This course introduces advanced printed circuit board (PCB) design and layout, with a focus on more complex considerations and more nuanced experience with standard tools than the introductory Hands-On PCB Engineering (HOPE) course. It is intended for students with previous PCB design experience (preferably HOPE) and some basic experience with upper division-level circuit design. Students interested in developing PCBs for class projects, research, or engineering student teams will benefit from this course.

Students will learn the skills required to be a PCB designer in industry. They will learn to design PCBs in the industry-standard Altium Designer software. They will work with high-precision signal integrity, power distribution, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) analyzers to create and optimize complex board designs.

Students will learn the methodology to implement and find components for more advanced circuit designs they may have never seen before. In addition, they will learn the reasoning behind and practices for schematic designs for high-speed digital, high-power, and radio frequency (RF) circuits.

Students will experiment with different layouts, understanding the effects of electrical and mechanical constraints on designing a PCB. They will learn the methods to calculate design parameters based on function, power, frequency, and size of each circuit.

Students will experience PCB assembly and bring-up with a team-based final project, a PCB of their own design. Building upon the design topics from lectures and the software tools from labs, students will emphasize one element of advanced design in the project, (high-speed digital, high power, or RF).

A “first-come, first-serve” enrollment form will be made available before the first class. If there is capacity remaining, students may enroll up until the add/drop deadline. Enrollment may be rebalanced to account for diverse skill levels. Enrollment priority will be given to matriculated students over concurrent enrollment students due to department policy. Please contact us for details and concerns.