Research
Electronics
Electronics studies the behavior of electrons and uses it to control, process, and transmit information by manipulating electric currents and semiconductor materials.
Useful Sources
For this week first I tried to understand electronics and its basic concepts
To do this I took a youtoube basic electronics course and started reading the book "Practical electronics for inventors", Here are the sources:
Youtube courseBook
I took a lot of notes, in the image you can see one of my summaries.
Electronics design softwares
There are different design softwares like: Altium and KiCad.
I used KiCad because it is free and I found a lot of tutorials.
PCB design
Since it is my first PCB i wanted it to be multifunctional and versatile. I got inspired by Adrian Torres's Fab Xiao board. It's made up of several pin headers so I can connect other things later, and it also has an I2C section, which will be useful later in the inputs week.
Simulation
Why simulate?
Simulation is a way to test your circuit before building it in real life. It helps you understand how electricity flows, how components behave, and if your design will work correctly. By simulating the circuit, you can detect mistakes early, adjust values like resistors, and visualize voltage and current without risking damage to real components.
Schematic
Schematic
The schematic is a diagram that represents how all the electronic components are connected. It is like a map of the circuit. This step is important because it defines the logic of the system before creating the physical board.
STEPS:
Install KiCad and make sure to add the Fab library using the Plugin and Content Manager. This library includes components commonly used in Fab Academy.
Create a new project. This will automatically generate both a schematic file and a PCB file.
Open the schematic editor. This is where you will place and connect all your components.
Use the “Add Symbol” tool to search and place each component you need, such as LEDs, resistors, and power connections.
Connect all the components using wires. Make sure each pin is correctly connected to power, ground, or other components.
Tip: Organize your outline into different sections
Add power symbols like VCC and GND so the software can correctly understand the circuit.
Run the Electrical Rules Check (ERC) from the Inspect menu. This tool helps you find errors such as missing connections or incorrect wiring.
Fix any errors shown by the ERC until the schematic is clean and ready for the next step.
Final Result:
PCB Design
PCB design is the process of transforming the schematic into a physical board. In this step, components are placed and connected using copper traces. A good PCB design ensures that the circuit works correctly and can be manufactured easily.
STEPS:
Open the PCB editor in KiCad and update the board from the schematic. This will import all your components.
All components will appear grouped together. Move and organize them across the board to create a clean layout.
If you have a custom board shape, import it as a DXF file and place it in the Edge Cuts layer. I didn't use one, so I just drew de lines after ordering the components. (The image is a sopiler)
Adjust the position and orientation of the components to minimize crossing wires and make routing easier.
Start routing the connections by drawing traces between components. Follow the connections defined in the schematic.
Set the design rules, such as track width and clearance, according to the machine capabilities.
Run the Design Rules Check (DRC) to verify that there are no errors like overlapping traces or unconnected paths. These are my design rules:
Fix any issues found and finalize the PCB layout.
Recomendation: Change the edge cuts line width to 2mm.
Final Result:
3D viewer
The 3D Viewer allows you to visualize your PCB as a real object. This helps you understand how the final board will look and check the placement of components. It is useful for detecting design issues and preparing for enclosure design.
Steps:
1. Open the 3D Viewer from the View menu or by pressing Alt + 3.
2. Explore the board by rotating and zooming to check how all components are placed. (I had to adjust the border to make sure that the pinheaders would stand out)
3. If you want to design a case, export the PCB as an STL or STEP file from the PCB editor.
Final Result:
