How to Make a Circuit Board (Beginner's Guide)

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Here’s how to make your very own custom circuit board/PCB! When we start learning a new skill, we don’t know what we don’t know. What should you Google search? It’s hard to say! This beginner’s guide solves that for you even if you know nothing of basic electronics. Follow along and learn from the exact resources I used when discovering my love of electronic design.

Join me.

– Chapters –
00:00 – What We’ll Cover
00:38 – Learning Basic Electronics
02:00 – Prototyping on a Breadboard
02:56 – Hand Soldering on Perfboard
04:25 – Learning KiCad
05:38 – Ordering Circuit Boards
07:02 – Project Examples and How to Support the Channel

📚 RESOURCES 📚

#1 Learning basic electronics
Basic Electronics Guide:
The Learning Circuit:
The Engineering Mindset:
learnelectronics:
GreatScott!:

– Arduino –
Core Electronics’ Arduino Workshop:
How To Mechatronics:
DroneBot Workshop:

#2 Prototyping on a breadboard
Science Buddies’ How to Use a Breadboard:

#3 Hand soldering on perfboard
Adafruit’s Soldering Overview:
wermy’s Soldering Crash Course:

#4 Learning KiCad
KiCad download:
Getting to Blinky 5.0 website (recommended):
Getting to Blinky 5.0 YouTube playlist:

⭐ #5 Ordering circuit boards from JLCPCB ⭐
JLCPCB website:
How to generate Bill of Materials (BOM) and part orientation (CPL) files:
Need a board design? Order the PCB in the video! Download the gerber ZIP, BOM, and CPL files for free here:

– Some of my projects –
IKEA Bekant Desk Automater:
Cornhole Boards With Reactive Lights/Sound:
Quad-Barrel Air Cannon Helps Me Make Pasta Sauce:
How to Make a Quad-Barrel Air Cannon:
The Focus Flower:

🛠️ EQUIPMENT/PARTS I USED 🛠️

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– Prototyping –
Breadboards + jumper wires:
Breadboards only:
Jumper wires only:
Multimeter:

– Components –
Resistors:
Electrolytic capacitors:
Ceramic capacitors:
Diodes:
LEDs:
Signal MOSFETs:
Power MOSFETs:
Power jacks:
Power plugs:
Push buttons:
Terminals:
Toggle switches:
M2.5 threaded inserts:

– Arduino –
Arduino Uno clone:
Arduino Uno starter kit:
Arduino Nano clone:

– Power –
12V 3000mAh battery:
12V 2A power supply:

– Soldering Tools –
Hakko FX-888D soldering iron:
Soldering tip set:
3D-printed insert tip set:
Helping hands:
Fan:
Diagonal cutters:
Wire strippers:
Solder sucker:
Pliers:
Heat gun:

– Soldering Consumables –
Solder:
Perfboard:
22AWG solid wire:
22AWG stranded wire:
Heat shrink:
Headers:
Isopropyl alcohol:
Isopropyl dispenser:
Flux paste:

😃 Attributions 😃

Music (in order, all by Patrick Patrikios):

Dynamite
Know Myself
We March Together
Running Out

Graphics and Footage:

Lightning bolt

Artist:
Public domain

AC/DC Logo

Included in accordance with 17 U.S. Code § 107: Fair use