Footprints
Every part becomes copper pads and holes of the right size and spacing: read the four footprints of a USB to 3.3 V board, their drills, and where a footprint and the real part disagree.
Open it in the simulatorAll paths
Breadboard to PCB
Take three working circuits from the breadboard to a finished board: the schematic, footprints, placement, routing, design rules, and what a board house needs.
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What you will build
2 projects, built step by step
6 lessons in 3 chapters, about 3 hours on a simulated breadboard. Free, in your browser, every step checked by the simulator.
Design rules
What a board house can make: track width, spacing, drill, annular ring and edge clearance, the DRC that checks them, and rules broken on purpose to see what it says.
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
From circuit to board
Read the schematic, and see each part become its footprint.
- Open204 XP
The schematic
Before any board, the circuit as a drawing: symbols instead of parts, nets instead of wires, and a 7805 supply read from its schematic, dropout included.
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- ProjectLocked332 XP
Footprints
Every part becomes copper pads and holes of the right size and spacing: read the four footprints of a USB to 3.3 V board, their drills, and where a footprint and the real part disagree.
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Chapter 2
Lay it out
Place the parts, route the copper, and pass the design rules.
- Locked166 XP
Placement
Where the parts go decides how hard the routing is: the ratsnest of a 555 blinker, the placement rules that keep it short, and parts dragged and turned by hand.
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- Locked204 XP
Routing
Turn the ratsnest into copper: a power track drawn by hand, two layers and a via, the autorouter for the rest, and why a power track is twice as wide.
0 of 5 steps
- ProjectLocked332 XP
Design rules
What a board house can make: track width, spacing, drill, annular ring and edge clearance, the DRC that checks them, and rules broken on purpose to see what it says.
0 of 4 steps
Chapter 3
Ready to make
What Gerbers and a BOM are, read off a finished board.
- Locked166 XP
Gerbers and the BOM
What a board house actually receives: the Gerber layers, the drill file and the bill of materials, read off a finished USB to 3.3 V board by looking at it as made.
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Syllabus
Every lesson in the course
All 6 lessons, in order, each with what it covers. Any of them opens in the editor right away.
From circuit to board
- The schematicBefore any board, the circuit as a drawing: symbols instead of parts, nets instead of wires, and a 7805 supply read from its schematic, dropout included.
- FootprintsEvery part becomes copper pads and holes of the right size and spacing: read the four footprints of a USB to 3.3 V board, their drills, and where a footprint and the real part disagree.
Lay it out
- PlacementWhere the parts go decides how hard the routing is: the ratsnest of a 555 blinker, the placement rules that keep it short, and parts dragged and turned by hand.
- RoutingTurn the ratsnest into copper: a power track drawn by hand, two layers and a via, the autorouter for the rest, and why a power track is twice as wide.
- Design rulesWhat a board house can make: track width, spacing, drill, annular ring and edge clearance, the DRC that checks them, and rules broken on purpose to see what it says.
Ready to make
- Gerbers and the BOMWhat a board house actually receives: the Gerber layers, the drill file and the bill of materials, read off a finished USB to 3.3 V board by looking at it as made.
Keep going
The next course on your track
Breadboard to PCB is part of the electrical track, a ladder of courses from zero to expert.
Power electronics
Advanced: switches, inductors and heat: buck and boost converters from loose parts, PWM, MOSFET drivers, H bridges, efficiency, and a regulated supply you set from its formula.
Open the next courseElectrical 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 Breadboard to PCB
Is Breadboard to PCB free?
Yes. All 6 lessons of Breadboard to PCB 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 Breadboard to PCB take?
About 3 hours: 6 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: Footprints and Design rules.
Where do I start?
With "The schematic", and each lesson builds on the one before it. New to circuits? Electronics basics is the course that starts from zero.