Choosing the parts
Read each part against the job: the ULN2003A's ratings and its 1 V Darlington drop, an LDR's numbers that move the trip point, and the lamp a supply can really carry.
Open it in the simulatorAll paths
Circuit design capstone
Expert: take one product from a written requirement to a tested board: blocks, a schematic worked out on paper, part choice, simulating the corners, PCB layout, a test plan, and a revision that fixes what the tests found.
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What you will build
3 projects, built step by step
7 lessons in 3 chapters, about 4 hours on a simulated breadboard. Free, in your browser, every step checked by the simulator.
Lay out the board
Check the nets before the copper, then take the night light into the PCB view: seven footprints, seven nets, placement, routing and the design rule check, with no export needed.
Open it in the simulatorFinal build: revision B
Close the loop on the test report: find why the light would chatter at dusk, stiffen the pull-up, add hysteresis, prove it with the tests, and sign off revision B.
Open it in the simulatorThe map
Chapter by chapter
Each lesson opens when the one before it is done, and each chapter ends in a project.
Chapter 1
Design it
From a sentence to blocks, a schematic and real parts.
- Open270 XP
From a requirement to a plan
Every product starts as a sentence. Turn one into numbers you can test: a 12 V lamp that comes on when a room drops below about 20 lux, with no microcontroller.
0 of 5 steps
- Locked300 XP
From blocks to a schematic
Work out each block with the numbers on paper: the divider, the threshold and the trip point, then why the LM393 needs its pull-up, all checked on the running circuit.
0 of 5 steps
- ProjectLocked540 XP
Choosing the parts
Read each part against the job: the ULN2003A's ratings and its 1 V Darlington drop, an LDR's numbers that move the trip point, and the lamp a supply can really carry.
0 of 5 steps
Chapter 2
Prove it
Simulate the corners and lay out the board.
- Locked300 XP
Simulate the corners
A design that works at the typical numbers is half done. Push the supplies to their limits, see why a ratio-based design shrugs off a sagging 5 V, and what a low 12 V costs the lamp.
0 of 5 steps
- ProjectLocked640 XP
Lay out the board
Check the nets before the copper, then take the night light into the PCB view: seven footprints, seven nets, placement, routing and the design rule check, with no export needed.
0 of 6 steps
Chapter 3
Ship it
Run the test plan, then fix what it found.
- Locked350 XP
Run the test plan
The acceptance tests from lesson 1, run one by one with a pass or fail written next to each: bright, dark, the trip point both sides, and the supply corner.
0 of 6 steps
- ProjectLocked740 XP
Final build: revision B
Close the loop on the test report: find why the light would chatter at dusk, stiffen the pull-up, add hysteresis, prove it with the tests, and sign off revision B.
0 of 7 steps
Syllabus
Every lesson in the course
All 7 lessons, in order, each with what it covers. Any of them opens in the editor right away.
Design it
- From a requirement to a planEvery product starts as a sentence. Turn one into numbers you can test: a 12 V lamp that comes on when a room drops below about 20 lux, with no microcontroller.
- From blocks to a schematicWork out each block with the numbers on paper: the divider, the threshold and the trip point, then why the LM393 needs its pull-up, all checked on the running circuit.
- Choosing the partsRead each part against the job: the ULN2003A's ratings and its 1 V Darlington drop, an LDR's numbers that move the trip point, and the lamp a supply can really carry.
Prove it
- Simulate the cornersA design that works at the typical numbers is half done. Push the supplies to their limits, see why a ratio-based design shrugs off a sagging 5 V, and what a low 12 V costs the lamp.
- Lay out the boardCheck the nets before the copper, then take the night light into the PCB view: seven footprints, seven nets, placement, routing and the design rule check, with no export needed.
Ship it
- Run the test planThe acceptance tests from lesson 1, run one by one with a pass or fail written next to each: bright, dark, the trip point both sides, and the supply corner.
- Final build: revision BClose the loop on the test report: find why the light would chatter at dusk, stiffen the pull-up, add hysteresis, prove it with the tests, and sign off revision B.
Keep going
The rest of your track
Circuit design capstone is part of the electrical track, a ladder of courses from zero to expert.
Electrical track
Current and voltage you can see, then transistors, op-amps, filters, power and PCBs. Every circuit runs in a real circuit simulator in your browser.
See every course on the trackKits
Build it on your bench too
Every lesson runs in the simulator with nothing to buy. When you want the real thing, these kits have the parts.
Find your kit
Pick the starter kit you own and run every lesson in its manual with the same parts on the same pins.
See every kitQuestions
About Circuit design capstone
Is Circuit design capstone free?
Yes. All 7 lessons of Circuit design capstone are free and run in your browser, with nothing to install and no parts to buy before you start.
Do I need any parts?
No. Every circuit is built on a simulated breadboard, and the simulator checks each step as you go. When you want to build it for real, the same parts and wiring work on a real bench.
How long does Circuit design capstone take?
About 4 hours: 7 lessons in 3 chapters, each one a few short steps. Your progress is kept, so you can stop after any lesson and pick up where you left off.
What will I build?
Each chapter ends in a project that puts it together: Choosing the parts, Lay out the board and Final build: revision B.
Where do I start?
With "From a requirement to a plan", and each lesson builds on the one before it. New to circuits? Electronics basics is the course that starts from zero.