I'm a MechEng student but I thought I'd try to learn PCB development over the summer.

Overview: This is supposed to be a PCB for a drone so I used an ESP-32 chip with BLE, a BMI270 (IMU), and a small 7mm motor. The big 1k resistors are placeholders for SMA wires so that I could run simulations, but I will eventually replace them with copper pads. I tried to route all my traces away from the MCU antenna but I'm not sure if I gave enough clearance? I tried my best to keep high current traces thick and short but I did have some issues with space constraints since the whole board is around 5cm * 5cm. I know the bottom layer is typically kept as a GND plane, but given all my weird connections I used it to connect high current paths (is that ok?)

Honestly this probably isn't great, but I'm open to any feedback if you have time :D

3D Model:

Traces (Top Layer):

Traces (Bottom Layer):

Schematic:

Hi there! I am making a BadUSB device for keystroke injection as a hobby. I am using the RP2040 as my base. Since I want it to have both USB-A and USB-C, I have tied the power lines together (with the small exception of a Schottky diode which allows me to detect if USB-A or USB-C is plugged in) and I am using an analog switch for the data lines. I also want it to be as small as possible in order to look like a normal flash drive and so I had to neglect many capacitors but I hope it won't be problematic due to the small size. Can you take a look at my schematic and tell me what can be improved? Also, is there anything specific I should look out for when designing the PCB itself?

Hi everyone,

This is my first try into PCB design. I've done lots of smaller stuff with other friends before, but this is my first solo project. I wanted to try something which was quite ambitious and something where I can try lots of things at once - is that advisable?

Some things I'm personally worried about:

1. Do I have too many sensors/peripherals?

2. Is my Power Circuitry effective enough to power all my sensors? I don't expect to be using them all at once, but I feel strongly that the LDO circuit isn't effective enough. Should/How can I improve this?

3. Are there enough passive components (especially filter caps) that for power filtering in my circuit?

4. Should I add in a CANBUS circuit for experimental purposes?

5. Any general mistakes? Anything that would immediately fail my board?

I haven't added in my PCB files yet because (1) I'm still working on the layout and optimising my traces and (2) working on improving my schematic to fully move on to the PCB design stage. I've laid all the components out, but I'm second guessing myself from aesthetics and neatness in PCB layout vs. optimisation in part layouts.

All help and review is greatly appreciated. Thank you everyone!

Im pretty new to pcb designing, and im pretty unsure of the 5 way button wiring.

I am trying to make a Wemos D1 Mini clone with a custom Game Boy port. This is my first time trying to design a board from scratch. Could you guys let me know how it looks?

Hi folks. I’ve got zero EE background, and this is my first foray into PCB design, so please be thorough in your critique. I’ve got about 30 years of experience as a shadetree auto mechanic who likes to tackle esoteric car projects. Lately I’ve been inspired to finish some ambitious projects that have been sitting in boxes for anywhere from 6 months to 20 years, so I taught myself KiCAD for this one. Since I’m very new at this, I’d appreciate your keen eye for flaws and pitfalls. As it stands, it felt pretty good to read through the rules and guidelines for this sub, and see that my instincts already had me doing most of those things.

This is an adapter board to change the basic behavior of my car’s taillights. I won’t get into the weeds here, but if someone actually wants the details of the old/new behavior, I’m happy to put it in a comment. The relevant electrical basics: each side of the car has a body-side tail lamp housing and a hatch-mounted lamp housing that’s wired in parallel from the same wiring loom. Looking at the car, there are 4 big rings of dual-color (amber/red) Osram LEDs. Before I add this adapter board, I’ve consistently got zero bulb-out warnings or fast-blinking signals, and the only option is to keep it that way.

Input connector (J1):
1. Turn/hazard lights PWM
(<0.5A), 100Hz, 12V)
2. Brake lights PWM
(<0.3A, 20Hz, 13.4V)
3. Parking lights PWM
(<0.2A, 100Hz, 3.15V)
4. GND
5. Ignition-switched battery 12V+

Aside from the SW_B+ wire, the first four pins match the OEM pinout of the taillight connectors. I’m not wedded to the symmetry, if rearranging the pins winds up being the wise move.

Output connector (J2):
1. Turn/hazard lights PWM (unmodified)
2. Brake lights PWM (unmodified)
3. RED_RINGS_OUT reconstructed PWM, which is basically muxed BRAKE and PARK
4. GND

It’s likely one of the simpler boards you all see on here, but I’ll run down the basics:

* Each input PWM signal is divided and clamped, sent to an ATtiny84 for pre-processing, then on to a PROFET (automotive-grade) high-side switch before output.
* Two jumpers allow for optional behavior via ATtiny programming
* Tag-Connect header for programming; might remove this prior to final revision
* Three diagnostic LEDs function whether the taillight is connected to J2 or not
* In the divide/clamp section near J1 on the backside, I’ve got one DNP resistor footprint for each lighting circuit, just in case I start getting bulb-out warnings or fast-flashing turn signals after install
* Haven’t added mounting holes/keepouts yet, as I haven’t quite decided on an enclosure. Was hoping to check myself before I wreck myself.
* I’ve run DRC, report is clean.

