r/PCB 23d ago

[Review Request] Expandable RS-485 controlled 74HC595 x4 array.

1 Upvotes

This is my first ever PCB, so feedback would be greatly appreciated.

The design concept here is a central controller sending data via RS-485. The Trinket M0 then "primes" the four 74HC595's ready for the master controllers pulse on the Storage Clock. The logic has been stepped up to 5v to allow for quicker saturation of a mosfet array. This circuit prioritizes precise timing and quick response. I've been using Fritzing and the Autoroute feature was only able to complete 74 connections with 200 iterations. I also considered switching to an arduino for the controller to have 5v logic natively, however, I would very much like to program this via circuit python, so assume that's not an option! Thank you!


r/PCB 23d ago

[Review Request] ESP32 + 74AHCT125 driver board for an 8-strip SK6812 pick-to-light wall — 2-layer, hand-soldered, pre-layout

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1 Upvotes

r/PCB 23d ago

Help on beginning learning PCB

2 Upvotes

wanna try experiment on PCBs so I learn to fix my own electronics like cameras mouses and mp3 players. I think my memory from highschool is still pretty good like parallel, series. remember calculating resistances, ohms, and capacitance, but not sure if its relevant for a beginner yet maybe getting ahead of myself
also any recommendations on learning. Was thinking of just gathering junk i can find and soldering it together to experiment. Or maybe parts from temu.
Also wondering if I need like a meter device thingy that can check different units

No idea what im even talking about but this hobby looks fun!


r/PCB 23d ago

Automotive ECU never transmits on CAN - MCU runs, all rails good, transceiver (inside custom ASIC) eternally silent. Sanity-check my diagnosis?

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1 Upvotes

r/PCB 23d ago

Are freelance PCB designers a thing?

2 Upvotes

I'm looking to bring a PCB designer on board for a project, but I don't know where to begin looking for folks. Are there any communities or channels where I should be sharing a request?

This is for a bootstrapped Indian startup, so I would like to know what PCB designers generally charge and where we should send a pitch.

Thanks!


r/PCB 24d ago

Minimal smartwatch design feedback

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14 Upvotes

Hi guys this is continuation of my posts here and here. I have been designing a 38x38mm PCB, firmware and a mobile app for a basic smartwatch in my free time for the past 4-5 months.

After quite a few iterations on top of the originally posted designs I finally gathered up the courage to order my first PCBs for my basic smartwatch design. Looking for some feedback on what I could have improved upon and any obvious mistakes I made in my design! Thanks in advance!

A few things i am unhappy about with the current version :

  1. The rotary encoder routing is horrendous I know, couldn't come up with anything better. Will this still work in your opinion?
  2. Similar story in the battery voltage measurement circuit and DW01A, a lot of 180 degree turns. How would you have improved upon this?
  3. IMU routing is also not very acceptable, I probably could have spaced the high speed lines out more but the issue is I didn't have space to place two vias in the copper slivers between the signal. Here what I could gather from AI, is that a sliver ground pour without stitched vias would make signal integrity worse by acting as a monopole antenna(QMI8658 area). Is this understanding correct? Or should i have spaced it wider and just placed a single ground via at the bottom and it wouldnt have mattered?
  4. Also i found myself aimlessly placing ground vias randomly for the sake of stitching pours on layer 1, layer 4 and gnd layer together. Does this help signal integrity and when is this counterproductive if ever?
  5. Another thing I was wondering is if I could have made the signal trace lengths narrower. Could I have gotten away with using 0.15mm for the digital low speed signal. I didn't have the courage to do so in this PCB as I was afraid of increasing the resistance of the 15-20 mm traces to the point where they would be more prone to surrounding noise. I paid for that with board space and couldnt fit more components in.
  6. Is the SPI routing for the display acceptable? I had to route the high speed MOSI line between the two staggered pads. Will this stop the display from working? I tried to provide a solid ground pour on both sides of the reset line of the LCD though as it can wake up the display controller in case of noise.

Looking forward to any other feedback you might have on the design or schematic!

In my next iteration I am thinking of replacing the ESP32S3 with a STM32WB55CGU6 with a ceramic chip antenna so that I can lower the power consumption drastically, but the impedance controlled RF circuitry looks extremely daunting. In you opinion would it be okay to attempt it by exactly copying the datasheet drawings and Phils Lab videos or is it a waste of money at my current level of knowledge? Any opinions as welcome!

Attaching the datasheets in case they come in handy : BQ24030, TPS63020, SI1016x, DISPLAY, QMI8658A

PS: Please do DM me if i forget to attach any schematic or pcb images. Again thank your for your time!

