Featured
KiCad Design Workflow
The steps for designing PCBs using an open-source and free ECAD tool
The steps for designing PCBs using an open-source and free ECAD tool
A Gerber file (also known as artwork) is a 2-D graphical representation of a single layer of a PCB. A typical design will have individual Gerber files for each layer (e.g., top copper, bottom copper, top silkscreen, bottom silkscreen, top soldermask, bottom soldermask) of a PCB.
Solder mask is the thin polymer layer that is applied to a printed circuit board to insulate copper traces from unwanted connections. It is often green, red, or blue, and is put over all parts of a PCB except where components are to be soldered.
While Cadence does have some built-in footprint libraries, they are limited due to the hundreds of thousands of different parts in existence. Additionally, most companies make their own footprints to match the specific manufacturing processes that they use.
The purpose of this post is to help you create a report website to for a team project. Sharing your work with the class and the broader community is important, as you should generate a persistent portfolio of class work to demonstrate your abilities when you apply for a job or academic career.
Once you know the types of components that you need for your project, the next step is to find sources/vendors from which you can purchase the components (also known as sourcing parts). Follow the process below to source parts:
A fuse is an electronic component that protects a circuit by creating an open circuit if it draws too much current. **Fuses do not protect against voltages that are too high. **
See the What is a Printed Circuit Board? page for more information about PCBs and the general design flow for creating a PCB.
Personal Projects and Education
Arduino Project Hub is where you can learn about what all other beginner or advanced embedded systems designers are building for their own personal needs. By now, most of you may have an Arduino kit from a previous class so the learning doesn’t have to stop after 304/314.
The goal of this tutorial is to introduce you to the MPLabX IDE, and to verify that you can create a project, add a peripheral (EUSART), configure it to work across a virtual COM port, and communicate back and forth to your PC.
