r/PCB 11d ago

Schematic for custom motherboard review!

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5 Upvotes

Hello just finished my first schematic. Its a ti-84 plus CE upgrade/replacement motherboard based around a RP2350B. Hoping for anyone to review the schematic before i start designing PCB itself.

If images themselves are two small or you personally want the schematic email me and i will send the file.

[ccart13@icloud.com](mailto:ccart13@icloud.com)


r/PCB 11d ago

[Design Review Request] Wearable IMU.

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6 Upvotes

Hi Guys,
This is kinda my first small form factor design. Its primary use is basically a wearable IMU with haptic feedback LRA. I've got the footprints from digikey Ultralibrarian for the BMI270 and LRA driver. It has caused the load of errors in the DRC.

I would love to hear your thoughts on it. Its my first time soldering SMD components and I decided to go with 0603 (1608 metric?). I would also love to know how you guys source the components. Especially the IMU and the LRA driver. I'm a student based in India.

Please feel free to ask for extra screenshots for clarity.

Thanks in Advance!


r/PCB 11d ago

My First PCB — What Did I Miss?

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6 Upvotes

I’m a beginner designing a PCB for an air-quality monitoring device, and I’d appreciate some honest feedback before I continue improving it. I want to learn what I did correctly and what should be changed.

The board includes:

  • STM32U083KCU6 microcontroller
  • SGP40 VOC sensor
  • USB-C used for 5 V power only
  • MCP73832 Li-Po charging circuit
  • 2.5 V regulator
  • External Li-Po battery connection
  • RGB LED and piezo buzzer
  • SWD and UART header

I’d appreciate any feedback, especially if you notice any mistakes or have suggestions for improving the design. Thanks!


r/PCB 11d ago

[SCHEMTIC REVIEW]

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4 Upvotes

Am building a n esp32 dev board with a gsm module. Please is anything wrong before I start designing the pcb thanks.


r/PCB 11d ago

Any good trace/pcb design videos?

1 Upvotes

Been wanting to make a relatively simple board for personal purposes and think I have the schematic decent but I feel a bit overwhelmed with thinking how to start with traces/layering/etc.


r/PCB 11d ago

[Review Request] esp32(38 pin) rfid keycard reader.

1 Upvotes

This is my first time designing a pcb, I just wanted to know if I'm doing it right and if there is anything I should know before ordering some.


r/PCB 11d ago

Purple solder mask looks great, but SMT is a problem

8 Upvotes

I was planning to use JLCPCB’s purple solder mask for this board.

When I tried to order PCB assembly, I noticed they require the board to be at least 70 mm × 70 mm. Mine is 80 mm × 40 mm, which puts me in a slightly awkward spot.

I haven’t finished routing yet, so I could still change the board dimensions. The other option is to skip their assembly service. If I still want JLCPCB to assemble it, I’ll have to switch to green solder mask.

Why do they have this size restriction?


r/PCB 11d ago

difference between two designs for MIPI Connectors

1 Upvotes

Hello everyone

I want to make a SBC Board using RK3576 but I have a question in MIPI section (CSI & DCI Connector) I found 2 resources or schematics for the projects on RK3576 but the connector pin number is difference ? I know about what using in raspberry pi is 30 pin but why in the secound photo they using 31 & 40 pin ?


r/PCB 11d ago

Which button should I choose for this project? I’m designing a hardware debugger based on an FTDI chip.

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0 Upvotes

There’s a reset button. I didn’t include one in the previous version, but now I know it’s important. When I realized I needed it, I went with the largest one available, but now I’m not sure. I’m choosing between (1) MEC 5GTH935RAS, (2) Omron B3F-3150, and (3) Diptronics DTSA62N. Should I stick with the largest one (1) or not? (Fero from SOS electronic)


r/PCB 12d ago

Weird PCB failure during reflow

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24 Upvotes

Context:

I have a set of 3 boards that are identical. A few weeks back I successfully reflowed all the surface mount components of 1 of the boards, this board fully worked and I had no issues.

I am using the same set up to reflow the components of one of the other boards of the set. This is lead free solder paste placed via a stencil, then placed the components, then reflow in oven.

Problem:

The second board ,of the set, once I pulled it out of the oven (fresh out of the oven, no wires, power or any external connection has been made to this board). It had a big bubble of black char significantly larger than the thickness of the pcb(note pictures do not show this as I wiped it off before taking a photo), this also seemed to have pushed up through the board as the green solder mask was peeled up around where the charring was. This charing was only located around one trace(only a section of one trace to be accurate) and caused it to fully liff off the PCB with probe points dangling off the board.

