SUMMARY:

The course is designed to show you how to achieve maximum performance on the first attempt with your electronics design and avoid common, preventable mistakes by applying knowledge from my years of experience. Knowing how to maximize a circuit's performance is challenging, while scaling it down for less demanding applications is relatively straightforward. In this context, performance encompasses EMC, dynamic range, crosstalk, distortion, bandwidth, noise, and more. This course also aims to reveal the unknowns—concepts you may not even realize you’re missing. Some of these insights took me 20 years to learn, despite the significant impact they can have.

During this course, you will finish a conceptual schematic of relatively complex mixed signal PCB design to a completed version and then turn it into a high performance layout that has minimal impact on the performance.

COURSE CONTENTS:

• The Right Mindset: A framework of questions to guide you through each design stage, helping you anticipate and prevent potential issues. This is the "think five steps ahead" framework.

• Component Knowledge: Learn the unwanted behaviors of standard components like capacitors, resistors, and inductors and understand how these behaviors vary, so you can select the best component for each purpose.

• Completing a Conceptual Schematic: Determine which components to use, where to place them, and why specific component types are ideal for particular functions.

• Schematic Drawing Techniques: How to create clear, understandable schematics—a critical step for achieving a successful design on the first try.

• Optimizing Conceptual Schematics with Datasheets: Learn to maximize performance by thoroughly utilizing datasheets.

• Schematic Error Checking (Checklist): A checklist to help you catch preventable schematic errors.

• Testing Considerations: Tips on planning test points and options to streamline testing, especially for the first prototype.

• Designing for RF, EMC, ESD, and Power Supply Crosstalk: Strategies for optimal grounding, understanding PCB current flow (crucial for these areas), and overall signal integrity.

• PCB transmission line structures

• Reliability Design: Techniques for designing with reliability in mind, including thermal stress management and selecting correct capacitor bias levels, etc.

• Component Placement for Performance: Placement strategies to maximize circuit performance.

• Mechanical Considerations: Integrating mechanical constraints early on to avoid costly redesigns.

• PCB Layout for reliability: Tips on layout strategies for optimal performance and reliability, including selecting design rules.

• Impact of Layer Stackups on Design: Understanding how layer stackups affect overall design.

• Library Part Checks: Ensuring accuracy in library components.

• Layout Mistakes Checklist: A checklist for common layout mistakes and overlooked items, like fiducials.

   

BLOCK DIAGRAM OF THE CIRCUIT YOU WILL WORK ON:

During this online video course you'll have 1 hour per week to ask me questions during an 6 week period. You'll also get access to an online chat-room for course members where you can post questions as well. I'll be regularly checking in there.