Making layouts...?

[LerryFlyer]

new to Pcb designing and was curious about the design guidelines to follow for making a circuit design and also where to simulate ?

[paulvdh]

Yes.

May I suggest you start with a beginner tutorial, and then use this forum later if you have more direct questions.

Getting Started in KiCad | 8.0 | English | Documentation | KiCad

[Sagar_Saini]

@paulvdh

ggest you start with a beginner tutorial, and then use this forum later if you have more direct questions.

A new member to PCB design, I would suggest to visit the different websites first and get knowledge about " what are layer stack-up, how PCBs are manufacturered, what are main components like soldermask, silk screen". Before jumping into the design part I would suggest to first learn the very basic things. You can follow phil’s lab or any manufacturer blog page like one added here Blog - JLCPCB

[Piotr]

@LerryFlyer

design guidelines

For amateur PCBs things can be as simple as connect with track all pin/pads that are connected at schematic and avoid connecting pin/pads that are not connected at schematic.
But when it comes to well designed PCB that’s when the problems begin.
20 year ago I found articles about PCB design that contain everything I need to know about PCB design (I don’t design high frequency circuits).
I gave links to them here:

Decoupling capacitor via placement

I didn’t read that book but I suppose you can replace it with: I think it is enough for most pcb designers.

and here:

Decoupling capacitor via placement

About 2004 I found an interesting serie of EMC articles by Keith Armstrong (for many years I didn’t know if Keith is a woman or men name). Later they became no accessible, but when I tried to find them few years ago I found them once more: http://www.compliance-club.com/pdf/DesignTechniquesPart1.pdf http://www.compliance-club.com/pdf/DesignTechniquesPart2.pdf http://www.compliance-club.com/pdf/DesignTechniquesPart3.pdf http://www.compliance-club.com/pdf/DesignTechniquesPart4.pdf http://www…

[paulvdh]

There are all kinds of tutorials. Some are for beginners, others are for more experienced people, and there are specialty courses to deepen knowledge about specific subjects. There is a huge range in between a NE555 with a blinking LED and a 60GHz radar installation. On top of that different people learn differently. Some want a book other watch youtube video’s or simply start by pushing random buttons in the software and see what happens. You are free to choose and we don’t know what fits best for you.

I have recommended the 2 hour and 19 minute video from Rick Hartley about how to design a proper ground plane a number of times. It is an exceptionally well made video about a topic that is important enough to watch the video twice (with a few months in between). But it’s also not very relevant (yet) and probably boring for a beginner. That video is clearly for people who already have some experience in PCB design, and people who have designed PCB’s for some longer time, but have a gap in their knowledge and have difficulty with for example passing EMC tests.

For beginners, what sort of prior knowledge do you have? Do you know what the properties of resistors, capacitors, BJT’s, FET’s, etc are? Have you read schematics form other sources? Have you ever soldered circuits together or build them on breadboards?

Apart from electronics knowledge, if this is your first use of a schematic entry and PCB design program, I recommend to start with a few bogus projects. 3 to 5 projects you do form start (schematic entry) to finish (Gerber file creation) without even the intention to have PCB’s manufactured. The projects should be fairly simple (10 to 20 schematic symbols, including resistors and capacitors), and the circuits do not even have to really work. It’s just to learn the tools. And doing these projects while following different tutorials help to fill in the gaps in any of the tutorials, or the parts you just missed or misunderstood the first time. Repetition is one of the main tools for learning anything. The reason I recommend small circuits, is that bigger circuits are just “more of the same”. Schematic entry and PCB design can take a lot of time for a bigger project, and when you make a mistake (everybody makes mistakes while learning to work with new tools), then you often find this out very late in the process, and repairing the mistakes is just a lot of long and tedious work, without learning much. Learning from a handful of small projects is much more efficient.

[rdalek]

I checked my archives. I have some of Rick’s videos but not that one. Can you share a link again so I can grab a copy and watch it, a few times.

If you have others that go good with latest versions of KiCad, that would be nice too. Last I used was version 6. I try to read posts here but KiCad is like trying to catch a train at top speed. LOL

Thanks.

Dale

[paulvdh]

Top of the list from:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rick+hartley+proper+ground

Or if you prefer a direct link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySuUZEjARPY

[rdalek]

I do have that one. I have a few of his videos. I need to dig through and find the ones that work with V8 sometime. I got a project I want to finish as soon as I get a round to it. LOL Someone gave me a round wood coin looking thing once that had ‘to it’ wrote on it. That way I could get around to doing some things.

Thanks.

[retiredfeline]

@rdalek

Someone gave me a round wood coin looking thing once that had ‘to it’ wrote on it.

The problem I have is that even rounding the corners of square tuits is time-consuming. Excuses, excuses.

I’ve learnt from Peter Dalmaris’ books and videos but they are paid content though there are some free ones.