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227-0651-00L 2 Credits BSC D-ITET

Applied Circuit and PCB-Design

Lecturers & Examiners: Alfonso Blanco Fontao
Although not strictly mandatory, attendance is of high importance and will be considered as part of the evaluation criteria. Students not willing to attend regularly to the lectures are not encouraged to register to it. The deadline for deregistering expires at the end of the second week of the semester. Students who are still registered after that date, but do not attend the course, will fail to get the credits. The student must motivate the reasons that lead him/her to enroll by means of an e-mail to the person in charge of the course ( ). Failing to do so will result in a registration rejection. Final admission to the course is at the discretion of the lecturer.
VVZ CR 4.4

Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:14:20

Abstract

Participants learn how to design a predefined electronic circuit and how to lay out the pertaining circuit board. CAE and CAD activities for design and simulation are carried out with the aid of KiCAD.

Objective

The goal is to become acquainted with all those practical aspects of electronic circuit and PCB design by working through a modest but complete application example. This involves analysis of specifications, the evaluation of electronic parts, efficient testing and failure search, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), the usage of industrial CAE/CAD tools for circuit simulation and PCB layout, generating production data for the board manufacturer, board mounting, testing and start up.

Content

Content: - Development - from the idea to the final product - Analysis of given circuit specifications - Searching the Internet for electronics parts - Choosing electronic parts: avoiding mistakes - Setting up the KiCAD environment - Structure of component libraries - Preparing schematic symbols for CAE - Preparing footprints for CAD - Structure of schematic diagrams and circuits - Assigning schematic functions to physical parts - Capturing a predefined circuit - Hints for improved testing and failure analysis - Checking schematic data - Simulation of circuits using Spice - Introduction to PCB manufacturing - Turning circuit schematics into a workable layout using KiCAD - Component placement on the PCB - Routing - Design for EMC and High-Speed - Preparation of production data for the board manufacturer - Documentation for manufacturing and assembly - PCB assembly (component mounting and soldering) - Final circuit testing and start-up.

Resources

Literature

All necessary documents will be available as electronic documents (PDF)

Learning Materials (Links)

General Information

Language
English
Levels
BSC
Frequency
Semesterly recurring

Examination

Type
ungraded semester performance
Voraussetzung zur Erteilung der ECTS Kreditpunkte und für eine schriftliche Teilnahmebestätigung ist ein erfolgreicher Abschluss des Kurses mit Inbetriebnahme des Kursprojektes. / To receive ECTS credit points and a written confirmation of participation it is required to complete the course project.Anmerkung:Als Leistungskontrolle gilt: Erfolgreiche Ausführung des Kursprojektes mit abschliessender Inbetriebnahme.

Registration & Places

Limited places (Special selection)
Signup End
22.02.2026

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture with exercise Applied Circuit and PCB-Design
Permission from lecturers required for all students. Zusatzangebot im dritten Studienjahr: siehe "Besonderes". Please read carefully: The student must motivate the reasons that lead him/her to enroll by means of an e-mail to the person in charge of the course ( ). Failing to do so will result in a registration rejection. Final admission to the course is at the discretion of the lecturer. The first lesson on 19/2/2026 will last approx. 2 hours: course presentation. Some parts of the course might be given as pre-recorded video lectures or as remote teaching. Although not strictly mandatory, attendance is of high importance and will be considered as part of the evaluation criteria. Students not willing to attend regularly to the lectures are not encouraged to register to it.
  • Thu 08:15-12:00 (ETZ K 63)
4 h weekly

Offered In