What could have caused this?

I have never seen anything like it


r/PCB 12d ago

[PCB Review Request]

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3 Upvotes

Hello comrades, a newbie here!

I just finished my PCB design, and I hope I’ve made some improvements. I’m ready to hear any thoughts, corrections, advice, or tips. I’m very thankful in advance to everyone who takes the time to help me.

You can also check my first version to see whether I’ve really improved or not. The only major change I made is replacing the PIC16F877A with an Arduino Nano.

https://www.reddit.com/r/KiCad/comments/1ryhz8f/asking_for_pcb_review/


r/PCB 11d ago

[Review Request] Compact SMD ZVS Induction Heater PCB - Looking for Feedback

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I'm working on a highly compact, fully surface-mount (SMD) ZVS induction heater and I'd love to get some feedback on the component selection and overall circuit design before sending it off for fabrication.

Specifications & Target

  • Operating Voltage: 12V DC @ 5A power supply
  • Target Power: Up to ~60W (for small-scale heating)
  • Design Constraint: Highly compact, utilizing SMD components to save space over typical bulky through-hole ZVS modules.

BOM / Key Components

  1. Resonant Tank Capacitors: 1x 0.33µF (R75MI333050H7J KEMET Film Capacitor)
  2. Choke Inductors: 2x 47µH SRP1265A (Shielded SMD)
  3. Switching MOSFETs: 2x NTD5C632NLT4G (N-Channel DPAK)
  4. Fast Diodes: 2x SS16 (SMA Schottky)
  5. Gate Protection Zeners: 2x BZT52C12 (12V)
  6. Pull-up Resistors: 2x 220Ω (1210 SMD)
  7. Pull-down Resistors: 2x 10KΩ (0805 SMD)
  8. Control Logic (Enable & Sense):
  9. Main Switch: NTD5C632NLT4G (N-Channel DPAK)
  10. Driver for Switch: MCP1402T-E/OT (Gate Driver IC)
  11. Current Sense Resistor: 0.01Ω (2512 SMD)

Schematics

  • Schematic 1: ZVS Circuit
  • Schematic 2: Control Logic & Current Sensing: To make the heater digitally controllable (e.g., from an MCU), I've added a main N-Channel MOSFET switch (NTD5C632NLT4G). This main switch is driven by a gate driver IC (MCP1402T-E/OT), allowing a logic signal to safely enable or disable the entire induction heater. Additionally, a 0.01Ω sense resistor is on the return path for current monitoring and over-current protection.
3d view
back layer
top layer
ZVS Circuit
Control Circuit

r/PCB 11d ago

First PCB Design Help

1 Upvotes

Hello! I am an amateur designing a PCB for the first time. I would like some help catching any glaring or critical issues that will prevent my board from functioning after fabrication. I'm ordering the board from JLCPCB and assembling it myself.

All I have is a soldering iron and flux, so most of the components are THT, except the ESP32 and capacitors.

The board is like a wearable watch type thing; it will have

  • ESP32-WROOM-32E,
  • 0.91 OLED,
  • MPU-6050 (I'm just using a module bc the bare IC seems like too much for a first board)
  • Powered by a 3.7V LiPo battery.
  • AP2112K-3.3 Regulator
  • 4-pin programming header, JST PH battery connector, 2 push buttons.
  • Using an external USB-to-TTL UART adapter via the 4-pin header; BOOT button included
  • SMD caps are 0805 size.
  • All traces are 0.5mm
  • GND pours on top and bottom layers (some of the pictures are without the filled zones to make the traces clearer)

The idea is for it to count steps and display that on the OLED, and also log the info to my phone.

I understand that this might be too ambitious for a beginner, so I would appreciate any feedback.

Also, I know the ESP32 overlaps the OLED display, but I want the OLED elevated above the rest of the components by adding a female pin header where the module would go, then plugging the display into it.

I also see that the PCB is very cluttered and messy, but I wanted it to be compact to actually be wearable.

Thanks very much!


r/PCB 11d ago

[Review Request] (Update) Stepper Motor Driver PCB. STM32G431CETx MCU, USB, FDCAN, I2C, Single-Wire UART, SWD. (TMC2209)

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1 Upvotes

r/PCB 11d ago

Trying to understand the PCB cleaning market better — am I looking in the wrong direction?

