PCB Basics

Contributors: SFUptownMaker

Overview

One of the key concepts in electronics is the printed circuit board or PCB. It's so fundamental that people often forget to explain what a PCB is. This tutorial will breakdown what makes up a PCB and some of the common terms used in the PCB world.

Over the next few pages, we'll discuss the composition of a printed circuit board, cover some terminology, a look at methods of assembly, and discuss briefly the design process behind creating a new PCB.

Suggested Reading

Before you get started you may want to read up on some concepts we build upon in this tutorial:

• What is Electricity?
• What is a Circuit?
• Voltage, Current, Resistance, and Ohm's Law
• Connector Basics
• Soldering 101 - PTH
• Signals

Translations

Minh Tuấn was kind enough to translate this tutorial to Vietnamese. You can view the translation here.