Things I’m particularly uncertain about:
* I’ve used 1mm trace width for SW_B+, 0.4mm for the +5V net, and 0.4mm again for the output PWM signals just to visually differentiate them from all other traces. I’m curious to hear if I’ve chosen proper trace/via widths.
* I’ve made a small copper pour of SW_B+ on the backside from the PROFET chip, with an array of through vias stitching that zone to the chip’s exposed VS pad. From what I understand, there ain’t a whole lot of current running through this thing, so I don’t know if this is overkill. I do know that those vias need to be plugged before the IC is installed.
* I’ve been thinking about tightening up the design even more, to make the board as small as possible. See any reasons why I shouldn’t?
* I’m not so sure about the selection of connectors at J1 and J2, for an automotive application. If anyone has recommendations, I’m all ears.

I’ve probably included WAY more screenshots than you need, but I find I get distinct types of visual information from each type.

EasyEDA is saying basically every net on my board isnt connected, but if I just wiggle the line in and back into its original place the DRC error goes away, and I have to do it every single time for every single net for the error to go away and if I reload my page or open it back up later all the errors just pop up again. Can someone help me fix this?

Hii, this is my first time posting in this subreddit!

If someone could take a look at my attempt at making a custom flight controller for a TVC rocket. Since I'm a high schooler with no formal EE background, I'm worried I might have made some fatal mistakes ^^.

Also, I have a quick question: why do my routes not look as clean or professional (I tried my best to lay them out neatly) compared to other open-source designs, especially Phil's Lab?

Anyway, here are the specs:

• Processor: STM32H743
• Power: 6S LiPo battery
• Connectivity: ESP32-C3 Mini (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
• Outputs/Inputs: 5x servo pin headers, 2x ESC pin headers
• Interfaces: Debug pins, GPS JST connector, ELRS (radio receiver), spare ADC and USART connectors
• Logging: Micro-SD slot using SDMMC

(Note: I just realized I completely forgot to add an LED )

I've attached a render of the board I'm building. If you want any additional info or images, let me know and I'll respond ASAP.

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I’m designing a compact PCB that takes 12V from a vehicle, filters and protects against load dumps and noise, and outputs 5V to charge multiple phones.

I know I could just buy a cheap €10 device online, but I wanted to do this as a personal project.

I’m open to all kinds of criticism—I’m sure more than a few people here would want to string me up after seeing the schematic or PCB layout but I’ve genuinely tried to do it the best way possible.

My main concerns are whether the connection from the regulator to the USB is optimal or if you would use traces and, regarding the size, whether the design adequately handles heat dissipation for an automotive environment when drawing the full 3.5A output from the regulator.

The PCB measures 46mm wide by 70mm high.

Hi everyone,

I'm routing a high-speed USB differential pair (90-ohm) and I'm trying to achieve that smooth, curved aesthetic (fillet tracks) instead of the standard 45-degree chamfers.

Here is my problem: When I use external plugins like "Round Tracks", it completely breaks the differential gap and ruins the impedance, especially when trying to apply length tuning/meanders. It turns into a spaghetti mess (I attached a screenshot of what happens).

I know KiCad has native support for fillets and skew tuning, but I can't seem to get a clean workflow that allows me to:

1. Route the pair with smooth curves natively.
2. Apply length matching (skew tuning) using rounded meanders without the interactive router freaking out or distorting the main curves.

What is the exact step-by-step workflow or hidden settings you guys use to get perfectly curved differential pairs + length tuning in KiCad (v7/v8)? Should I route them as sharp 45 first, tune them, and then fillet? Or is there a better native way?

Thanks in advance

I'm working on a PCB where a USB-C connector provides both power and USB communication to an ESP32 (USB Full-Speed, up to 12 Mbps).

While routing the USB D+ and D− traces, I ended up with a crossover. I was under the impression that USB differential pairs shouldn't cross over, but I couldn't find another routing solution without significantly changing the layout.

Will this routing work as-is, or should I redesign the board or switch to a different USB connector/layout?

Some additional information:

* The differential pair is impedance matched.

* D+ and D− are length matched.

* My impedance calculations were based on the reference plane on the second layer (the green layer in the screenshots). Is that the correct approach, or could that cause issues (since it now goes through that layer for a large part)?

I'm currently using separate TVS diodes for USB protection, but I'm considering switching to a USB TVS diode array. Is there any advantage to doing so, or does it not make much difference for this application?

