Introduction to Printed Circuit Board Design and Layout using Ki-CAD

This 85-page textbook, created for the Introduction to Printed Circuit Board Design and Layout course at Lake Washington Institute of Technology, teaches students the fundamentals of creating printed circuit boards (PCB). The textbook covers a variety of concepts related to the creation and design of PCBs, such as adding copper layers to a PCB design, using the KiCad software for creating PCBs, and designing custom footprints for use in PCB design. Included in the textbook are numerous video lectures and tutorials. The textbook consists of the following parts:

1. Printed Circuit Board Fundamentals
2. PCB Terminology and Requirements
3. Thermal Management in PCB
4. Design PCB using Ki-CAD Software

Upon completing this course students should be able to do the following:

• Design and create printed circuit boards using KiCad software
• Understand the fundamentals of PCB design, including component placement, routing, and layout
• Create and save custom footprints for use in PCB design
• Implement effective grounding techniques in PCB design
• Manage thermal issues in PCB design
• Understand IPC [Institute for Printed Circuits] standards for PCB design and manufacturing