Introduction

🎓 Course Overview #

This course is a practical, project-based introduction to PCB design, created for freeCodeCamp and the NerdCave YouTube channel.

Instead of learning PCB design through abstract examples, you’ll design real boards, manufacture them, and bring them to life using the Raspberry Pi Pico.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Design schematics from scratch
• Create custom PCB
• Understand real-world electronics design decisions
• Debug, assemble, and improve your own hardware

No prior PCB experience is required.

🧠 What You’ll Learn #

Throughout the course, you’ll learn:

• PCB design workflow (idea → Prototype → schematic → PCB → assembly)
• Raspberry Pi Pico & Pico W fundamentals
• Power regulation and protection
• Button matrices, LEDs, displays, and sensors
• Addressable LEDs (WS2812B / NeoPixels)
• USB, HID devices, MIDI, and Bluetooth basics
• Manufacturing considerations (DFM, tolerances, footprints)
• Common beginner mistakes (and how to avoid them)

🛠 Tools Used #

• PCB Design Software (EasyEDA)
• Raspberry Pi Pico / Pico W
• WS2812B LEDs
• Through-hole & SMD components
• Real PCB manufacturing and assembly

All designs, code, and files will be open-source.

🚀 Course Structure #

This course is built around 8+ real PCB projects.
Each project has its own dedicated page, covering:

• Project idea & design goals
• Schematic design
• PCB layout walkthrough
• Manufacturing files
• Firmware & testing
• Common mistakes & improvements

🔧 Design & Manufacturing Workflow #

All PCBs in this course are designed using EasyEDA and manufactured using JLCPCB.

EasyEDA is used for:

• Schematic capture
• PCB layout
• Footprint management

JLCPCB is used for:

• PCB fabrication
• Surface-mount assembly (when applicable)
• BOM and Pick & Place handling

This toolchain is chosen because it is accessible, reliable, and widely used by makers, students, and engineers.

📦 Projects in This Course #

1. LED Dice #

A simple but powerful introduction to buttons, LEDs, and logic.

2. Simon Says Game #

Learn user input, LEDs, sound, and game logic on a PCB.

3. Binary Clock #

Understand time, binary representation, and LED grouping.

4. Fibonacci Clock #

A more advanced clock using Fibonacci logic and LED blocks.

5. MIDI Controller #

Create a USB MIDI device using the Pico.

6. Macro Keyboard #

Design a custom HID keyboard for productivity or gaming.

7. IoT Habit / Task Tracker (WS2812B) #

Combine LEDs, networking, and real-world UX.

8. Word Clock #

A visually striking project focused on layout, power, and LEDs.

9. Game Controller #

Design a USB or Bluetooth game controller PCB.

10. Bluetooth Car #

Motor control, power handling, and wireless communication.

📌 Who This Course Is For #

• Beginners to PCB design
• Makers and hobbyists
• Students learning electronics
• Software developers curious about hardware
• Teachers looking for real engineering projects

🧡 Open & Free #

This entire course is free, open-source, and built in public.

Learn hardware by building hardware.

Welcome to NerdCave.