MenuBeginnerPCB Wizard
If you've only ever built circuits on a breadboard, moving to a real PCB (Printed Circuit Board) can feel like a big jump. It isn't — it's the same circuit, just made permanent and professional. This guide walks through the exact workflow we're using in today's workshop, using PCB Wizard.
What Is a PCB, Really?
A breadboard connects components with loose jumper wires. A PCB replaces those wires with thin copper tracks etched onto a fiberglass board. The components sit in fixed positions, soldered directly to the copper, so the circuit becomes solid, compact, and reliable enough to actually ship in a product.
The Design Workflow, Step by Step
1. Start With a Schematic
Before touching the PCB layout, draw the circuit as a schematic — the standard symbol-based diagram showing how components connect electrically, with no regard yet for physical placement. This is your circuit's "logic," separate from its physical layout.
2. Open PCB Wizard and Place Your Components
In PCB Wizard, use the PCB Component Gallery panel on the right side of the screen. Components are organized by category (Resistors, Capacitors, ICs, Connectors, etc.) — browse or search for the part you need, then drag it onto the board.
Each component has a footprint — the physical pattern of pads it needs. Picking the right footprint size (e.g., a 0.3in vs 0.6in resistor spacing) matters, since it needs to match the real component you'll solder on later.
3. Route the Copper Tracks
Once components are placed, connect their pins with tracks — the copper paths that carry current between them. In PCB Wizard's track tool, click a starting pad and draw to the destination pad. Keep these principles in mind:
- Keep tracks as short and direct as possible
- Avoid sharp 90° corners where possible — use 45° angles, which handle current flow more cleanly
- Give power and ground tracks slightly more width than signal tracks
Tip: Zoom in while routing — it is much easier to catch accidental overlaps or near-touches between tracks at high zoom than to find them later during testing.
4. Check for Errors
Before finalizing, run a design rule check if the tool offers one, or manually verify: no two tracks touch that shouldn't, every component pad actually has a track connected to it, and there's enough spacing between tracks to avoid short circuits once the board is etched.
5. Export and Manufacture
Once the layout is complete, export the design (commonly as Gerber files, the industry-standard format PCB manufacturers accept) or print directly for toner-transfer/etching if you're making the board yourself in-house.
Watch out: A PCB design that looks correct on screen can still fail if two tracks are placed too close together — always double check spacing, not just connections.
What We'll Build Today
In this workshop, we're designing three beginner-friendly circuits end-to-end, from schematic through to a finished PCB layout:
- Power Supply Circuit — a regulated DC power source, the building block behind almost every other project
- Water Level Indicator — a simple sensing circuit that lights LEDs at different water levels
- Automatic Street Light — a light-sensing circuit that switches an LED (or relay-driven light) on at dusk
Each has its own detailed tutorial — linked below. Follow along on your own machine during the session, and you'll leave with three real, working PCB designs.
