PCB Drive By

  • intro to circuit boards
  • schematic capture
  • board layout
  • fabricating a board using homebrew techniques you can use on the floor
  • how to send a board out to be professionally fabricated
  • quick introduction to using surface mount parts

Intro to Circuit Boards

  • differences between breadboard, veroboard, wirewrap and printed circuits
  • advantages/disadvantages of PCBs

Schematic Capture

  • Eagle is insane (but consistently so)
  • finding parts in libraries
  • connecting parts
  • create your own part

Board Layout

  • transferring from schematic to board
  • setting board size
  • placing components
  • drawing wires (circuit traces)
  • layers (top, bottom, soldermask, silkscreen)
  • layout tips
    • good sizes for pads and holes
    • manipulating grid
    • ground plane (fills)

Fabricating Your Board

Surface Mount Soldering

  • you can do it
  • watch Nick solder!