the tactile switch. the board eliminates the motor controller and buck convertor. does those components should be part of the BOM or those individual pcbs (buck & motor controller) go on top of this board ? is there any explanation on how it all works ?..does the cat5 cable is what needs to run to the blinds ?…mainly are these PCBs already on PCBway or JLC for ordering like Quin does ?
Hi Robert, I’m quite curious. With all your knowledge, one would think that you would be able to create a highly differentiated product that can be sold on Amazon. Investment money needed aside, is there something that stops you from making and moving 1000units + a month of some exiting product you engineer?
Please, which version of EasyEDA are you using? Standard or Pro? Would it be advisable to learn Pro? I’ve used this in the past, but at that time, I wasn’t able to find the components that I needed and wasn’t sure how to look further. So I just gave up on it. But I think that it’s time I delve right into and and start making more pro boards than I make now.
This episode alone was worth my Patreon subscription! I made PCBs way back in the day and had none of these great tools. Thanks Rob for the whirlwind tour – you have inspired me to clean up some existing projects that work great but are a rats nest of jumpers. And when my pergola kit arrives very soon (another big thanks to Rob – youtube.com/watch?v=l8dRm8PApLE&t=790s), I’m going to make a PCB for some of the LED lighting and sensors that I’m adding to that.
Ya this is a great article and all but it’s not for beginners…beginners implies no knowledge…you definitely need to have knowledge to understand anything here…I want to learn how to do this…but without detailed info about the different pieces and how to use each one and what it’s for and why you need it…then this is useless
For small PCBs I learned to tile them together with breakaway connections (aka “mouse bites”) to get a lot more production value. For one project in particular with a tiny 23x12mm PCB I manually tiled 18 of them together and was still easily within the 100x100mm prototype PCB size. So instead of 10 PCBs I got 180 of them for the same cost, just requiring some manual work to separate them and trim the edges.
Dont forget to check your design rules!!! I stopped breadboarding about 15 years ago, because it’s a lot of extra work, time, and money. Instead, I run simulations, both analog (ngspice), and digital (Verilog) to ensure my design is correct, and when I build my boards, I rarely have to do any debugging because the bugs were already found and fixed during simulation. The few bugs I do find are caused by soldering issues (my fault), and those are always with surface-mount parts. Most of my boards go to PCBWay, but the really small ones (less than 2 square inches) are sent to OSHPark, which is just across town from me.
I’m a little confused, can you order the PCB with the components already installed? Like at the end you soldered the Arduino on there, but can you order the PCB with buck converters, mosfet switches and Arduino and resistors and all that integrated into a single PCB with connectors? I have an idea that I want to mass produce but want to drop ship them to customers and have them just install the Arduino code (unless that can also be done by PCBWay?) and mount to a 3D printed enclosure that they print themselves from a file I send them. When I say integrated, I mean integrated. Not a board with the Arduino and components soldered on top. I mean the board itself has those components built into it.
When you do the breadboarding, do you use the actual packages? The thing is, my project is miniature so a lot of the packages will be smd and very tiny, specially capacitors and resistors. Should I use an equivalent but bigger package? When it comes to other IC should I stick to esp32/arduino modules as much as possible while prototyping or should I buy the individuals to stick to the closest final representation?
I have a project in mind. Started a year ago but lost interest because I couldn’t find a way to make it happen. I have a good idea on what I want the PCB to do but don’t know how to make it happen. I have KiCad but don’t know how to use it. Even if I did I still don’t know where to start. Would anyone be able to help me out. Is there a place to go to learn about PCB’s? All I want is a Round PCB that has a button on the side that turns on a LED. It needs a battery so that the LED will turn on. The PCB will be going into a watch. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I would like to learn it myself if possible but don’t know where to go to learn. Thank you.
Hey can you guide, like how to make own pcb like for example, a drone, and like do i need programming knowledge, like for example, I want to add camera to it, Like any guide, my background is civil engineering. So I want guide for laymen first, programming to making a pcb work and then designing a pcb like how to know what components do it need to work etc…… Like you made here God etc, like to know what resistor etc does it need and then