Hands-On PCB Engineering (HOPE)
Class: Wednesday or Thursday 8PM ~ 10PM (PT) Classes begin week of 1/29

Contact: ieee-hope@lists.berkeley.edu

Through HOPE, you will learn effective printed circuit board (PCB) design and develop the skills to build custom electronics for classes, personal projects, student teams, and more. You will learn effective system, schematic, and layout design for PCBs through hands-on labs and experience basic PCB assembly and bringup. You will also be exposed to some advanced PCB design topics such as DFx, signal and power integrity, grounding, and thermals. At the end of the semester, you will combine all of your skills in a student design project.

Notices

Enrolling in HOPE

Students who are interested in signing up for HOPE in Spring 2024 should fill out this enrollment form to recieve a permission code (they will be distributed in batches, first-come-first-serve). Our DeCal listing for Spring '24 is https://decal.berkeley.edu/courses/7281 .

Please email us if you are a concurrent enrollment student- we prioritize matriculated UC Berkeley students. Space permitting, however, concurrent enrollment students are welcome to take HOPE.

Classes begin week of 1/29.



Pre-requisites

HOPE is not a class about circuits. We expect students to have a basic understanding of circuits. We heavily recommend students satisfy our pre-reqs of EE 16A or ME 100, or otherwise have a similar level of knowledge in circuits (e.g. PHYSICS 7B, BIOE 105).



Logistics

We offer HOPE as an in-person class this semester. We plan to hold two identical sections of class each week (Wed and Thurs), and you can choose which section to enroll in.

Office Hours

For students that need that extra support time, we will hold staff office hours Supernode (Cory 246).

Google calendar



bCourses available for registered students.

We will keep track of grade-related things in bCourses. Other course content will be found here on the website.

Instructors
Lucy
Lucy Revina

Cedric
Cedric Murphy

Vedang
Vedang Joshi

Kevin He
Kevin He

Sean Yang
Sean Yang

wesley_pic
Wesley Jiang

Grading

See bCourses for detailed grading breakdown.

Your grade is primarily based on completion of labs and assignments. The final project is graded both on completion and demonstration of concepts taught in the course. Students need 70% to pass.

Course Schedule
Week Topic Reference Lab Lab Checkoff Due Project Checkpoint
1
1/31
2/1
Intro to PCB and Schematics

Intro to the class, PCBs, KiCad, and using KiCad's schematic editor.
Install KiCad

Light Sensor Schematic
Intro to HOPE Quiz - Bcourses Project Logistics

BOM Template
2
2/7
2/8
Footprints and Layout

Schematics to physical layout. Footprints, basic placement, and routing.
Light Sensor Components

Light Sensor Layout
Light Sensor Schematic
3
2/14
2/15
Understanding Components

Real components to their symbol and footprint.
USB Charger Components Light Sensor Components+Layout
4
2/21
2/22
PCB Requirements

Overview of the PCB design and manufacturing process, and how it relates to engineering requirements.
USB Charger Schematic USB Charger Components Groups Due 2/23
(3 people minimum)
5
2/28
2/29
Microcontroller Basics

Introduction to microcontrollers, common features, and basic tips on adding them to PCBs
USB Charger Layout USB Charger Schematic Proposal Due 3/1
6
3/6
3/7
Assembly and Soldering

Practical assembly and soldering skills.
Soldering Practice USB Charger Layout Proposal Review
7
3/13
3/14
USB Hands-On Experience

Assemble a PCB based on the USB Charger lab, and use it to charge your phone.
USB Charger Hands-On Instructions
Project BOM & Schematic Due 3/15
8
3/20
3/21
Advanced Layout and Passives

General layout process and overview of concerns. Non-ideal passives.
Project Work Session
9
4/3
4/4
Project Design Review Project Design Review in Class
Design Review Requirements
Layout Due 4/1
10
4/10
4/11
Ordering, Testing, and Bringup

The last bits of what you need to get a working PCB.
Project Worksession FINAL PCB files due 4/11 (Thursday)
11
4/17
4/18
PCB Manufacturing

The PCB manufacturing process, and how it affects layout. Outputs for manufacturing.
12
4/24
4/25
Trinket Hands-On Lab

In this hands-on lab, you will build and test an interactive trinket that senses touch, temperature, and distance.
Trinket Lab Trinket Prelab due Project Assembly
13
5/3
Project Presentations