This section highlights hands-on PCB design work, from schematic capture and simulation to fabrication, assembly, and testing of complex boards. Emphasis is placed on design for signal integrity, power delivery, and professional lab practices.
Introduced schematic capture, component libraries, and basic PCB layout practices in Altium Designer. Gave first experience with design rule checks and managing board constraints.
Analyzed power distribution networks (PDNs), learning how capacitor placement and return paths affect noise and stability in high-speed circuits.
Investigated capacitive and inductive crosstalk between PCB traces, quantifying how spacing and geometry influence unwanted signal coupling.
Measured trace resistance using multiple methods (two-wire, null, four-wire) and determined current capacity of copper traces. Experimentally stressed traces to understand thermal limits.
Compared layouts with different capacitor placement and return paths, showing how poor practices cause noise, ground bounce, and voltage collapse. Demonstrated that optimized PCB layout improves signal integrity by up to 7.5×.
Focused on analyzing switching noise and transient responses, reinforcing the importance of tight decoupling and minimizing parasitic inductances.
Studied manufacturing tolerances and their effect on PCB functionality, examining trace width, spacing, and solder mask implications on yield and reliability.
First complete PCB project — designed and built a 555 timer LED demo board. Practiced schematic capture, layout, JLCPCB fabrication, SMT assembly, and testing. Learned the importance of decoupling and current limitations.
Explored PCB best practices by creating two nearly identical hex inverter circuits: one with optimized layout (solid return plane, close decoupling) and one with intentionally poor layout. Demonstrated how good design reduced ground bounce by ~4× and improved rise times:contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}.
Custom-built ATmega328P-based Arduino clone with improved power delivery and noise performance. Implemented USB-to-serial, multiple crystals, decoupling strategies, and debugging test points. Compared against a commercial Arduino, showing significantly better signal integrity.
Final project — a 4-layer Atmega328P-based measurement system that characterizes Thevenin resistance of voltage sources. Integrated DAC, ADC, MOSFET current source, op-amp control, LEDs, and buzzer feedback. Produced clean, accurate measurements and real-time feedback:contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}.