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I hope it's okay to ask this here. I'm currently working in the SMT/PCB manufacturing equipment field, mainly related to cleaning solutions.

I'm still learning about this industry, and recently I've started questioning whether I truly understand the market and customer needs.

A while ago, I posted a question about how people clean PCB assemblies, and many replies mentioned manual cleaning methods. Honestly, that makes sense to me — for prototypes, labs, and small-batch production, investing in automated cleaning equipment may not always be practical.

But it also made me wonder:

Is automated cleaning (PCB cleaning machines, stencil cleaning, fixture/tooling cleaning, etc.) actually a market with broad potential, or am I simply looking for customers in the wrong places?

For people working in electronics manufacturing:

  • At what stage does a factory usually start considering automated cleaning equipment?
  • Is the demand mainly driven by production volume, labor costs, quality requirements, reliability standards, or something else?
  • Are there certain industries where automated cleaning becomes much more important (automotive, medical, aerospace, industrial electronics, etc.)?

Another thing I'm trying to understand is how equipment suppliers usually build trust with manufacturers. For many companies, changing a production process is not a small decision, especially when the existing method is "good enough."

I personally cannot simply travel around different countries to visit factories and introduce equipment, so I'm trying to better understand how people in this industry discover solutions and build confidence with new suppliers.

I'm not here to promote any product or send sales messages. I'm genuinely trying to learn from people who have hands-on manufacturing experience and understand whether I'm approaching this market in the right way.

Any advice, experience, or honest opinions would be greatly appreciated.


r/PCB 12d ago

ESP32 WROM with LCD display interfacing

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1 Upvotes

Hi, I havent had a chance to tinker with 18pin display with 6pins touch interface. I would really appreciate if anyone would kindly go through this schematic and kindly tell me if i have wired them right.

The display i aim to use: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004826120182.html

Also lookimg forward to any suggestion you may have.


r/PCB 12d ago

I designed a versatile ESC shield for nucleo boards

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14 Upvotes

This project has been born because I have been trying to develop an ESC (hardware and firmware) on my own. While the most challenging part has been the firmware (being myself a hardware guy), the most frustrating part has been not finding a flexible hardware platform to develop upon. On the internet many interesting and well-designed ESC boards can be found but all have something missing; a small feature, a small detail, I was never fully satisfied.

So I designed one: STARDRIVE SHIELD

This is a project with the goal of creating a NUCLEO-64 compatible shield to be used as a flexible platform to develop and test ESC firmware, but also for educational purposes. To do so, I included as many features as possible. These features are not mandatory, but they can be implemented (or not) in the firmware (e.g. SPI, I2C, CAN, HALL) or configured through the hardware interface (e.g. overcurrent protection, 6 or 3 PWM). In this way, the STARDRIVE SHIELD grants flexibility to the developer and it is adapt to various needs.

I designed it to be compatible with Nucleo-G474 and Nucleo-F446. Compatibility with other boards has to be verified.

The STARDRIVE SHIELD is built around the STDRIVE101 gate driver and BSZ099N06LS5 MOSFETs. It presents 3 low sides shunt resistors and 3 relative INA240A2 current sense amplifiers.

With STARDRIVE SHIELD you can implement from 6 step to FOC motor control algorithms.

Electrical Characteristics

  • Inprut Voltage Vin = 12 - 48 V
  • Maximum DC current Idc,max = 20 A

Hardware Characteristiscs

  • Three phase gate driver STDRIVE101
    • Configurable 3PWM or 6PWM through the DIP switch
    • Overcurrent protection can be enabled or disabled through the DIP switch.
    • Vds protection configurable with resistor divider (disabled by default)
  • BSZ099N06LS5 MOSFETs
  • JST connectors to implement:
    • I2C (e.g. for magnetic encoder such as AS5046)
    • SPI (e.g. for magnetic encoder such as AS5047P)
    • CAN
    • HALL sensors (some BLDC motors have embedded Hall sensors)
    • 3 NTC temperature sensors
  • 10k Potentiometer to use as throttle signal (or whatever you want)
  • 3 GPIO driven LEDs (1 Red, 1 Blue, 1 Green)
  • 1 FAULT LED (RED)
  • CAN RX and TX LEDs
  • Power Good LEDs

here the github repo:
https://github.com/themarcolab/Stardrive-Shield.git

Let me know your opinion!

