Week06 Electronics Design.

Updated for 2025 evaluation standards!

Group assignment:
Use the test equipment in your lab to observe the operation of a microcontroller circuit board (as a minimum, you should demonstrate the use of a multimeter and oscilloscope)
Document your work on the group work page and reflect what you learned on your individual page
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
Learning outcomes
Select and use software for circuit board design
Demonstrate workflows used in circuit board design

What is EDA tool?

An EDA tool, or Electronic Design Automation tool, is a software or hardware tool used to design and test electronic systems. EDA tools are also known as electronic computer-aided design (ECAD) tools.
What EDA tools do?
Design: Create circuit designs
Model: Create models of circuit designs
Simulate: Predict the results of circuit designs before testing
Test: Test the correctness of designs
Analyze: Analyze circuit designs
What are EDA tools used for?
Designing integrated circuits (ICs)
Designing printed circuit boards (PCBs) Designing systems for data communications, the internet, transportation, and consumer devices How do EDA tools help?
Increase productivity
Improve power, performance, and area (PPA)
Reduce time to market (TTM)
Anticipate chip performance
Assemble circuit elements
Predict circuit behavior

Basic electronic components are the fundamental building blocks of electrical circuits. Here are some of the most common ones: 1. Passive Components These components do not require a power source to function. Resistors (R) – Limit the flow of current. Measured in ohms (Ω).
Capacitors (C) – Store and release electrical energy. Measured in farads (F).
Inductors (L) – Store energy in a magnetic field when current passes through. Measured in henries (H).
Diodes (D) – Allow current to flow in only one direction.
2. Active Components These components require a power source to function. Transistors (Q) – Act as switches or amplifiers. Types: Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) and Field Effect Transistor (FET).
Operational Amplifiers (Op-Amps) – Used for signal amplification, filtering, and other functions.
Integrated Circuits (ICs) – Contain multiple electronic components within a single package, like microcontrollers or logic gates.
3. Electromechanical Components Switches (S) – Manually or electronically control the circuit's on/off state.
Relays – Electrically operated switches that use electromagnets.
Transformers – Transfer electrical energy between circuits through electromagnetic induction.
4. Power Components Batteries – Store and supply DC power.
Voltage Regulators – Maintain a stable voltage supply.
Transformers – Step up or step down AC voltage.
5. Sensors & Display Components LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) – Emit light when current flows through them.
LCD/OLED Displays – Show information in digital circuits.
Temperature, Pressure, and Motion Sensors – Detect changes in the environment and provide input to circuits.

>The XIAO ESP32S3 is a compact yet powerful development board developed by Seeed Studio, based on the Espressif ESP32-S3 SoC. It is part of Seeed’s XIAO series, known for their small footprint and versatile functionality. Here’s a concise description with key features:

XIAO ESP32S3 Overview Core SoC: Espressif ESP32-S3R8 (Xtensa® dual-core 32-bit LX7 processor, up to 240 MHz)

Flash & PSRAM:
8 MB Flash
8 MB PSRAM
Wireless Connectivity:
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth® 5 (LE)
USB Support:
Native USB-C (supports USB OTG, device and host modes)
Form Factor:
Extremely compact size: 21 × 17.5 mm
Compatible with XIAO series shields
GPIOs:
11 multifunctional GPIOs
Includes support for ADC, SPI, I2C, UART, PWM, and DAC
Camera Interface:
Dedicated 8-bit parallel camera interface (DVP)
Suitable for AI and vision applications
AI Capability:
Supports TensorFlow Lite, ESP-DL, and other AI frameworks on edge
Operating Voltage:
3.3V logic level
Power Supply:
USB-C or 5V input through pins
Battery Support:
Built-in battery charging circuit (Li-Po charging via USB-C)
🔸 Ideal For:
Wearable and IoT applications
Edge AI (e.g., simple image classification, gesture recognition)
DIY embedded projects with space constraints
USB-enabled devices or HID applications
designing pcb using kicad