The A to Z of designing printed circuit boards
Etching a Sketch
© Lead Image © Viktoriya Sukhanova, 123RF.com
Take your electronic projects to the next level with your own PCB designs.
Many makers start in electronics by using pre-built modules: typically a module with a microcontroller (e.g., Arduino, Raspberry Pi, ESP32, or STM32 variant) and another board with some type of I/O (e.g., an accelerometer, camera, temperature sensor, or relay). They join these boards together with wire links, often without the need for soldering, to make a functional prototype. So far so good. The advantages of this approach are flexibility, speed, and low cost: They can keep making changes until they have the required functionality.
However, projects like this can be difficult to package in a compact manner and inevitably contain unneeded circuitry, and the wire links might not be durable over time. It can also be an expensive solution if more than one prototype is required. If you want your project to use a component not available on a module, run from batteries, have custom displays, or any variety of requirements, the need for a more flexible solution becomes yet more apparent.
You might move on to other prototyping systems, like soldering components onto a stripboard and wiring them up with soldered wire links. This approach worked well when I started out in the business 40 years ago, but today, many interesting components are just not available in through-hole form on the 2.5mm/0.1-inch pitch that was the standard back then.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Fedora 43 Has Finally Landed
The Fedora Linux developers have announced their latest release, Fedora 43.
-
KDE Unleashes Plasma 6.5
The Plasma 6.5 desktop environment is now available with new features, improvements, and the usual bug fixes.
-
Xubuntu Site Possibly Hacked
It appears that the Xubuntu site was hacked and briefly served up a malicious ZIP file from its download page.
-
LMDE 7 Now Available
Linux Mint Debian Edition, version 7, has been officially released and is based on upstream Debian.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Reaches EOL
Linux kernel 6.16 has reached its end of life, which means you'll need to upgrade to the next stable release, Linux kernel 6.17.
-
Amazon Ditches Android for a Linux-Based OS
Amazon has migrated from Android to the Linux-based Vega OS for its Fire TV.
-
Cairo Dock 3.6 Now Available for More Compositors
If you're a fan of third-party desktop docks, then the latest release of Cairo Dock with Wayland support is for you.
-
System76 Unleashes Pop!_OS 24.04 Beta
System76's first beta of Pop!_OS 24.04 is an impressive feat.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.