This writeup is a work in progress. I will be updating it with more details in the coming months.
Overview
I designed and taught a comprehensive PCB design course for WPI students, which now runs annually. The course is run with the help of WPI's IEEE Student Branch. The course takes students from zero knowledge to designing and ordering their own printed circuit boards, covering both the theory and practical skills needed for modern electronics design. I first taught the course in D-Term of 2023, and have been teaching it ever since.
Throughout four lectures, students learn all about PCB design, with an emphasis on designing PCBs for personal projects. Afterwards, students are given three weeks to design their own PCB, with help from our TAs. After this, their boards are ordered (sponsored by WPI) and shipped. We hold an assembly session for students to learn how to assemble their boards, where they also learn SMD soldering with a reflow oven.
The course is focused on what I noticed is a lack in practical hardware design skills in students at WPI. While classes teach one thing, students need skills like PCB design to be able to build their own custom hardware projects.
Website
The course website, pcb.wpi.edu, hosts all the materials for the course, including lecture slides, starter board files, datasheets, and lecture recordings from each session.
Curriculum
The course covers:
- PCB Fundamentals: Understanding layers, traces, vias, and manufacturing processes
- Project Design: How to research and come up with a good project idea
- Schematic Design: Creating circuit schematics with proper symbols and organization
- Component Selection: Choosing appropriate footprints and sourcing parts
- Layout Techniques: Best practices for trace routing, ground planes, and clearances
- Design Rules: Understanding and applying manufacturing constraints
- Fabrication: Generating Gerber files and ordering from PCB manufacturers