Project: Electronics Bash - #13 - Creating a Printed Circuit Board

Hand soldering a prototype is all well and good. Heck, making two or three of a thing isn't too bad. But what if you need ten widgets, all wired together the same way? Or a hundred? Or you're using parts too small to be wired to perfboard? These are situations where an inexpensive Printed Circuit Board (PCB) comes in handy.

PCBs are easier to design, order, and use than ever! In this session we'll look at:

• Schematic Capture (getting your circuit design into the computer)
• Circuit board layout
• Creating custom parts and part footprints from a datasheet
• Ordering a circuit board from an online board house

Eagle

This weeks PCB design session will use AutoDesk's Eagle PCB Design software, a free version of which is available for hobbyists and home users. You will need to activate an AutoDesk account to use it.