PCB Design & Prototyping

Take a design from schematic to laid-out board. Capture schematics, apply layout and design-for-manufacturing rules, and practice bring-up and rework procedures.

Prerequisites

EET 210

Course outline

Lectures, virtual labs, and graded assignments — completed in your browser.

01PCB stackups, materials, and fabrication processlecture

02Schematic capture and library managementlab

03Component footprints and land patternslab

04Netlists, ERC, and design reuselab

05Placement strategy and mechanical constraintslab

06Routing, trace width, and current capacitylab

07Power distribution, planes, and decouplinglecture

08Midterm design reviewassignment

09Signal integrity, return paths, and EMC layoutlecture

10Design rule checks and manufacturabilitylab

11Fabrication outputs: gerbers, BOM, assembly drawingslab

12Assembly processes, SMT, and reworklecture

13Board bring-up and test pointslab

14Final PCB project package and examassignment

Syllabus

# PCB Design & Prototyping (EET 240)

**Credits:** 3 | **Term:** 6 | **Contact hours:** 2 lecture / 3 virtual lab hours per week
**Prerequisites:** EET 210 Analog Circuit Design
**Delivery:** Fully online. Lectures on demand, weekly live office hours, and browser-based virtual labs with simulated instruments.

## Course description
Schematic capture, layout rules, DFM, bring-up and rework. This 14-week course develops practical competence in PCB design and prototyping through weekly lectures, virtual lab exercises, and graded assignments.

## Learning outcomes
On completion of this course the student will be able to:
1. Explain the core principles and vocabulary of PCB design and prototyping.
2. Perform the analysis, calculations, and procedures introduced each week.
3. Use virtual instruments and software tools to build, measure, and verify results.
4. Diagnose faults and explain discrepancies between predicted and measured behavior.
5. Document work clearly in lab reports that meet industry documentation standards.

## Weekly schedule
Fourteen weekly modules are listed under Lessons, each pairing a lecture with a virtual lab or assignment and a short knowledge check.

## Grading
- Virtual lab work and reports: 35%
- Weekly assignments and quizzes: 20%
- Midterm exam or practical: 20%
- Final exam or project: 25%

Grade scale: A 90-100, B 80-89, C 70-79, D 60-69, F below 60. A grade of C or higher is required to advance to any course that lists this one as a prerequisite.

## Course policies
- Weekly work is due Sunday at 11:59 PM local time; late work loses 10% per day up to five days.
- All submitted work must be your own; simulation files are individually seeded and checked.
- Students needing accommodations or an extension should contact the instructor through the portal before the due date.
- Instructors reply to portal messages within one business day.