I'd appreciate any feedback on the routing or anything else that stands out in the layout.

Hi, I’m looking for a layout review before ordering my first PCB. I'm a mech. eng. student and haven't really done electrical PCB design.

This is a small power distribution board for a USV boat drone. It is powered from 3x parallel 3S LiPos, roughly 11.1–12.6 V, with a 10 A input fuse. I know that paralleling LiPo packs needs proper protection but I think I can't really fit that on the board.

Outputs:

• raw battery voltage for pumps / fan / other 12 V loads
• ~5.2 V rail for flight controller and sensors, expected below 3 A
• ~6 V rail for one servo, normally below 2 A but with 2.4–3.5 A stall current

The 5.2 V and 6 V rails use AP64501 buck converters. I tried to follow the AP64501 layout guidelines, especially around input caps, SW node, inductor, feedback routing and top/bottom GND pours.

Main questions:

1. GND pours / EMI: I have GND pours on top and bottom. The AP64501 guidelines also show top/bottom GND and I did not see a SW-node keepout requirement. Would you leave the GND plane under/around the buck stages as-is, or add local keepouts near the SW node / inductor?
2. Buck layout: Do the input caps, output caps, inductor, feedback divider and exposed pad vias look reasonable?
3. Low-side pump switch: I’m using an IRLZ44N as a low-side switch for a pump/fan load controlled by a 3.3 V signal through a 2.54 mm 3-pin header. Is this acceptable for these loads, or should I use a MOSFET with Rds(on) specified at 2.5 V / 3.3 V gate drive?
4. General first-PCB issues: Any obvious mistakes with trace widths, clearances, connector currents, thermal layout, grounding or protection before fabrication?
5. Also do you have a better suggestion for connecting / mounting the 12 AWG input wires from an XT60 connector to the PCB?

The PCB will sit inside a waterproof enclosure (relatively big) together with the flight controller, telemetry unit / Herelink hardware, etc. The battery input wires come from outside the box, and several output cables for pumps, servo and sensors also have to leave the box. I’m not sure what the best practice is here: direct soldered wires to the PCB, screw terminals, ring terminals / studs, a panel-mount connector, or something else with proper strain relief.

I added some test points mainly for bring-up / debugging. They are probably not needed in the final system, so feel free to point out if they are useless or badly placed.

Thanks!

Hello guys, I'm a beginner at PCB design and I'd love to ask for your help reviewing my first schematic before I start routing the layout. Any comments, critiques, or suggestions on how to improve the design would be greatly appreciated!

Project Overview: This board is designed to run a solar tracker. It will control 5 separate brushed DC motors based on the date and time, only running one motor at a time.

Key Hardware Details:

• MCU: STM32 (LQFP-64 package). I went with this because the number of required I/O pins for the encoders and motors ended up being pretty high.
• Motor Driver: DRV8874 with the current limit capped at 1.8A (motors draw ~0.5A).
• Encoders: I'm using optoisolators for the encoder inputs. I realize that without separate ground planes/galvanic isolation, these are essentially just acting as 24V-to-3.3V level shifters.
• Signal Frequency: The motor encoder signals are around 1kHz. It's very low, but that is because the motors are heavily geared down.

Let me know if you spot any glaring errors or best practices I missed. Thanks in advance!

Hey all — I am Control System Engineer just getting familiarised with the world of PCBs. Just finished the schematic for a project at work. It is ERC-clean, and I'd like a sanity check before I lay out the PCB and send Gerbers to PCBWay. 2-layer, HASL, hand-soldered.

**What it is:** a pick-to-light dispatch wall. 8× SK6812 RGBW strips (181 LEDs each, ~3 m, 1448 total) mounted row-wise behind storage bins. A QR scan lights 2 LEDs to show where a tote goes. Firmware hard-caps it to 2 strips active at once — the busiest moment is a boot sweep of a lit pair marching along all 8 strips = 16 LEDs lit, max.

**Key parts + reasoning:**

- ESP32 30-pin devkit (WROOM-32) — 8 RMT channels, one per strip, so all 8 are independent and hardware-timed.

- 2× SN74AHCT125N as 3.3→5 V shifters (8 buffers = 8 strips). AHCT for the TTL thresholds. All /OE tied hard to GND — floating /OE bit me earlier (random pixels lighting at boot).

- 4.7k pulldown on each buffer input so the line's defined while the ESP32 GPIOs are high-Z during boot; 10k pulldown on each strip DIN.

- 330 Ω series termination at each buffer output; data runs kept ≤1.5 m.

- 220 µF reservoir per strip — sized for the ~0.12 A load step, NOT the usual 1000 µF, since I never run strips at full white.

