6. Electronic Design Automation¶

hero shot¶

page link¶

Reference pages are here:

https://fabacademy.org/2025/labs/kannai/instruction/tips/fusion_electronics_3d/

https://fabacademy.org/2025/labs/kannai/instruction/tips/fa25_kannai_devboard/

summary¶

I designed a development board using EDA tools, creating a schematic for the board, designing the PCB layout, and checking integrity through 3D modeling. Finally, I designed a case to fit the board, completing it after final adjustments.

0.preparation¶

00-01:Assginment¶

group assignment:¶

use the test equipment in your lab to observe the operation
of a microcontroller circuit board

individual assignment:¶

use an EDA tool to design a development board
- that uses parts from the inventory to interact
- and communicate with an embedded microcontroller
extra credit: try another design workflow
extra credit: simulate your design
extra credit: design a case around your design

1. group work¶

see the Week 06: Group assignment page.

2. individual assignment¶

use an EDA tool to design a development board
- that uses parts from the inventory to interact
- and communicate with an embedded microcontroller

This time, I learned how to design a development board for the RP2040 using Fusion Electronics.

02-01. Preparation¶

Prepare the following new folders in Fusion:
1. Library: Used to manage the electronic components used this time.
2. Week06: Used to manage the data related to the electronic circuits created this time.
Next, create the necessary files for the electronic circuit.
- Schematics:
  - Conceptual diagram without actual parts placement
  - Makes it easy to configure electronic component circuits.
- PCB: Physical layout of electronic components (2D)
  - An essential step in considering the routes to actually etch on the PCB.
  - Just because you can design it in Schematics doesn’t mean you can achieve it in PCB.
- 3D design (PCB): 3D layout of electronic components for hardware engineering
  - Very important for checking whether the case interferes with the height and connectors for external connections.
Import the library.
- Electronic components uploaded to Fusion are automatically added to the library.
- Many electronic components are already registered in the library, which can be time-consuming to search for and may lead to the risk of using the wrong parts. Therefore, it is recommended to turn OFF “In use” for electronic components that are not used in the Library Manager.

02-02. Schematics design¶

Open the Schematics file prepared in the preparation stage.
Place the electronic components.
- At the right panel > PLACE COMPONENTS > Filter
- You can place the target component on the screen by double-clicking it.
- The functions and shortcut keys used for placement are as follows:
Function Shortcut Key

move M

rotate Double-click the target during move
Draw nets, NAMEs, labels, and values as necessary supplementary information.
1. Connect components with nets.
2. You can give NAMEs to each wiring location. It can be assumed that places with the same NAME are connected. This is very convenient! Truly Schematics!
3. Change the values of parts that have values, such as resistors.
4. Change, correct, or add labels.
5. When wiring becomes complicated, it becomes difficult to understand what each wiring indicates. In such cases, detailed information may be written.
6. The functions and shortcut keys used are as follows:
Function Shortcut Key

net R

name N

label shift + L

line none

Text T

value v
Let’s take advantage of shortcut key assignments!

In Fusion, shortcut keys can be individually assigned to almost all functions. Therefore, even if it is not attached by default, assigning shortcut keys to functions that you determine you will use will improve work efficiency. For example, in my case, I newly assigned shortcut keys to the following two:
- line : shift + alt + L
- rotate : shift + R
Place a frame
- It’s not a problem even if you don’t have it, but it’s convenient because if you have it, you can communicate just with XY coordinate symbols when discussing where to place it.

02-03. PCB¶

Switch to the PCB document.
1. How to switch: Design > Switch > PCB document
Set the design rules.
- PCB is a very complex task. And it directly affects the quality of the electronic circuit. Therefore, you can set rules regarding various contents such as the distance between routes and the size of drill holes.
  - List of settable items
    - Copper Clearance
    - Component Exclude Clearance
    - Soldermask - Silkscreen Clearance
    - Board Outline Clearance
    - Drill Clearance
    - Copper - Restrict Clearance
    - Drill Size
    - Copper Width
    - Acute Angle
    - Air Wire
    - Wire Stub
    - Matched Signal Lengths
    - Via - Restrict Clearance
  - This time, I set the following contents:
Target Item Value Unit

Copper Clearance Minimum 17 mil

Drill Size Minimum 0.8 mm

Copper Width Minimum 16 mil

Note

By specifying a unit and entering a value, all units will be converted to mil.
Place the electronic components.
- At this time, it is good to be able to place it assuming the ROUTE. You will regret placing it randomly when placing the ROUTE.
Design routes to connect the electronic components.
- Since the connection is already designed in the Schematics, it will not allow the route to be connected to the wrong location.
- Note that you can draw routes under the components.
- The functions and shortcut keys used are as follows:
Function Shortcut Key

ROUTE R

UNROUTE U
Use UNROUTE instead of DELETE!

When you have to redesign a ROUTE, the task of deleting the route is very daunting. If you can utilize unroute, this task will be much more efficient. My personal recommendations are the following two:
- from - to : Select the start and end points to erase the ROUTE between them
- connection, same layer: Select the target route to erase all routes up to the connection point.
Once all wiring is complete, check the design rules.
- Even if there is no problem with the PCB, an alert will be issued if it violates the design rules. In my case, an alert was issued because it was determined that the route was not drawn properly to the end point. It looked like the wiring was done with a short line, so I thought there was no problem, but… it seems it wouldn’t allow it.
Check the size of the board.
- This time, we will create a case based on the size of the board here.
- In the case of a real product, the size requirements should be determined to some extent, so it is important to consider how to fit the board inside it.
- The functions and shortcut keys used are as follows:
Function Shortcut Key

Dimension D

02-04. Push to 3D PCB¶

Switch to Fusion 3D design.
- How to switch: Design > Switch > Push to 3D PCB

02-05. Design of case¶

Create a new design and create a case.
Load the previous PCB_3D into the file where you are creating the case.
- On the Data Panel > Right click “PCB_3D” > Insert into current Design
Right-click the loaded PCB_3d component and select “Edit in place”.
Use the offset to place the PCD_3d component where you want to place the case.

Warning

It will be difficult later if you do this randomly. When you delete a sketch in a subsequent operation, the related history will also be deleted. This means that you will not be able to go back and re-edit the offset.
Update the PCB outline to match the size of the case
- Perform in-place editing on the PCB_3d component.
- Find the PCB_3d sketch from the history and delete it. This will unbind the 3D sketch of PCB_3d from the PCB data.
Find the PCB_3d board from the history and edit the board.
As mentioned above, there was a big difference between the PCB and the case. Therefore, I re-edited the PCB.

That’s it!

![](../images/06_week06_image/converted_week06_13.webp)

3. Download¶

week06_files

Target	Item	Value	Unit
Copper Clearance	Minimum	17	mil
Drill Size	Minimum	0.8	mm
Copper Width	Minimum	16	mil

Function	Shortcut Key
move	M
rotate	Double-click the target during move

Function	Shortcut Key
net	R
name	N
label	shift + L
line	none
Text	T
value	v

Function	Shortcut Key
ROUTE	R
UNROUTE	U