Design & Fabrication of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB)

This training is designed for electronics technicians wishing to design or adapt simple boards and for maintenance technicians moving toward module design. It begins with schematic capture in a CAD tool such as KiCad and footprint association.
Participants route one- or two-layer PCBs while complying with electrical rules, decoupling and the separation between power and signal. They then generate the Gerber files, drill files and BOM parts list required for manufacturing.
Hands-on practice includes a low-voltage power supply, a sensor-, logic- or microcontroller-based interface board, then manual assembly of simple through-hole and SMD components. Controlled power-up, continuity tests and simulated faults are used to apply a debugging method.

• Use electronic CAD software such as KiCad to capture a schematic.
• Associate physical footprints with components and check electrical rules with ERC.
• Route a one- to two-layer PCB while complying with simple design rules and DRC checks.
• Generate the Gerber, drill and BOM manufacturing files.
• Assemble a small board with simple through-hole and SMD components and carry out initial tests.
• Apply a power-up and debugging method for a prototype board.

• Electronics technicians wishing to design or adapt simple boards.
• Maintenance technicians wishing to move toward interface or module design.

Have a solid foundation in electronics.