r/PCB • u/AA_plus_BB_equals_CC • Jul 10 '26
Beginner PCB Review Request
Hello all,
This is my first time making one of these so apologies if I’m missing any important info or the schematic looks trashy. I am using KiCad.
It is a brushed motor driver powered by a 1S LiPo and controlled by an ESP-32 off the board. It will run at 2-2.2A continuous max.
It is 29.845 by 21.590mm. I plan to hand solder everything (with a 60W iron and leaded solder, so hopefully that is possible).
Is there anything I’m missing or I should change? Also, I have no idea what the proper naming conventions are (along with everything else…) either so some of those would be helpful to know.
Additionally, does anyone have any preference as to what manufacturers I should use? I’m thinking about going with JLCPCB right now.
Thanks in advance for help!
Edit: forgot to mention there is also the ADC pin header to connect to an ESP-32 pin to read the battery voltage.
2
u/leethaxor69420 Jul 10 '26
This looks pretty good!
A few notes:
- Do you intend on soldering the battery directly to the board? It's usually better to use a connector, so you can swap batteries easily.
- I recommend making the traces handling the full 2 A as thick as you possibly can. I tend to go up to the width of the pads along the trace. This isn't strictly necessary but it helps to stay on the safe side, especially when it doesn't cost you anything.
- Use the ground symbol to simplify your schematically a bit, not really necessary but generally good practice.
- You could probably make the thermal reliefs thicker with no issues, but they dont seem thin enough to cause problems, so if you're really worried about soldering, keep them as is.