**Power:** single 5 V / 5 A / 25 W (Mean Well RS-25-5). Whole wall idles ~1.6 A (the 1448 SK6812 quiescent dice dominate, not the lit LEDs), normal op ~1.8 A, boot sweep ~2.5 A — so ~50% PSU load worst case. Strip 5 V is injected straight from the PSU at the strips, so LED current never runs through the board. 4 A time-lag fuse + NTC inrush limiter at the input (C_BULK 1000 µF + 8×220 µF ≈ 2.76 mF, so there's a real inrush to tame).

**Questions:**

1. Input section — for ~2.5 A worst case, is a copper pour + ground plane enough, or do you want specific trace widths anywhere?

2. Grounding — strips are PSU-powered but data comes from the board, so the data return shares ground. Planning a single ground star tying PSU / ESP32 / shifters / strip returns. Sane, or better topology?

3. Fuse/NTC — 4 A (T) + NTC for that ~2.76 mF bank: reasonable, over/underkill?

4. Series termination — 330 Ω over ~1.5 m of hookup wire. I calc'd ~36% of the SK6812 T0H window eaten by edge rise. Over-damped, or fine to leave?

5. Anything obviously dumb I've missed.

6. Choice of connectors - JST & Screw terminals, better options available or stick with the same.

I have done handful of DIY electronics projects at home, but never at work. Any pointers or tips, absolutely welcome. Thanks everyone!

I'm creating Bluetooth modules for the Atari 2600 Console and its controller using an ESP32-C3. 1 module per controller, and 1 module per input port on the Atari Console. This PCB will plug into the console using the 9-pin D-Sub connector.

I will program the ESP32 through a USB-C connector using the USB data lines. This ESP32 will receive data from the paired controller over Bluetooth and feed it to the console through the D-Sub connector.

This review request is mainly a sanity check. It's not the prettiest board, but it should get the job done.

One concern I had - the Atari was not meant to power two ESP32s through each controller port. Will the ESP32 draw too much current for this simple application? Or should they be externally powered through the USB C port? I guess it wouldn't be too difficult to find out during testing with a multimeter.

Schematic

Top layer (red)

Bottom layer (blue)

3D View

Thanks!

Hey guys, I need some quick advice. I’m currently working on a project with an ESP32-S3 Nano, a GPS module, and a QMC5883L compass. Everything works perfectly on the breadboard, but now I want to move it onto a perfboard (protoboard) so it can fit into an enclosure.

I don’t want to just start soldering blindly and end up debugging errors later. I’d love to plan it out beforehand, but I can't seem to find a software that actually works well for this:

• DIYLC (DIY Layout Creator): I tried it, but I can't find the right parts/components for my ESP32 or the sensors.
• Excalidraw: I briefly tried drawing it out using images of the modules, but that didn't really work either. It gets way too messy and confusing with too many unstructured wires.
• KiCad: I tried searching for symbols in the schematic editor and couldn't even find my parts. Plus, isn't KiCad mostly meant for custom PCBs anyway?

How do you guys plan these kinds of layouts? Is there a simple program out there, or do you have a specific trick/method you use?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

So I created this smart socket design.

The issue I am facing is that, when load is plugged in or removed, the system restarts and after that works fine, even when load is plugged in and I aggressively toggle an relay, no restart happens, it only happens when load is plugged or removed while relay is obv NC.

Hey folks,

Completing my capstone year in industrial design and decided to bring in some of limited electronic abilities to ensure that I have as horrible of a summer as possible.

Main idea with this thing is ESP32 getting data from various sensors and buttons, sending it over UART to Pi5 (sitting on its own island with x729 hat), then Pi processes the info into a UI. This is more complex than the stuff I'm used to doing but I'd really love for it to work. Not sure if I'm missing anything obvious (or less obvious).

Any help is appreciated. I've had a hell of a couple weeks.

The buttons are going to be cherry mx soldered into the through holes. This was my first time designing a pcb and I didn't really know what I was doing, so any tips or criticisms would be appreactiated.

First time uploading a design here for review. Tried to follow all the instructions, let me know if I missed any!

This is a temperature and humidity sensing PCB using a DHT11, STM32C011f6p6 and can be powered either by usb or a 2s battery. It outputs the temperature data to an LED ladder and the humidity data to a programmable multicolor LED.

Let me know if you have any tips. Thanks!

Looking for a final sanity check before ordering this PCB.

I previously posted three separate test boards for each section, and all worked well. This revision combines them into the final form factor.

• 24 V input with local power regulation
• Strain-gauge ADC and analog accelerometer inputs
• STM32 microcontroller
• Isolated RS-485, using the isolated-side ground for the bus reference
• Star-style power distribution where practical
• Analog section kept separate and quiet from the digital and communications areas

Mainly looking for any layout, grounding, power, or obvious manufacturing issues I may have missed.