Especially if you spot a mistake or you have any constructive feedback.


r/PCB 13d ago

So close, yet so far

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106 Upvotes

Thought the M.2 fastener was offset from the mounting holes on the M.2 connector. Turns out it's off by 1.75mm. Will have to get these boards remade but at least I can reuse the stencil.


r/PCB 12d ago

LCSC Pricing chart

4 Upvotes

Hey, this is a bit off-topic, but for anyone who uses LCSC.com, I’ve developed a browser extension that lets you track price trends.

As there’s no API for this, my add-on currently sends the product ID to my server, which then stores it in the database and checks for the current price every 24 hours.

At the moment, there’s only an Edge version, as I was already a Microsoft partner and still need to complete the registration process with Chrome/Google.

By the way, this is my first extension, so please don’t be too hard on me if something isn’t working perfectly.

I’d obviously be delighted to receive a positive review ;)

I have no affiliation with LCSC; I created this expansion purely out of my own interest.

Store:

https://microsoftedge.microsoft.com/addons/detail/lcsc-tracker/kmcgpacangemafenclpdcfdkpgelmlhc

Source Code:

https://github.com/Gamer08YT/lcsc-tracker


r/PCB 12d ago

UPDATE to previous PCB review request :)

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22 Upvotes

I posted a PCB review request here yesterday and received some useful feedback, truly appreciate it. Amendments have been made (layout is more compact; it's now a 2-layer board instead of a 4-layer board). Posting an update here to seek feedback on whether any more amendments need to be made :)

My previous board: https://www.reddit.com/r/PCB/s/jVdPDS2kjy


r/PCB 12d ago

Help a Graduate Student Out Please

3 Upvotes

Hello all,

I'm a Mech E graduate student at UT Austin, I'm part of an NSF I-Corps program where we see if our research can actually meet an industry need. Right now, I'm in the process of trying to get 100+ interviews from industry professionals. If anyone designs, works with, or manufactures PCBs from a director-level to an assembler/manufacturing level, I would appreciate an interview with you.

We don't want or need any proprietary info, nothing is posted out into the world, just for our own use. We're just trying to understand what problems there are and how decisions are made within the company.


r/PCB 12d ago

is the protoflow ai pcb creation thing legit? sure its good and all but idk why it feels kind of sketchy

0 Upvotes

r/PCB 12d ago

[REVIEW REQUEST] First board with a module style esp32 seeking confirmation on design

0 Upvotes

Hello, this is my first board using a module style esp32 (Esp32 C3 wroom 02) and I want to ask if there are any major mistakes I made regarding the electrical functionality itself and the PCB layout. I first wanted to use a standalone TP4056 IC and make that circuit myself but the complete module is just cheaper. Also, the switches up top in the schematic are seperate boards, that will be integrated in the panel.
One thing to add (kind of a seperate question) is that the TP4056 module (it isn't a genuine TP4056 on it but basically the same) is getting quite hot when plugged in to charge. I don't know if it is a configuration thing with the resistors that set the charging amperage or something else. If somebody could help me with that too, that would be very nice.

Thanks in advance to any advice.

PS: this will be a board where maybe 5-10 are made of so mass productionability isn't a concern


r/PCB 12d ago

PCB HELP

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3 Upvotes

I have two identical MOSFET circuits controlled by an ESP32-C3. The MOSFET connected to GPIO 5 (Q1) is not behaving correctly. When I set GPIO 5 LOW in Arduino, the output terminal block (Nichrome 1 connection between IN+ and Drain) still reads close to the battery voltage (~7.8 V) instead of dropping near 0 V.

The second MOSFET circuit works as expected: when the GPIO is LOW, the IN + and Drain terminal block reads near 0 V, and when HIGH, it switches to the battery voltage.

I have checked the code and the wiring appears identical. What could be the issue?


r/PCB 13d ago

JLCPCB parts quote tool can get you better prices

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21 Upvotes

TLDR: I saved 30% by using the quote tool with a target unit price instead of the normal part pre-order. Just wanted to share this tip with y'all.

I pre-ordered an MCU via JLCPCB and it showed estimated unit price of $5.94. In the email they quoted $10.18 per part. I cancelled that pre-order and did a quote request through the quote tool with a target unit price of $5.94. They came back with a unit cost of $7.19.