The introduction¶
I have observed that many of us, electronic designers, tend to rush to design new circuit boards because they are cheap and easy to manufacture, allowing many iterations and room for errors.
The main oversights I have noticed are:
- lack of definition and specifications
- lack of communication between interdisciplinary teams
- lack of design organization, rules and clarity
- lack of processes and discipline
- lack of involvement from our peers
- lack of admitting our own errors and oversights.
From hobbyist to experienced product design teams, those shortcomings can be present in some degrees. Just spending a bit time on electrical forums unravels a world where the lack of technical knowledge is not the only the problem but rather one of the points listed above.
In this guide, I will touch on what I believe are the best practices and manners to adopt for anybody inside or entering the world of electronic design, in order to get rid off those bad habits and improve our efficiency.
The structure¶
As I would like to cover the full design worflow from an idea emerging in someone's head to a, hopefully, a flawlessly functioning circuit board shipping in a high-volume product, the structure of this guide is as follow:
- Gather ideas and organize them into clean-looking system and board diagrams.
- Incorporate reviews as essential piece of the design process.
- Pick components the right way and draw the most intuitive symbols and circuits.
- Setup the layout phase for success: first place and constraint, then route.
- Validate the circuit and document the findings.
I believe this design workflow should apply to hobbyist project too.
Note that I won't keep this structure stale if a better one comes around the corner.
The mindset¶
If you aim to design and/or become a great electronic designer, you'll be aiming for excellence at every corner. This is why, in this guide, I stick to an aggressive approach which intends to leave "chance" out of the picture, even though we all need luck for everything to come together perfectly well the first time around. The idea is to think that the circuit board you are designing is your only possible iteration, because you can't afford another one, and you really, really want it to be successful on the first try.
Obviously nothing forces you to follow any rule or suggestion in this guide, but I do hope it makes you reflect on it.
The disclaimer¶
I would like to point out that, for the most part, this is not a technical guide. You won't find out if you should use a linear versus switching regulator for your circuit, if 6-layer PCB is preferable over 4-layer PCB, which routing technique to use, etc. This guide aims to stay generic on methods on how to design a circuit board and to give guidelines that can get you on the right path.
All in all, I'm not saying this guide is perfect for everyone, it will never be. I am not pretending I have the answers to everything and every team. And I am definitely not going to take responsabilities for any misuse of the information presented here!
I am attempting my best shot at describing how an ideal design flow is in my mind, and you are welcome to critize it and give me feedback in the comments section below.
With that said, let's dive into it.