Dr. Eric Hazen's Introduction to PCB Design on KiCad

​Ready to turn your breadboard prototypes into custom, reliable circuit boards? Join BU Senior Research Engineer Eric Hazen (aka "Dr. Electron") for a practical introduction on Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design using KiCAD.

​What You'll Learn

• ​PCB Fundamentals & Terminology: Understand board materials, layer stackups, surface-mount (SMT) vs. through-hole (THT) design, and key layout jargon.

• ​Schematics & Component Selection: Learn how to draw readable schematics, choose appropriate parts, and manage component symbols and footprint models.

• ​Layout & Routing Techniques: Master component placement, trace routing, and creating ground/power planes using copper zones.

• ​Manufacturing & Ordering: Learn how to export Gerber and drill files, perform design rule checks, and order custom boards from fabrication houses like JLCPCB or PCBWay.

​Scope & Prerequisites

• ​Who it's for: Beginners and non-experts looking to design simple custom PCBs.

• ​What it isn't: This is not a formal circuit theory course or an advanced session on high-power, RF, or ultra-low-noise design.

​About the Speaker: Eric Hazen is a Senior Research Engineer at the Boston University College of Engineering, consulting on electronics at EPIC and BME labs. He previously led the team that built electronics for the CERN experiments that discovered the Higgs Boson.

​Preparation: To get the most out of the session, feel free to download KiCAD on your laptop beforehand.