Description

Day 02 of the PCB Design Workshop, organized by the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (IEEE RAS) of the IEEE Student Branch University of Ruhuna, successfully concluded the two-day online educational program. Approximately 100 engineering students who completed the schematic design foundations on Day 01 returned to transform their circuits into production-ready PCB layouts. Building directly on the skills developed during the first session, participants began Day 02 with completed schematics and organized component libraries, creating a strong foundation for advanced PCB layout and manufacturing preparation. The session opened with a review of Day 01 and an introduction to PCB layout design philosophy, emphasizing how schematic quality directly influences layout efficiency and performance. The primary focus of Day 02 was PCB Placement and Routing , where participants learned to convert schematics into physical board layouts. Students were guided through strategic component placement techniques considering electrical performance, thermal management, mechanical constraints, and manufacturability. Industry-standard routing practices were then introduced, covering signal integrity, power routing, differential pairs, length matching, via optimization, and multilayer stack-up planning. Through live demonstrations, instructors showcased real-world layout challenges and shared professional insights on balancing performance, cost, and manufacturability. Participants gained hands-on experience in applying best practices to complex PCB designs. The second key segment focused on Fabrication File Generation , guiding participants through preparing designs for professional manufacturing. This session covered the creation of Gerber files, drill files, pick-and-place data, bills of materials, and assembly drawings. Students also learned essential design-for-manufacturability (DFM) principles and how to verify designs using design rule checks (DRC) before fabrication. Instructors demonstrated the complete workflow from final layout verification to creating a comprehensive fabrication package suitable for PCB manufacturers, highlighting best practices for minimizing production risks and ensuring reliable assembly. Interactive Q&A sessions throughout the day enabled participants to receive personalized guidance on layout challenges and fabrication preparation. Day 02 concluded with participants successfully completing the full schematic-to-PCB design workflow, equipped with practical skills and confidence to apply their knowledge to real-world electronics projects.