6. Electronics design¶
Tasks¶
- Group: Use the test equipment in your lab to observe the operation of a microcontroller circuit board.
- Individual: use an EDA tool to design a development board that uses parts from the inventory to interact and communicate with an embedded microcontroller
Group¶
- For our group assignment, we used a breadboard and mircocontroller to light up a small LED. We then used an Oscillioscope to
here is the link to our group site.
What is an Oscilloscope?¶
An Oscilloscope is an electronic test instrument that allows you to visualize and analyze electrical signals in real time. It displays voltage as a function of time on a screen, typically using a graph with the x-axis representing time and the y-axis representing voltage.
What are Oscilloscopes used for?¶
Troubleshooting circuits in electronics and electrical engineering.
Measuring signal properties like amplitude, frequency, and phase.
Observing waveforms from components like sensors, transistors, and microcontrollers.
Testing and debugging communication signals
What was Observed?¶
The LED is turned on and off at regular intervals, creating a waveform alternating between high, 3v3 or 5v, and low, 0v. This creates a square pattern on the oscilloscope.
We tested 2 different frequencies on our LED to observe on the Oscilloscope. For our slow blinking LED, we used this code:
The waves were square, had a long period, and the pulses were widely spaced.
For our fast blinking LED, we used this code:
To the human eye, the LED always appeared to be on. However, it was densely packed square wave with very short transitions
Individual¶
To learn how to use KiCad, I watched these series of videos.
I used KiCad to make a board for my microcontroller. The first thing I had to do was download the Fab Academy KiCad Library.
I went on the fab academy website and found the page for this week. I then found Libraries— KiCad— and downloaded the file.
Once the file the downloaded, I made my schematic for my PCB.
Once the Skematic was completed, I had to assign each symbol a footprint and add teh Fab Kicad File. Under tools I went to assign footprint added an existing file and assigned all the footprints.
Now you enter the PCB Editor mode and press Update PCB from Schematic. If theres an erorr make sure that you have assigned a footprint to each symbol. Once you update it, there should be lines showing you the connection from each pin from the skematic.
On the right, there should be a menu. Use the Route Single Track tool to connect each pin. Make sure that F.Cu is selected when connecting the pins.
This is how I connected my board and this is my Milled out board.
Week 6 Reflection¶
For our group assignment, we used a breadboard and a microcontroller to light up an LED, then analyzed the signal using an oscilloscope. We observed square wave patterns at different frequencies, with slower blinks showing widely spaced pulses and faster blinks appearing as a continuous light to the human eye. I then designed a development board in KiCad, starting with the Fab Academy KiCad Library, creating a schematic, assigning footprints, and generating the PCB layout. Finally, I milled the board to make sure my design was prinable. This week gave me hands-on experience in circuits and PCB design.
Here are my KiCad files for this week.