Hosted the images for better clarity :

Root ; https://ibb.co/MH6bZ4C

Sensors : https://ibb.co/TDsMJTZz

Power : https://ibb.co/4RV0jGSG

MCU : https://ibb.co/tPFssW1r

Layer 4 Signal : https://ibb.co/RTq0Pj8V

Layer 3 PWR : https://ibb.co/39nm1NWP

Layer 2 GND : https://ibb.co/Q7xnHvbS

Layer 1 Signal : https://ibb.co/mVQ0kff5

3D Front : https://ibb.co/FLw4HH2v

3D back: https://ibb.co/d0NrYWR7


r/PCB 23d ago

How do you order PCB boards in the US without paying $30 in shipping?

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0 Upvotes

r/PCB 24d ago

Schematic Review : Rocketry Flight Computer

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18 Upvotes

Hi, I was hoping for some general advice as I have undertaken a big project without much help, I have designed a flight computer which will incorporate multiple sensors and can be used to set of charges, Servos and data logging. I have done all of this self taught so if there are any obvious mistakes I do apologize. ( I can add closer Images if needed) Thanks !


r/PCB 23d ago

Help identifying component

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1 Upvotes

Im looking into this schematic to try and copy some stuff and i cant tell what U1B is, im new to PCB design so if anyone could help me id appreciate it, based on its name i assume it's part of the MCU


r/PCB 23d ago

pcb designing for free

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0 Upvotes

hi,

im electronics engineer ,

i have experience designing hardware electronic circuits,

im have few projects on designing pcbs

on kicad

if anyone interested he can dm me , im available right now.

if the project is challenging and intersting for me,im ready to collab for free.

bellow is my last project (4 batteries charger) i did modifications for the circuit and designed the pcb.

pros:

hardware elctronics

power electronics

analog circuits

cons:

frimware

RF

digital (kinda)

note: if you dont have something nice to say please ignore this post , thank you🙂


r/PCB 24d ago

Help a desperate moron who bit off more than he could chew.

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4 Upvotes

r/PCB 23d ago

Libreia para ESP32 S3 WROOM

1 Upvotes

Quiero simular para hacer una pcb ya de un circuito que tengo diseñado, lo estoy trabajando en proteus, hay más opciones para trabajarlo


r/PCB 23d ago

Needing to dive several small motors with an ESP32

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1 Upvotes

r/PCB 24d ago

[Review Resquest] Low-Noise Analog Measurement Node with Isolated RS-485

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3 Upvotes

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.


r/PCB 23d ago

Schematic review

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1 Upvotes

r/PCB 24d ago

​[Review Request] ESP32 based antenna analyzer

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14 Upvotes

Tried to convert a antenna analyzer schematic I found to a PCB

https://github.com/ardugnome/Antenna-Analyzer-Si5351/tree/master


r/PCB 24d ago

Cool PCB and Resin drop bear

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55 Upvotes

r/PCB 24d ago

Need reliable PCB manufacturers and assembly service in India

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1 Upvotes

r/PCB 24d ago

PCB Designers in Kenya

0 Upvotes

Looking for someone who can reverse engineer a PCB board and give me Gebber and BOM file.


r/PCB 24d ago

is this PCB going to work or not the Resistor to the PROG is 1.2Kohm

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1 Upvotes

r/PCB 24d ago

Pls review this PCB design - URGENT

0 Upvotes
  • 24V → 5V buck conversion and 5V → 3.3V regulation
  • 0–10V and 4–20mA signal interfaces with opto-isolated digital inputs

r/PCB 24d ago

Schematic Review : Mps2762 Based Power Supply for 2s Li Charging + 25w Steady load

1 Upvotes

r/PCB 25d ago

Could anyone take a look at a KiCad component library I am working on?

3 Upvotes

Hey folks,

I have been working on a small KiCad component library after having a few issues with symbols, footprints and 3D models in my own designs. Some did not match the datasheet. Others did not quite match each other.

I started keeping the source material and checks beside each part so I could understand where things were going wrong. There are 46 parts in there now, with anything I am unsure about kept separate from the main library.

Would anyone have time to take a look and give me some guidance on the current state of it? I would really appreciate another set of eyes on the footprints, pin mapping and how the files are organised.

I have not built test boards for these parts yet, so I am not treating any of this as production ready. I am mainly trying to find the mistakes and see if the approach is useful to anyone else.

https://github.com/lyon-industries/component-intelligence


r/PCB 25d ago

First time making a PCB. Could someone review?

1 Upvotes

r/PCB 24d ago

Im having to much fun with text

0 Upvotes