A low-cost design experience for junior-level electronics circuits laboratories through emulation of industry-printed circuit board design practice

Over a 2-year period, printed circuit board layout design and test were included in the laboratory portion of the second of two junior-level electronic circuits courses. Printed circuit board design using industry-accepted board specifications and standard industry Gerber file export experience was developed. The students' printed circuit board design experience emulated real-world situations and cost criteria. The instructor served as the fabricator in this model of the industrial design situation. Students individually used industry standard schematic capture and layout software to develop a printed circuit board for a simplified discrete mu A741 operational amplifier. The layout designs were submitted as industry standard Gerber files electronically to the instructor/fabricator for evaluation. Grades were assigned by evaluating the accuracy and cost effectiveness of the design by minimizing traces, reducing printed circuit board geometry, and limiting the number of vias, which ultimately reduces fabricator tooling cost. Feedback was provided by the instructor who acted as the industry fabricator to individual students. A single fabricated printed circuit board, designed by the instructor (and fabricated by a commercial printed circuit board manufacturer), was delivered to students for assembly and test. By delivering a single printed circuit board design to students, fabrication costs can be minimized and students can inspect the delivered board as an exemplar. Assessments of the student perceptions of knowledge of and confidence in applying printed circuit board techniques in designing and releasing a printed circuit board were conducted prior to and after the printed circuit board layout design and test. On a 5-point scale, overall student-reported knowledge increased by 2.14 and overall student confidence increased by 1.20 points. Faculty assessment of knowledge, as measured by scoring short answers to knowledge statements, correlated well with student report and showed an average increase of 2.70.